Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I expect everyone in this Chamber would be of that opinion; we want to get as many people as possible involved again in sports and in the arts.

Yesterday, I was in Churchfield industrial estate visiting the Golden Gloves boxing and fitness club, a thriving young club for boys and girls of various ages. It was fabulous to see the return to sport and the energy and excitement up there. One of the problems for the club is that it does not own its own facility, it rents it. The other problem for the club is that it pays fixed costs for electricity, gas and water and it also has to pay other bills. For most of the past 15 months, the club has had no income. Other clubs right across the sporting spectrum have likewise been affected. I know some funds have been put in place to assist with rates and grants for opening up and installing sanitisers and other such measures to deal with the pandemic. I welcome all of that, but we must go a step further. Many clubs and organisations are now in real financial trouble as a result of the pandemic and I ask the Government to consider what we can do to support them.

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