Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We all know 1.58 million people in Ireland participate in sports. Based on current population projections, an additional 1 million people will need to participate in sport on a regular basis in order to achieve the 2027 target set by the national sports policy 2018-2027. Sports clubs not only provide improvements in physical and mental health well-being, they also provide a social and recreational space for people and improve integration into communities. Sport also fosters tolerance and empathy through shared experiences and helps to bring people together.

I will acknowledge the efforts to increase female participation in sports are promising, alongside the announcement from the Minister for Finance that he plans to review the tax system to help national sporting bodies invest in facilities. This is welcome, especially for Meath and Louth. The sporting capital and equipment programme is the Government's primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities. While the programme has made a difference to many communities, the impact of construction inflation on sporting clubs and community groups needs to be considered. I welcome the plan from the Minister for Finance to review the tax system.

As is public knowledge, I am the chairman of the Louth county board. We are planning to build our new stadium in a joint venture with Croke Park and help from funds through the Government's IIP initiative, along with three-year seat sales and a double house draw. I would like people to realise Louth is alive and kicking and it is to be hoped work on the stadium will start very soon. There are a lot of rising costs and financial issues. It is important to us that the entire project goes ahead. All the help we can get from sports capital funding would be much appreciated. It will help to build our facilities to a very high standard and encourage other people to participate. As I said, we need the full support of sports capital grants.

I agree that over the past number of years, a lot of money has been spent on Sporting Ireland, but it is disappointing to see that Ireland has the lowest level of investment in sports across the EU. We spend 0.4% of GDP on sport, which is half the average and a quarter of what is spent in Nordic countries. As a result, improving the levels of participation in sports is either stagnant or moving at a snail's pace. This was clear to see in the FAI 15-year plan, which starkly lays out the lack of investment in sport and substandard facilities which generations of players and volunteers have had to endure. Comparing our often heightened expectations for Irish success on an European and international level, the FAI audit should force a realignment of the requirement for infrastructure improvements and rebuilding from the grassroots, especially considering that we have been confirmed as the co-hosts of the UEFA Euro 2038 Championship.

Take, for example, Dundalk FC, my home soccer team. It has an ageing artificial playing surface, resulting in unwarranted injuries and also affects performance and potential European funding. On top of this, there is an ongoing lack of capacity as regards facilities, which is clearly strangling growth. Yet, even just to qualify for a grant a club must own its facilities or have at least 15 years remaining on a lease, which excludes hundreds of clubs from eligibility for the sports capital grant programme. We need to increase capital funding for sports facilities and provide communities with the modern sports facilities they urgently need. By investing in our grassroots, we are investing in our sporting future. Given the growth in sports of all kinds and the changing demographics, the demand for better facilities will get bigger and bigger.

As I said, with so many women getting involved in sport, it is important that we invest in facilities. We all seem to forget the amount of good work done by volunteers, whether that is in soccer, Gaelic football or athletics. It is unreal. I ask the Minister of State to invest in sports. He has done a lot of travelling around the country and has seen a lot of clubs and everything else. From being involved in sport, I realise it has a major impact on families, homes and everything else. It is an outlet for people to go out and enjoy themselves and get away from the pressure of financial strains and everything else. We all seem to come together with sport. A lot of money has been spent, but a lot more money can be spent.

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