Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, for being present for this Topical Issue. This is an issue I raised previously and it has still not been addressed. Frankly, ostensibly it should be a Dublin City Council issue but in the absence of actions I have been forced to bring it to the Chamber once again. I believe I raised it with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan.

Sheriff YC in the north inner city is a football team that caters to some of the most vulnerable children in the area. It provides leadership, an outlet and at this present moment it is operating without any pitches. We are talking about at least 60 or 70 kids who every single weekend have had their games called off.

To give some context, in November the pitches on which they previously played on Alfie Byrne Road were destroyed as a consequence of a half marathon that was organised by a different group. It was organised I think by Clontarf running club and sponsored by Joe Duffy motors. The start and end point of that took place literally on the children's pitch. It destroyed the pitch. Nobody could have foreseen that would happen but it should have been addressed. Dublin City Council made a commitment that it would be. However, up till this point it has not. That pitch remains unplayable. East Wall use the pitches also.

Sheriff YC also plays in Fairview park. Clontarf cycle lane is being built and as a consequence of that the railings around Fairview park have been taken down by Dublin City Council to facilitate the works. In January this year a stolen car was able to penetrate the railings of Fairview park, go up and skid all over the pitches of Sheriff YC, East Wall and Marino. It absolutely obliterated them. Therefore, the pitches they previously had on Alfie Byrne Road are gone and the other pitches in Fairview park have now been destroyed. That means in the north inner city, children who play for Sheriff YC, East Wall and Marino and a couple of other clubs, have absolutely nowhere to play their games.

This has been relayed to Dublin City Council on a number of occasions. Its response was that the pitch experienced superficial damage. The children who will not be playing this weekend, last weekend or next weekend, do not consider the damage to be in any way superficial because it prohibits them from playing the sport they love. The club has been forced to book pitches in the Athletic Union League, AUL, complex but that is at an astronomical cost and is not being covered by Dublin City Council. It should be.

Dublin City Council made commitments to Sheriff YC initially that it would source alternative pitches on Clontarf astroturf which is operated by Dublin City Council. To date however, that has not materialised. Sheriff YC has engaged with the astroturf facility and has been told that Dublin City Council made one phonecall but the pitches are booked out. I am left in a dilemma. I am advocating to Dublin City Council but I have no remit to Dublin City Council. It does not have to respond to me and it has not. Therefore I am taking this issue into the Chamber. It should not be dealt with here but we are desperate.

I appreciate the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is stepping in for the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne. I need the Minister of State with responsibility for sports to intervene here because we are trying desperately to give children an outlet in the north inner city for all sorts of reasons. The connection they have to those clubs is invaluable. The work done by Sheriff YC is honestly incredible. I am a beneficiary of it myself. More to the point, every Saturday and Sunday morning those pitches were used twice a week by the kids, their families and everybody. They are not now and games are being called off. If they lose that connection we will suffer and the kids will suffer for it. It is becoming urgent. I ask the Minister of State to intervene.

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