Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is increasingly difficult for young people to grow up in. Sporting activities lead to mounting pressures for both providers and participants as the cost of living and lack of facilities escalate. This is creating increased inequalities in our society and nowhere is it clearer than in Dublin's inner city. The group Sporting Liberties has launched a very strong campaign highlighting the lack of facilities for children in the inner city. Recent reports have shown that thousands of children across the city do not have access to a green area to play on. It is appalling that, in 2024, so many children in our capital city do not have access to the most basic facilities. This is having a damaging impact on society. It is well documented that participation in sport is a key element in building a healthier population and a stronger sense of community. Participation in sport from a young age has been shown to contribute to increasing social cohesion and it leads to greater savings on healthcare the long run.

While there has been a lot of media coverage around the recent sports capital announcements, the figures are clear.

From the grass roots up, sport has been utterly underfunded for decades. Year after year, Eurostat figures have shown that we have one of the worst ratios of GDP devoted to sport and recreation. We cannot plaster over the cracks and expect everything to be fine. We need to see a clear sports facility strategy put in place to identify communities like those in the inner city that are being left behind. We need to see a vision and creativity in the delivery of sports facilities. When I look around Dublin city, the utter lack of sports facilities is a disgrace. You do not need to look any further than Kevin Street. For such a large community, there is one tiny astro pitch near Digges Lane. It is like a stamp but is expected to cater for all the young families living in the area. The former DIT site in Kevin Street had huge potential for community development, affordable housing and leisure facilities but was sold off by the Government to private developers. A large site like that could have delivered modern multi-purpose sports facilities along with public housing for the benefit of the entire community and it would have been good for the city. Instead the Government parties sold it off and now residents are facing that particular development going 12 or 13 storeys high with nothing to benefit the local community. On the other side, the Iveagh Trust is without facilities. Again, it has a postage stamp-sized playing facility to use. The former DIT site on Aungier Street at the other side of this community on Bishop Street is being transferred to private developers who will not develop it for the local community. Again, this is another missed opportunity for the residents of the inner city. People seem to think that Dublin is just for visiting and going to bars. It is a living thriving community. There are so many families living in the inner city and they have been neglected for years. This Government is selling off the assets that could make the city better for families and encourage families to come in but instead it is transferring facilities like the DIT site in Aungier Street and selling the DIT site in Kevin Street and the community is left with nothing. It is forcing families out instead of encouraging them to come in. I ask that we invest in sports facilities in the inner city.

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