Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Byrne and congratulate her on her election and her spokespersonship.

In response to the question, the programme for Government, as the Deputy knows, includes a commitment to explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland. My Department has provided additional funding to the FAI to enable it to produce a report on developing football academies. This will include a baseline audit of existing academy structures and needs, and that will then inform the development of an academy development plan. This funding will also enable the FAI to appoint an academies administrator, to support the development of new academy programmes and to track their impact. The funding will be channelled through Sport Ireland. I very much look forward to receiving the report from Sport Ireland. It will be a key input to considering the next steps to be taken while noting that decisions in this regard are primarily a matter for the FAI as an independent sports body.

Considerable additional financial support has been provided by the State for the development of football in Ireland, particularly through the 2020-23 memorandum of understanding between the Government and the FAI. That MOU provided for funding of €5.8 million per annum to the FAI during that four-year period up to 2023 for football development. A new MOU was signed last December, which increased State funding to the FAI to €6 million per annum for the period 2024-27.

In terms of State support for the development of facilities, more than €100 million was allocated to Irish football in the second half of last year. That consisted of €54.5 million in November from the large-scale sport infrastructure fund to football stadium projects at Finn Harps, Dalymount Park, Sligo Rovers and Wexford FC. Also, we saw €50.5 million allocated from the community sports and equipment fund to support the development of grassroots club football facilities nationwide.

The Government is committed to supporting the development of Ireland's sporting ecosystem, and the support that continues to be provided for football is a key example of that commitment.

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