Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)

Sport has always been more than just a game. It has the power to unite people, create memories, give us moments of pride that last a lifetime and improve health outcomes. I was a soccer referee for 15 years, which was good for physical and mental health to some degree.

Over the past year, Ireland has enjoyed some truly great sporting highs. Last weekend Shane Lowry played a key role as Europe clinched an historic win over the US in the Ryder Cup. We watched Kate O’Connor make history with silver at the World Athletics Championships. We cheered as our rowers struck double gold at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. These achievements remind us of what sport brings to a community and a nation. It brings us together, either through shared joy or shared heartbreak, and it builds lasting friendships.

Whether it is a child’s first day playing for a club, a parent or guardian going to a wet pitch to cheer them on or a local club volunteer who is always on hand to help, sport connects us. Even those who say they are not sports fans will always take a peek when Ireland is playing or an Irish athlete is standing on the world stage about to represent the country because they feel the sense of pride and hope that it brings. While the benefits are clear, the truth is that we must do more.

In Dublin Fingal West, we have been lucky in funding streams over the past while for projects that are coming through like the Lusk Sports Hub, which we hope will begin next year, Rush Athletic Football Club's new all-weather pitch and, recently enough, the swimming pool in Balbriggan. Let us be clear:; it is nowhere near enough. The population is booming across Dublin Fingal West, including Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Balbriggan and Ballyboughal which have all moved from being villages to significantly sized towns over the past 20 years. Rush Athletic Football Club has not had a new grass pitch in the past 30 years, yet the population has tripled during that time. We need proper investment in community hubs so that people of all ages can access and rely on them. Last week, I received emails from students in St. Joseph's inquiring about better sporting facilities for the area, many of whom play for Lusk United or Rush Athletic Football Club.

Ireland spends over €1 billion year trying to tackle obesity, but only €230 million on sports and recreation. The imbalance makes no sense if we are serious about public health, stronger communities and real opportunity. Funding for sport and recreation must match those words. The Labour Party believes sport is about inclusion, equality and integration. Every euro invested pays back many times over in health and community well-being. That is why we want a community sports facility guarantee so that every town of over 5,000 people has a multisports facility with pitches, pools and halls for communities to use. We also need inclusive facilities with proper changing rooms for women and girls and accessible spaces for people with disabilities.

The Labour Party wants sport and fitness to be affordable for everybody. That is why in budget 2026 we are calling for a social inclusion fund to support free or reduced memberships for gyms and sports clubs, as well as tax relief on fees and a lower VAT rate on gyms and activity classes. If we are serious about tackling health inequalities, budget 2026 must invest in making sport and fitness accessible to all. Sport is not just about medals; it is about health, inclusion, community and opportunity, but this takes proper investment at community level. The population in Dublin Fingal West is expanding significantly and is continuing to expand. We need to start thinking about this in terms of building communities, and a social inclusion fund is a step towards this.

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