Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)

We discussed this in good detail earlier, but the objective will be to ensure there is as much of a legacy and impact across the country from the hosting of Euro 2028 as possible. Being able to host seven games as part of the tournament, including the quarter final, is a great opportunity. I have no doubt it will really take hold of the country over the course of the period. As I said, we estimate the cost at €92 million to €93 million. The economic return to the wider economy will be much more significant than that and it makes a lot of sense from that point of view but we also want to ensure there is a return in the form of an impact on participation in football and sport generally and that we maximise that as much as we can. We are just under three years away from the hosting of that tournament. We are engaging in very strong detail with other organisations and national agencies to make sure it impacts as strongly as possible. We are also engaging with the FAI on discussions about the legacy piece and how we can best maximise the impact of that. I certainly hope we will have another football tournament to participate in between now and then, depending on how the play-offs go in March, but Euro 2028 is a very exciting opportunity for the country. We will work across the board with all stakeholders to make sure we maximise the impact of it in every way possible.

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