Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader arrange for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to come to the House for a debate on funding for professional sports in this country? Senator Harte kindly mentioned Sligo Rovers' win in the cup. Anybody who attended the match or watched it on television would agree that the players from Drogheda and Sligo gave a fantastic spectacle which would give pride to any manager or fan throughout the world. It is worth noting that in winning that game, Sligo Rovers will receive a mere €50,000 and Drogheda will receive €30,000. Approximately €170,000 was taken at the gate. The winning players from Sligo Rovers will be on the dole today because they are only on 40 week contracts. The esteem in which our national league is held, even by our national association, is not that high when one considers that the medals given to the winning players spelled Sligo as "Silgo". These players, who gave so much over the season, are now on the dole with misspelled medals, against a backdrop where €2 million is being made available for a new management team for our national sport.