Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, leis na Seanadóirí agus leis an Seanad as ucht an deis cúpla focal a rá maidir le cúrsaí spóirt in Éirinn faoi láthair. The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, and I are glad to be in the Seanad for statements on sport, a sector we believe is a vital part of our society, both locally and nationally. The Minister of State will be here in a while

The Government is committed to supporting our sporting ecosystem so more people can participate, reap the benefits of sport and fulfil their potentials from grassroots right up to high-performance levels. In this regard, the Government has invested well over €1 billion in sports infrastructure and development in Ireland since 2018. The return on investment in terms of community participation, inclusion, integration and physical and mental well-bring is, I think we can all agree, very positive.

I previously highlighted to the Oireachtas committee that the rate of active sports participation among adults is now 49% - the highest it has ever been - and the participation gap between men and women is now just below 3% - the smallest gap on record. This is due in no small way to the substantial Government investment in sport over the past number of years. We will continue to invest in sport, including through the implementation of our national sports policy and the action plan, which runs up to 2027, by working with Sport Ireland in supporting its initiatives.

The national sports policy committed the Government to doubling the amount of funding in sport to more than €220 million by 2027 compared with 2018 levels. This target has been reached two years ahead of schedule, with funding now of more than €230 million provided for sport in the Estimate, an increase of €21 million from the 2024 allocation of €209 million.

Earlier this year, we announced Sport Ireland’s 2025 core funding allocation to our national governing bodies, NGBs, of sports, local sports partnerships and other funded bodies. The figure of €31 million in core funding allocated is an increase of €13.5 million, or 76%, compared with 2018, when our first ever national sports policy was published. This increased investment will assist in ensuring the long-term sustainability of our sporting organisations and will enable the sector to continue to deliver increased opportunities for people to participate in a wide variety of sports. I should have said at the outset that this is my second time in a version of this Department. When I was last here as Minister of State for tourism and sport, the moneys we had available at that stage bear no resemblance, quite frankly, the moneys available now.

Regarding high performance, we have allocated €27 million across Sport Ireland’s high-performance programmes for 2025, including €4.5 million in direct support for athletes through the carding scheme. This is in line with the Government’s target of delivering €30 million per annum for high-performance sport by 2027 as we look forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This increased funding for high performance reflects the programme for Government commitment to our High Performance Strategy 2021-2032, which provides the overarching policy framework for the development of our high-performance system for the next two olympiads, in Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.

We have also announced investment of €4 million this year to support Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport programme, which funds projects and initiatives across a wide range of sports and supports the Government’s vision where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. The Women in Sport funding programme is in place since 2005 and, over the past two decades, more than €30 million has been invested through the NGBs and local sports partnerships in promoting gender equality in sport. Gender equality is something close to my heart and I am encouraged by the drive for increased inclusiveness and female participation across the sports sector. In this regard, the integration of the Gaelic games national governing bodies is something I support and will be keeping an eye on. To that regard, when I was last Minister of State in this Department, we attempted, unsuccessfully, to bridge the gap of women's representation on national governing bodies. I wanted to introduce a quota, which was unceremoniously dismissed by the then Minister, but I am glad that my successors in the Department, Deputies Jack Chambers and Thomas Byrne, have made significant progress in this area, and we will continue with that as well.

Some €10 million has also been allocated to sport under the Dormant Accounts Fund for 2025. This funding will be released to successful applicants across two tranches during the second half of the year.

Despite recent progress, there is an enduring participation gap between those with and without disabilities. In line with the programme for Government, Sport Ireland recently appointed a disability in sport lead. The role has the potential to be transformational. The disability in sport lead will work with national governing bodies,the sports partnerships and others to develop and promote the inclusion of people with disability in sport.We will shortly begin preparations for our next national sports policy, covering 2028 to 2037, and Government is committed to continuing the strategic ambition showcased in the current policy. The Government, the Minister of State and I will engage with the committee and individual Oireachtas Members on what they would like to see. I encourage Members to engage in that process.

In this regard, we must be as concerned with improving governance in sport as we are with the investment and development of it. Sport should be inclusive, fair and safe and I am committed to working with Sport Ireland and partners across the sector to deliver this vision. Regarding capital investment, the Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. I do not have to inform any of the Members about them because of their success. Over €250 million was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the CSFF, representing the largest-ever investment in sport in communities all over Ireland. In addition, in 2024, the second round of LSSIF received an unprecedented demand for funding. On 4 November 2024, grants totalling €173 million were awarded to 35 projects.

We are committed to ensuring continued and sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide and to ensure a lasting legacy. On a practical level, we need to build upon our successful capital investment by focusing on municipal and multi-use facilities that cater for a wide variety of sports and community uses. The sharing of facilities makes sense not just for the communities, but also, more importantly, for the taxpayer.

In terms of wider investment in sport, the Government has made available several forms of tax relief to promote investment in sport, most recently in the latest Finance Act, such as a transferable tax relief for donations to the NGBs for specific purposes, including investment in equipment and high-performance activities. Major international sporting events can play a key role in increasing sports participation, encouraging domestic and international tourism and also promoting Ireland as a place for education and business opportunities. They present a wonderful opportunity to showcase Ireland and our world-class tourism and sports offering, not only to Europe but to the world.

Earlier this year, the Tánaiste and I, together with the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, launched Ireland’s first-ever international sports diplomacy framework. The framework sets out a vision for Ireland’s approach to international sports diplomacy and recognises the unique power of sport to bring different nations and cultures together and to build connections around the world. Major sports events offer unique opportunities to forge new ties and strengthen relationships and are ideal for the development of a partnership and promoting Ireland. This is very much demonstrated by the powerful bonds created by, for example, by the annual college classic game, which is, as per its slogan, much more than a game. It fosters widespread connections in business, education and culture.

Similar relationships are being developed through the hosting of other events and that is among the reasons the Government continues to support the hosting of major sports events in Ireland and to explore further hosting opportunities. These include the US college football classic series, which has been running since 2022, with this year's edition featuring Kansas State and Iowa State universities. It is being called "Farmageddon". There was also the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin last year, while the first-ever National Football League, NFL, regular season game will be at Croke Park in September this year, when the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Minnesota Vikings. Some people in the media, and, in fact, some Oireachtas Members, said this was a terrible waste of money. Some 600,000 people went into the waiting room to try to get tickets for it, so I do not think it is a terrible waste of money at all. Parochially and locally to me, then, of course, there will be the Ryder Cup in 2027 in Adare in my constituency, for which preparations are advancing well with the establishment of a government steering group chaired by the Irish ambassador to the United Kingdom, Martin Fraser, and the appointment of a project director, former Wexford County Council CEO and former director of services with Limerick City and County Council, Tom Enright, to oversee the delivery of the event. Additionally, there was the cohosting of the UEFA Euro 2028 football championship with the UK, and there will be the co-hosting of the 2030 T20 Cricket World Cup, also with the UK.

The 2024 Government policy and strategy framework for the hosting of major international sporting events is the first of its kind in Ireland and fulfils a commitment under the previous programme for Government. The policy provides a framework for how Government should support major international sporting events, the benefits it should seek to derive from such events, the supports it could offer and the kind of events we should prioritise. This framework and its further development will guide future bid activity and ensure Ireland remains competitive in this field. We all must appreciate that bidding processes for major sports events can be complicated and that confidential commercial information and non-disclosure agreements are key features of such processes. I am sure Members will understand the rationale for that. Additionally, such bidding processes will typically feature other potential interested parties so, for the reasons I outlined, I am not able to specify what events my Department is currently engaged in without considering future engagement. Suffice it to say, there are a number. However, I can confirm that any engagements by the Department in this regard are guided by the key determining factors as set out in the new policy. This includes an assessment of the economic, sporting and social impact of the events in question.

Sport is a key part of our society and something we can be very proud of, and, as can be seen from the scale and breadth of the investment and initiatives I outlined, is an integral part of the Government’s commitment to delivery for the people of Ireland. I look forward to hearing what the Senators have to say with regard to this very important topic. Go raibh maith agaibh.