Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the amount of public money granted to the Eircom League; and the reasons funding to this league is not a priority as there is a deficit in the support and development of professional football here. [22940/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Funding for the development and promotion of sport is provided through the Irish Sports Council, the statutory agency established in 1999. In the period since then, €161 million has been provided by my Department to the Irish Sports Council, including approximately €9 million provided directly in grants to the FAI much of which has been to support programmes aimed at increasing participation in football by young people in particular. While the development of professional football is a matter for the Eircom league and the FAI itself, my Department has been active in providing grants under the sports capital programme to Eircom league clubs to assist with improvements to league grounds. In the period 1998 to 2002, over €11.4 million has been allocated in funding to seventeen Eircom league clubs of which about €10 million of this amount has been paid out to date. Following the advent of club licensing in 2004, which aims to improve standards across all aspects of the Eircom league, I announced further funding in 2005 of €5.275 million in respect of sixteen Eircom league clubs.

Overall my Department has allocated over €84 million to soccer clubs under the sports capital programme since 1998 which underlines my commitment to the development of facilities for soccer in Ireland at all levels.