Written answers

Thursday, 19 November 2020

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Football Association of Ireland

Photo of Duncan SmithDuncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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19. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the financial situation of an association (details supplied); if correspondence has been received from the association related to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37383/20]

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Minister for Transport, Tourism Sport and the association mentioned by the Deputy was a very important and necessary measure in enabling the Government to participate in a financial support package for the association in January of this year.

The MOU enables Sport Ireland to restore funding to the association of €2.9m per annum and to provide additional annual funding of €2.9m for football development up to 2023.  In recognition of the importance of the continued operation of the Aviva Stadium, the MOU also provides for a repayable grant to the association of €7.6m towards the licence fee payable by the association for the Aviva Stadium up to 2022.

The MOU sets out the conditions for receipt of this funding including necessary constitutional and council reform, and corporate governance and financial reforms. Sport Ireland remains in communication with the association on matters relating to its governance and financial management. It has established a process to oversee and review adherence by the association to the commitments given in the MOU.   

To date in 2020, Sport Ireland has made total grant payments of €2.45m to the association out of the total grant allocation of €5.8m for football development as set out in the MOU. Only vouched expenditure under agreed headings is eligible to be drawn down by the association.  

Sport Ireland has also made total grant payments of €1.9m to New Stadium DAC, the company which operates the Aviva Stadium, out of the total grant allocation of €2.5446m for 2020.

The processing of further payments by Sport Ireland is ongoing.

Like all sporting bodies, the association has been seriously impacted by Covid-19 and it has communicated, both to me and to Sport Ireland, the financial challenges it faces as a result of Covid-19. On 2 November I announced the allocation of grant funding to address significant Covid-19 related losses for the sports sector.  €13m was allocated to the association from this funding. To date Sport Ireland has paid out €6.5m of this grant allocation.

The association continues to provide regular updates to Sport Ireland in terms of its financial position, and its quarterly management accounts and business plans are reviewed by Sport Ireland. The agency continues to closely monitor the association’s financial position and there is constant dialogue in relation to the changing financial landscape given the Covid-19 situation and how this is impacting on the association.

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