Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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97. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to give favourable consideration to an appeal by a club (details supplied) to achieve regional status funding under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme for a full sized fully synthetic artificial grass pitch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10017/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF), formerly the Sport Capital and Equipment Programme, representing the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland.

The organisation referred to by the Deputy applied for a regional grant of €500,000 towards the development of an artificial grass pitch and the installation of energy efficient floodlighting under this latest round of the 2023 Community Sports Facilities Fund. However, as the application did not meet the criteria for regional funding it was instead assessed as a Local / Non-regional application and was awarded €169,019 under this heading.

All invalid applicants and applicants who received less than 50% of the amount sought were offered a three week period to appeal the Department’s decision and the organisation submitted an appeal within that period. All appeals were reviewed by officers other than those that had done the original assessment. The appeal in this instance was rejected and it was noted that, whille the project is a worthwhile one that would serve the community, no further evidence was given to support the application to be considered as a regional status project.

The club was notified in writing on 4 March of the outcome of its appeal.