Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on a centre of excellence project (details supplied) in Glanmire, Cork and the status of the €2 million awarded to the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22856/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the National Sports Policy, published on 25 July 2018, to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Community Sports Facility Fund (CSFF).

The cumulative investment from the LSSIF since 2020 is €297 million, of which €2,025,699 has been provisionally allocated to the Football Assoication of Ireland's (FAI) Munster Centre of Excellence in Glanmire. The proposed project involved the development of grass pitches, an astro-turf facility, floodlighting and dressing rooms.

The FAI wrote to the Department on 10 May 2023 to advise that it no longer intended to proceed with the LSSIF-funded Centre of Excellence in Glanmire. According to the FAI, the decision not to proceed with the proposal was due to the fact that the original proposal “no longer represents the greatest return on investment for the parties involved”.

The FAI further advised the Department in February 2025 that it is looking at an alternative site to deliver a Centre of Excellence for soccer in Cork. In addition, the FAI advised that it is engaging with key stakeholders to progress this matter. Once these discussions are finalised and the necessary documentation is submitted to the Department, a request to reallocate the original grant provided the overall objectives of the project are still met can be evaluated. Any updated proposal by the FAI for this project must be in accordance with the established LSSIF guidelines and in order to allow the project to move to the next stage, the FAI must complete the necessary due diligence procedures.

The Programme for Government commits to supporting the sporting ecosystem so that more people can participate, reap the benefits of sport, and fulfil their potential from grassroots right up to high performance level. This will be achieved through several measures including continuing to support the funding of sports capital projects and assessing the distribution of funding to maximise participation in all sports at community and national level and continuing to work with sporting organisations to promote equality of access to sporting facilities and to drive increased participation in sport.