Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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482. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on investment in local sports facilities and community clubs across rural Ireland; whether the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme will be expanded or restructured to prioritise underfunded areas such as east Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64648/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) is the primary means of providing Government funding to sport and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The Fund aims to foster an integrated and planned approach to the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and assists the purchase of non- personal sports equipment.

Among the Fund's objectives is to assist voluntary and community organisations, national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport, local authorities and Education and Training Boards and schools to develop high quality, accessible, safe, well-designed, sustainable facilities in appropriate locations and to provide appropriate equipment to help maximise participation in sport and physical recreation

Over 19,000 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.4 billion. Over €277 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 sports facilities in communities across Ireland. In the 2023 round of the CSFF over €17 million was allocated to 194 sporting projects in County Galway and over €32 million has been allocated to 492 sporting projects in County Galway over the last 3 rounds.

In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round is being undertaken. I have asked my Department to prepare for a further round of the CSFF in 2026. It is anticipated that the next CSFF round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years.