Ireland’s sport programme will receive more than €302 million in 2027, with additional investment in high performance, League of Ireland academies, women’s rugby and Gaelic games, alongside continued support for facilities and major international events.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy Charlie McConalogue outlined the details at the department’s post-Budget briefing at Government Buildings.
Sport Ireland and the Road to Los Angeles
Sport Ireland’s allocation will be just under €165 million. The briefing identified a €7.2 million increase in current funding and a further €3.4 million in capital funding.
High performance investment will increase by 5.3 per cent to €30 million, reaching the annual funding target McConalogue identified under the National Sports Policy for 2027.
The investment will translate into coaching, competition opportunities, sports science, and the support athletes need to perform consistently on the international stage. How that is divided across individual sports will now move to the Sport Ireland process of submission, review and allocation.
National governing bodies and Local Sports Partnerships will also receive a 5.3 per cent funding increase. McConalogue highlighted their central role in delivering grassroots participation and helping athletes develop towards high performance. This was just over half of the funding increase requested in the sports submission through the Federation of Irish Sport, but it compares favourably to a 1.8 per cent increase obtained by the Arts Council.
Targeted Support for Football, Gaelic Games and Rugby
The overall sports package also has to stretch across several areas.
The package includes a further €1 million for the League of Ireland football academies project, building on the €3 million invested in 2026.
The additional support continues investment in a part of Irish football where the quality and consistency of player development have implications well beyond the senior domestic game.
Another €1 million is being provided for a hurling and camogie games development initiative, in addition to last year’s funding.
The Gaelic Players Association will receive a €1 million increase to support inter-county players, while the IRFU will receive an additional €500,000 for its women’s and girls’ rugby development strategy.
Building the Facilities Behind the Ambition
The increase in Sport Ireland capital funding will support continued development of the Sport Ireland Campus, including the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre and the National Cricket Centre.
McConalogue pointed to the benefit of providing Irish track cyclists with a domestic training facility, reducing the need to travel overseas to access a velodrome.
The badminton and cricket developments will provide new facilities for those sports, with the cricket centre also supporting preparations for Ireland’s co-hosting of the 2030 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund will have an allocation of €39 million in 2027 to advance major regional projects.
The minister also confirmed provision to support delivery of projects under the Community Sport Facilities Fund. This section of the briefing did not specify a separate annual allocation for that programme.
Ryder Cup and Euro 2028 Preparations
Just under €22 million is allocated to commitments associated with hosting the Ryder Cup at Adare in September 2027 and preparations for UEFA Euro 2028, which Dublin will host as part of the wider UK and Ireland tournament.
These events will bring significant international attention. The longer-term opportunity is to connect that visibility with participation, community benefit and facilities that continue to serve sport after the visitors have gone home.
Other events from NFL games to the T20 Cricket World Cup and the potential of hosting Men’s and Women’s Open Championships at Portmarnock were only referenced in terms of business cases needing to be made and memorandums needing to go to Cabinet for approvals.
Sport for Business Perspective
This package includes two encouraging elements: continued investment in the organisations delivering sport every week, and targeted support for areas where sustained funding can make a difference. It was not as much as hoped, but compared with other sectors and larger state spending demands, it is still positive. a neutral or a negative number. We will gather reaction from across the sector over the next 24 hours.
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