It may not have been a headline story in the Government’s Capital Spending Programme outlined this week but the provision of a ‘Capital envelope’ of €285 million has been set aside for sports facilities over the next seven years.
That will include the seeing through of the current round of Capital sports projects, the third to be introduced under this Government and also provide for more rounds in the future.
It will also cover funding for the national Indoor Arena which is currently beginning to rise from the grounds of the National Sports Campus at Blanchardstown.
The allocation comes in a single paragraph as part of the plan published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform but its significance for participation and elite sport is nonetheless substantial.
The report outlines that “The societal benefits of sport are substantial. Not only does sport improve physical health and safeguard against a number of diseases and illnesses, it improves mental health and develops a better all-round quality of life.”
“As well as investing in local facilities to boost participation at grassroots level, we recognise that our elite national athletes can benefit from high quality facilities to support them to attain their potential.”
There has often been a disconnect in the value attributed within sport to capital and current spending plans assigned by the Government for distribution directly to clubs and National Governing Bodies as well as via the Irish Sports Council.
The bringing together of the Council and the Campus under Sport Ireland will perhaps help to reduce those anxieties and create a more ‘big picture’ view of what is being delivered by the state to assist in the promotion of sport at all levels.
There has also been an issue with the lack of multi annual funding plans as exist on other countries but this is a step forward at least on the capital side towards longer term ability to plan and execute.
The delivery of a new National Sports policy in early 2016 will also perhaps shed new light in this regard. These are interesting times within the ways that sport is funded and considered at national level. This announcement was another positive step forward.
