The full makeup of the latest round of Sports Capital Grants was released on Friday and celebrations were taking place among those responsible for 994 projects that have been granted funding.
There are projects across every county and cover a total of 37 different sports.
Each day this week we will look at the breakdown by region, by sport and by type of project.
In total, the grants unveiled will amount to €37 Million and will have a significant impact in communities.
The Sports capital programme operated on an annual basis from 1998 up to 2008 and then in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
An estimated 10,000 projects have benefitted to the tune of around €1 Billion over the past 20 years.
Despite the numbers, there was still a huge oversubscription again in the most recent round with 2,337 individual applications being made to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport.
This represents the highest ever number of applications in a single round.
“I would like to congratulate all of the successful applicants receiving grants,” said Minister Shane Ross
“Increasing participation in sport is the central aim of our National Sports Policy and to achieve our objectives we need to have appropriate sports facilities.”
“The grants we are announcing today will significantly improve sports facilities right across the country. The vast majority of grants are going to voluntary organisations and I want to particularly thank all of the volunteers associated with these clubs for their tireless work and their commitment to improving their facilities to benefit all members.”
“Everybody involved in Irish sport knows the importance of the Sports Capital Programme,” added Minister of State Brendan Griffin T.D.
“We have introduced significant changes to the Programme to make the whole process as user-friendly as possible including the simplification of the application form, giving applicants an opportunity to correct applications during the assessment phase and the introduction of an appeals system for unsuccessful applicants.”
“While it was not possible to fund all applications received, the assessment process was designed to prioritise projects that shared facilities, that came from disadvantaged areas and did not receive substantial funding under the programme previously.”
“In terms of the successful projects, the grants announced today benefit every county but there is also a huge spread of sports with 37 different sports receiving funding.”
Coming Up:
Tuesday: Breaking Down the Grants by Sport
Wednesday: Breaking down the Grants by Type and Region
Thursday: What to look for next in terms of Capital Funding
Sport for Business working with our friends and partners in 2Into3 will be hosting a series of Masterclasses around the country early in the new year where we will be able to share the success of clubs that have won and point to the ways in which applications can be made in order to give your club the best possible chance.
These were a great success at the end of last year and we look forward to hitting the road again in 2020.
If you would like to express your interest in taking part in a Masterclass in your region let us know in the form below and we will be in touch with dates and venues based on demand from around the country.
Create your own user feedback survey
Image credits, Inpho.ie
