LIVE UPDATE — Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 07:00 am
Sport Ireland will receive €121 million in current funding under Budget 2027, with support for League of Ireland academies, inter-county players, hurling and camogie development and high-performance sport confirmed in Jack Chambers’ published Budget address.
The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation highlighted sport’s “unique ability to unite” as he outlined the allocations.
Academy and Player Funding Confirmed
The speech confirms €4 million for League of Ireland football academies, alongside an additional €1 million for the Gaelic Players Association.
In his speech, Minister Chambers, after a little riff about the joy of Mayo’s All-Ireland win, said that “a one million euro increase in funding to the Gaelic Players Association to support intercounty players”
The Gaelic Players Association has welcomed this additional €1 million for intercounty players, bringing the total annual fund to €8.2 million.
The increase averages €250 per player across all four codes of Men’s football, Ladies Football, Hurling and Camogie, and builds on the €1.6 million increase secured last year.
The GPA described the announcement as “further progress in the players’ campaign for enhanced investment” and “another important step towards our target of €10 million in annual player funding”.
The players’ body thanked Ministers Jack Chambers, Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue, as well as the players who engaged directly with their public representatives. It also welcomed the investment in hurling and Gaelic games.
We expect to learn more about this today.
Academy Funding to Support Additional Roles
Further reporting has clarified how the additional €1 million for League of Ireland academies is expected to be used.
The Irish Times reports that the investment will enable a new performance lead at each League of Ireland club, building on the academy posts supported by last year’s funding. Extra.ie reports that the new roles will focus on physical development and player care for boys and girls.
The annual allocation rises from €3 million to €4 million, a one-third increase.
Ryder Cup and EURO 2028
Chambers’ address confirms almost €22 million to support Ireland’s hosting of the 2027 Ryder Cup and preparations for the 2028 European Football Championship.
The speech also includes additional high-performance support ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics, although it does not specify the amount.
National Sports Facilities
Under the National Development Plan, work will progress on the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre and the National Cricket Centre at the National Sports Campus.
The published speech is available on gov.ie.
Detailed Allocations Expected This Afternoon
Ministers Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue are scheduled to outline the department’s Budget allocations at a briefing in Government Buildings at 3 pm today.
Further detail is awaited on participation funding, high-performance investment and the distribution of the wider sport allocation.
A further €1 million is ring-fenced for the Hurling and Camogie Academy initiative.
We will report on this later and determine the year-on-year comparison once further details are confirmed.
The Federation of Irish Sport has sought a three-year commitment to 10% annual increases in core funding for National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships.
It also proposed a €5,000 PAYE exemption threshold for certain payments in amateur sport, and Government research into an additional 1% betting levy for sport.
Confirmation of the outcome of these requests is still awaited.
Horse and Greyhound Racing
The 2027 allocation to the separate Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, including the amounts for Horse Racing Ireland and Greyhound Racing Ireland, and the additional funding towards welfare is covered elsewhere this morning on Sport for Business.
Sport for Business Perspective
The confirmed measures strengthen player development, athlete support and Ireland’s preparations for major international events.
The next question is how the investment translates into capacity across grassroots sport and everyday physical activity. Core funding determines whether organisations can retain development staff, engage coaches and deliver programmes consistently.
The €121 million current allocation provides our headline figure.
Its distribution across governing bodies, Local Sports Partnerships and participation programmes will provide the fuller assessment of what Budget 2027 delivers for an active Ireland.
This story is updating as departmental allocations, programme details and sector responses become available.
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