LIVE UPDATE — Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 2.35 pm
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.
The published address specifies:
“a one million euro increase in funding to the Gaelic Players Association to support intercounty players”
A further €1 million is ring-fenced for the Hurling and Camogie Academy initiative.
These measures form part of Sport Ireland’s €121 million current funding allocation. This is its day-to-day funding provision; the full picture of capital investment and the overall sports budget requires the departmental breakdown.
We will report on this in detail and determine the year-on-year comparison as further detail is confirmed.
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.
Further Detail Awaited
Earlier reporting by the Irish Examiner indicated that the additional League of Ireland academy investment would focus on the women’s game, and that hurling and camogie development would target non-traditional and urban areas. Those details are not specified in Chambers’ published address and remain subject to confirmation through the departmental announcements.
The Federation of Irish Sport 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.
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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Image Credit: Ryder Cup
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