Minister of State for Sport Charlie McConalogue confirmed last night that there would be a new round of the Community Sports Facility Fund in the spring of 2026, with decisions and distributions taking place in the autumn.

A review of the latest round, in which almost 3,000 clubs received almost €260 million towards facilities and equipment, will take place this year. The likely focus for the new round will be building further on the idea of cross-sport collaboration.

Speaking as part of a panel discussion to mark the launch of the new Hanover Sport PR and Public Affairs offering, the Minister spoke of the strong position that sport was in across political circles, saying that there are more representations made in relation to sport than on almost any other subject.

Multi-annual funding will be introduced this year in relation to the core funding allocation to National Governing Bodies, with increasing participation at the forefront of government thinking on sport.

“Success will be if we significantly increase participation across all backgrounds and abilities,” the Minister said. “That starts in childhood, but must continue into adulthood.”

The panel was hosted by Sinéad O’Carroll of the Journal, and the 42 who spoke with pride on her trip to Croke Park for the Kildare hurling triumph at the weekend.

“There’s an expectation and confidence that just wasn’t there five or six years ago,” she said. “That’s because we had a plan, and a bit of funding behind it.”

Much of the conversation centred on inclusion, gender equity, and the growing success of women’s sport.

Athletics Ireland CEO Hamish Adams praised the “one-club model” that he grew up with in New Zealand, which is integral to the development of shared facilities, where boys and girls train together.

“It fosters mutual respect, stronger engagement and long-term participation. And it’s vital we build facilities and funding frameworks that reflect that.”

Former UK Sports Minister Dame Tracey Crouch, who is now the Managing Director of Hanover Sport in London, played a pivotal role in expanding women’s football while in Government.

Growing up in the 1980’s she remembered her own childhood ban from playing football. “Girls still face barriers,” she said. “But the Lionesses’ success in England has shown how policy, visibility and funding can change the game. Girls need access to whatever sport they want, and it needs to start at a young age.”

Minister McConalogue acknowledged that cultural resistance remains a challenge. “We have to make sure clubs are welcoming places—for people of all genders, all abilities and all backgrounds. But we can’t ignore the reality that many clubs are stretched.”

Blaithín Shiel from Raheny Shamrocks AC and Mason Hayes and Curran spoke from the floor about culture.

“Our club has done some cultural change, but there’s still that mindset—‘this is our pitch, our slot, our space.’ How do we change that?” she asked.

Crouch admitted the issue is common. “There’s more politics in sport than in Parliament,” she said. “Volunteers get burned out, and without strong coordination from government or NGBs, things can fall apart.”

Minister McConalogue agreed that policy must play a driving role. “The structure of how we fund sport needs to reward collaboration, not competition,” he said, adding that schools, councils and clubs must begin thinking more collaboratively.

Olympic rugby sevens star Mark Roche, offered firsthand insights into how short-term thinking affects high performance. “We reached the Olympics, but there wasn’t a plan to grow sevens through clubs or schools,” he said. “We’ve got to reverse that and start again from the ground up.”

The legacy of major events also came under the spotlight. Crouch pointed to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, being played across England this autumn. “It’s not just about hosting games. It’s about legacy, visibility and economic impact,” she said.

McConalogue confirmed that Ireland is gearing up for major international events, including the Ryder Cup in 2027, Euro 2028 and the NFL’s first game in Dublin this September. “We’ve created a new large-scale events team within the Department to seize these opportunities,” he said. “With fan experience and local impact being seen as important as the games themselves.”

A new national sports policy will shortly go out to consultation across the sector, picking up on the undoubted benefit that has flowed from the first which runs until 2027.

Wrapping up the conversation Hamish Adams spoke in terms that could help to form the foreword for the new policy.

“Sport has no ceiling,” he said. “Participation and performance don’t compete—they drive each other. The more people we bring in, the more success we’ll see.”

The chats continued through the room with representative also present from the Olympic Federation of Ireland, the IRFU, Basketball Ireland, Cricket Ireland, the Federation of Irish Sport and more.

Former Sports Minister Brendan Griffin has joined Hanover as a senior adviser, alongside other former Ministers Mary Harney and Brian Hayes.  Lorna Jennings is the Dublin CEO of the firm.

 

 

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Conversation is always good and this was an open chat about the balance between performance and participation, facilities and programmes.  Great to get the different perspective of Dame Tracey Crouch as well who served as UK Minister for Sport between 2015 and 2018.

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