The FAI unveiled its major investment plan to upgrade the sporting infrastructure of the country yesterday.
It was covered in full by Sport for Business and you can read our initial report here.
We also spoke to Chair Roy Barrett and you can download the Podcast of that interview here, or on Apple Podcasts here, or Spotify Podcasts here.
The media briefing that took place at FAI HQ on the Sport Ireland Campus was as positive a one as has been there, from an administrative perspective, in years and there was a strong sense that this is that moving-on moment where the sins of the past can be left behind and the future embraced with a real sense of optimism.
Jonathan Hill and Roy Barrett were comfortable in answering every question that was posed, not making any promises that would be seen as naive or unrealistic, merely laying out the persuasive case for a project that may look huge form before the start point but has been expertly put together to give it the best possible chance of being delivered.
Hill spoke briefly of the past when asked about the credibility of the FAI in the public eye, post-bailout and responded that the original memorandum of understanding would conclude at the end of this year at which point 163 of the 163 recommendations on governance and financial management would have been completed.
That is the equivalent of a perfect season, and we know how rare they are in sport.
This is the start point of the campaign to secure funding across the Sports portfolio, but also across local authority, health, education, and community ‘votes’ as the individual budgets are known in Government circles.
The case is strong and well laid out. Government in both the political and the permanent forms appreciates solutions as opposed to problems and this is a plan which delivers in so many areas, including with reference to multi-sport use, and in terms of moving us up the EU average in terms of investment.
it recognises that there are other demands on the public purse but while housing and healthcare are high priorities, the wellbeing of society is too and this is a tangible way to score wins in what can otherwise be an area of intangibles.
We will look throughout next week at the three key areas of Grassroots, League of Ireland and International facilities but for now, it might be of benefit to distill the 45-page plan down into a football friendly 11 key numbers that tell the story and its importance in a clear and easily grasped fashion.
€863 Million
Sure it’s a big number but it’s 80 percent of what it cost to build the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and it has the potential to have a permanent transformative effect on how football (and other sports) are catered for in every corner of the country.
2,500
The number of projects that the plan encompasses, with a gap analysis on a comprehensive audit of the pitches and facilities that currently exist. It may seem like something that has always been there but the level of detail and planning is a new benchmark for sport.
€1.8 Billion
This number arose out of a UEFA-backed Social Return on Investment project which was launched last year but is front and centre stage of this document. The benefits are spread across health, social and economic benefits that can at times be ignored but which signify the positive impact of sport and physical activity done in the right manner.
0.4 Percent and €65
Overall Government spending on sport in Ireland as a percentage of total spending and on a per capita basis. This is less than half the EU average and in percentage terms is 26th of 27 in the EU ahead only of Bulgaria. These comparison figures matter to Government and are proof of the underinvestment that has taken place over recent years, despite projects like the Sports Capital and Large Scale Sports Infrastructure funds. Now that exchequer figures are positive, what better time to fix it?
187
The number of stadium projects completed across Europe since 2012.
0
The number of Stadium projects completed in Ireland since 2009.
€426 million
The investment assigned in the plan to grassroots infrastructure, made up of 2,292 individually costed upgrades, new builds, pitches, built facilities, and more.
90 Percent
The proportion of the UEFA European U17 squad representing the Republic of Ireland playing in Ireland. That compares to a figure of 15 percent from only four years ago, starkly illustrating the impact of Brexit, and the opportunity it creates to strengthen our domestic game.
2, 38, 39
The ranking in the top 40 stadia in the country, by attendance, of the only three at which football is played. The Aviva Stadium, Tallaght Stadium, and Turners Cross.
€173 Million
The amount to come from within football via UEFA Hat Trick and FIFA Forward funding streams, from clubs and from a newly created Ireland Football Facility Fund.
2039
There is no start date on the investment because to pin one in advance of the next stage of discussion might only create an initial loss of momentum. In reality though the expectation is to start in 2024 and given it’s a 15-year plan, it would be 2039 before we could look pack on a job well done. That’s the year that children born in 2021 will be doing their Leaving Cert.
