€120m Fund announced for Major Sports Infrastructure

€120m Fund announced for Major Sports Infrastructure

• Ministers Martin and Byrne open new round of Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Funding

• Applications open today until 1st July 2024 @ 3pm

• New requirement to ensure similar access for women and men to LSSIF-funded sports facilities

Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Thomas Byrne T.D., Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, have announced funding of up to €120m under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), which opens for applications today (26 April 2024).

Assessment of applications, for funding of between €600,000 and €30m, will take into account population size, sustainability, reducing administrative overheads and ensuring that similar access is provided to accommodate access by men and women to LSSIF-funded facilities.

Minister Catherine Martin said: "It is vitally important that we continue to invest in sporting facilities so that people of all ages and abilities can benefit from their use. We need to maintain capital investment in Sport. I am pleased that following the confirmation of the revised capital allocations under the national Development Plan the Government is in a position to provide more funding assistance for the development of large scale sports projects. I encourage all eligible projects applicants with suitable projects to consider applying for this competitive process. New projects could be designed to increase participation in sport, to provide large venues or stadia or to boost high performance and new swimming pool projects will also be considered."

Minister Thomas Byrne said: "Continued investment in sports facilities across the country is essential so we can achieve our ambitious targets for sports participation and that is why I am delighted to welcome the opening of a new round of applications under the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund. The implementation of the new Similar Access Requirement will also ensure that women and men enjoy similar access to all sports facilities which are publicly funded. I have been delighted to visit and engage with projects funded under the first round of LSSIF, including Connacht Rugby, the Linear Walkway Project in Meath, Phase 1 of Walsh Park in Waterford, and the Regional Athletics Hub in Limerick. Deliverability is a key focus of the LSSIF and I know that many more existing projects will be completed and open to the public following the additional funding confirmed last December.Today's announcement of a new round of funding means we can build on the progress made to date under LSSIF and ensure projects across the country get an opportunity to deliver the facilities that their communities need and will participate in for decades to come."

The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 with €86.4 million awarded to 33 different projects. Additional funding of €37.6 million was allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded to date to Large Scale Sport Infrastructure funded projects to €124 million.

This new round of funding follows the publication earlier this month of the 'Review of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF)' and the new 'Similar Access Requirement'. The Review outlined the issues faced by LSSIF projects to date and provides recommendations in relation to a new round of LSSIF. Delivery of the first round of the LSSIF is beginning to accelerate and there will be a strong focus on accelerated deliverability of projects under this new round of funding.

The guide for applicants is available here .

Notes to Editor:

• Revised capital allocations under the National Development Plan provide in principle for a €120m new round of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund. The new round opens for applications today.

• Today's announcement by both Ministers confirms that new applications will be invited for funding for projects where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (where the maximum valid grant available for projects deemed to be of regional significance is €500,000).

• The National Sports Policy was published on 25 July 2018 and provided for a Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The aim of the fund is to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects. These are projects where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP). In some cases, these may be projects where the primary objective will be to increase active participation in sport. In other cases, these may be large scale venues/stadia where the focus is more related to social participation and high performance sport.

• The scheme will have a particular focus on National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and Local Authorities.

• New swimming pool projects will also be considered.

• All project proposals will be subject to appropriate economic analysis.

• While this programme is aimed primarily at the NGBs and Local Authorities it is also open to other bodies, philanthropic funders, clubs and voluntary organisations to apply but such applications would necessarily have to be made and prioritised by a Local Authority and/or an NGB.

• Details of previous LSSIF funding can be accessed here .