The Budget 2022 has allocated €105.81m to Sport Ireland to support development and participation. There will also be additional grants under Sports Capital and Equipment Programme
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and Minister of State, Jack Chambers, today announced details of €1,197,498,000 gross funding allocated to the Department in Budget 2022.
The aim of the Government’s Sports programme is to contribute to a healthier and more active society. This will be done by promoting sports participation and by supporting high performance and the building of sports facilities.
The funding for Sport Ireland has increased to €96.2 million, up by €4.3 million for last year. This money allocation will go into supporting Team Ireland as they prepare for Paris 2024 Olympics and continued help as the sports sector emerges from Covid-19 restrictions.
Minister Chambers said: “I am really pleased we have been able to increase funding for a range of programmes and initiatives for the Irish language and Sport sectors. As we emerge from the pandemic this extra support will ensure more people can return to the sports and activities they love and allow us to build on important initiatives around participation.”
“The funding complements the €65 million sports funding package announced last week and will allow Sport Ireland to continue to support our sporting bodies and ensure the emergence of a strong and vibrant sports sector post-Covid.”
Additional money allocations
The new Budget has also given additional funding to all existing sports projects as well as new allocations under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. These new allocations will be announced in the coming months.
Budget 2022 reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to developing the Sport Ireland Campus at Blanchardstown with a capital allocation of €9.6m for 2022. Initiatives like this will be made with the intent of attracting major sporting events to Ireland in the future.
Another major positive from the Budget is that it has confirmed that there will be equality in funding for women’s and men’s Gaelic players’ grants.
“Equality in grant funding for female and male Gaelic players is a key priority for me and Minister Martin and I am delighted that we have been able to achieve this,” added Minister Chambers.
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