Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2025
248. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when funding will be announced for the next round of the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund, as announced in Budget 2026; and if those applications which were unsuccessful in the last round will be prioritised. [56465/25]
View answerThe Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the National Sports Policy, published in 2018, to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF).
My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2018 and 2024, and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. The allocation for LSSIF in 2026, to be confirmed in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV), will largely be drawn down by projects approved under the 2018 round of the Fund. No decisions have yet been made regarding the next round of LSSIF.
I am committed to ensuring sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide. The Programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels.
The first allocations under 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 under LSSIF 2018 to €124 million.
Grants totalling €173 million, benefiting 35 individual projects was allocated under the second round of the LSSIF in November 2024. With this announcement, the cumulative investment from the LSSIF now stands at €297 million.
