Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
257. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will ensure that criteria that recognises areas of rapid population growth and the consequent demand for sports facilities will figure highly in the next rounds of the sports capital and LSSIF schemes. [72620/25]
View answerOver a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) benefitting over forty sports, as well as multi-sport facilities, throughout the country. This represents the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round is being undertaken and this will inform decisions on the key scoring criteria to be applied in future rounds. I have asked my Department to prepare for a further round of the CSFF in 2026. It is anticipated that the next round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years.
In 2024, the second round of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) received an unprecedented demand for funding. On 4 November 2024, grants totaling €173 million were awarded to 35 projects. In assessing applications under the 2024 round of LSSIF, consideration was given to factors such as socio-economic disadvantage and population growth in the relevant areas. The cumulative investment under the LSSIF since 2020 is now €297 million across 68 projects.
My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. No decisions have yet been made regarding the next round of LSSIF.
