Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
617. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide an update on his Department’s progress to date on the Programme for Government commitment to conduct a nationwide audit of sports facilities in order to address shortages in areas underserved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4153/26]
View answerThe need to catalogue sports facilities to address shortages in areas that are currently underserved was first raised in the National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027 which recognised the importance of having an up-to-date database of sports facilities as the basis for a more long-term planned approach to facility investment.
Get Ireland Active, developed by Sport Ireland, was launched in October 2023 and represents the first phase of a comprehensive national database of sports facilities. The database currently consists of more than 15,000 opportunities to be active across the country, including sports and recreation facilities, public places such as playgrounds and trails for walking, running and biking. Additionally, other data – such as the Pobal Deprivation Index – can be overlaid on the database to identify areas that are under or over-served.
A companion mobile phone application has now been developed and is publicly available to download from both the Apple App and Google Play stores. It enables mobile access to the database with the aim of helping people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels to get active and take full advantage of amenities around them.
The database is currently undergoing further development and, once complete, Sport Ireland intends to launch a promotional campaign to raise awareness of Get Ireland Active and the benefits that it can offer.
Sport Ireland will continue to engage with colleagues in my Department, local authorities, relevant public bodies and NGBs to further develop the database and to ensure that it remains up-to-date and fit for purpose.
