Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
554. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider undertaking a needs assessment of community infrastructure, including sports and recreational spaces, across the Drogheda region and its environs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28313/26]
View answerThe provision of public recreational and sporting infrastructure in community settings would primarily be a matter for local authorities in the context of local development plans and this is not a role which the Department would perform. However, the need to develop a nationwide database of sports facilities, whether in public or private ownership, was highlighted in the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2018 – 2027. The NSP recognised that such an up to date database could support a more long-term planned approach to facility investment for all stakeholders.
To this end, Get Ireland Active (GIA), which was developed by Sport Ireland, was launched in October 2023 and represents the first phase of a comprehensive national database of sports facilities.
This database, which can be accessed by browser or a mobile app, 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.
GIA is currently undergoing further development and, once this is completed, Sport Ireland intends to launch a promotional campaign to raise awareness of the benefits that it can offer. A nationwide audit of both public and private facilities is a significant and resource-intensive undertaking and members of the public will be encouraged to report any unlisted facilities via the GIA website in order to develop as comprehensive a national database as possible.
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 available as a resource to guide decisions regarding the prioritisation of funding to sport infrastructure under my Department's capital funding programmes.
In this context, my Department is currently preparing for a further round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and it is anticipated that this round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years.
In the 2023 CSFF round, almost €8 million was allocated to 80 sporting projects in Louth. Since 2015, over €17 million has been allocated to 270 sporting projects in Louth under CSFF.
A full list of all allocations is available on the Department's website at the link below: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/collections/sports-capital-programme-allocations/.
