Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
9. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the nationwide audit of sports facilities to address shortages in areas underserved including towns with populations over 1,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33372/26]
View answerThe need to catalogue all 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 for all stakeholders.
To this end, Sport Ireland developed "Get Ireland Active", which was launched in October 2023 and represents the first phase of a comprehensive national database of sports facilities. It 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.
Sport Ireland will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders in my Department, local authorities, public bodies and National Governing Bodies of Sport 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.
My Department is currently preparing for a further round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund, the CSFF, and it is anticipated that this round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years. I hope to open this round in the first half of this year.
