Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 July 2026
275. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the funding available to assist sports clubs to meet increasing costs of rental and staff wages while using facilities owned by others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52527/26]
View answerSport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes.
Sport Ireland announced a record €33.36 million in core funding for National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), Local Sports Partnerships and other funded sports bodies on 21 January 2026. This represents a 6.5% increase on 2025 levels and an 87.4% increase on the €17.8 million investment in 2018, when the first National Sports Policy was published.
Of this total, NGBs received an allocation of €19.5 million. This represents an increase of 80% since 2018. As such, the majority of NGBs received a 5 to 6% increase in core funding in 2026 compared to last year.
While Sport Ireland’s remit includes the allocation of funding to NGBs for the design and implementation of a range of targeted programmes and initiatives to promote increased sports participation, neither this Department, nor Sport Ireland, has responsibility for the provision of funding support for costs associated with renting sports facilities. All NGBs are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own governance and operational procedures, including rental costs and staff wages, while using facilities owned by others.
Clubs are advised to contact their respective NGB in the first instance to see what support might be available through the NGB to assist them in this regard.
