Sports campus project gets extra €200k

Over €1 million allocated to regional campus project.

A new multi-million euro sports campus project being planned for Cavan Town has received an additional €200,000.

The “Top Up” grant allocation to existing projects under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was announced by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Thomas Byrne T.D., Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education this morning (December 6).

The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 with €86.4 million subsequently awarded to 33 different projects. This additional funding amounts to a total of €37.6 million with 27 individual projects benefiting, bringing the total awarded to date to Large Scale Sport Infrastructure funded projects to €124 million.

Under that tranche the Regional Sports Campus project received €837,680.

The additional funding for projects is being provided, in response to delays experienced by grantees arising from the pandemic and construction inflation, following engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

It brings the amount now allocated to the project, which is being developed by Cavan County Council in conjunction with its project partners Cavan GAA and the Royal School, to over €1 million (€1,047,001).

It’s estimated the sports campus plan could cost as much as €30 million once finally delivered.

The Cavan project was one of just seven major sports projects nationally to be granted funding under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

The LSSIF is the main vehicle of Government support for the development of larger sports and physical recreation facilities in the country. The Fund provides Exchequer support where the Exchequer investment is larger than the maximum grant available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.

Last year the tenders were issued for a consultancy team to lead the design of the new state-of-the-art multi-sports facility which is to be delivered on a phased basis in conjunction with the development a centre of excellence at Kingspan Breffni Park by Cavan GAA.

Similar in scale to the hugely successful Erne East Peace Link facility in Clones, the Cavan multi-sports facility will include 4G pitches for Gaelic football, soccer and rugby, playing areas for basketball and hockey, and facilities for badminton and tennis, as well as athletics.

There are also plans to build a competitive-sized swimming pool on site at a later stage.

The Ministers also confirmed today that a new round of the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund will open for applications in the first half of 2024, with the dates, terms and conditions to be published on the Department’s website, in due course.

For the first time, it will be a requirement for all successful applicants to publish their Similar Access Policies, in respect of men and women having access to the facilities on similar terms, in order to be eligible for a “top-up” allocation drawdown.

Commenting on the announcement Minister Catherine Martin said: “It is vitally important that we have sporting facilities like these so that people of all ages and abilities can benefit from their use. From the Government’s perspective, if we are to achieve our ambitious targets and get as many people participating in sport as possible we need the necessary facilities. Similarly, if we are to develop our elite sportspeople we need to invest at grassroots level.”

Minister Thomas Byrne meanwhile said: “By investing in sport facilities across the country, we can best nurture our future sporting talents and reap the benefits of sport and physical activity when it comes to our health and wellbeing, and that is why I am delighted to confirm this additional investment of €37.6 million towards LSSIF funded projects. I look forward to a new round of the LSSIF opening for applications in the first half of 2024 which will provide further opportunities for positive investment in our sporting facilities.”