Major €15M boost for Cavan's Regional Sports Campus
The development of a regional sports campus for Cavan Town, adjacent to Breffni Park, has received a massive boost today with the allocation of an additional €15M to the project being progressed by Cavan County Council in partnership with Cavan GAA and the Royal School.
The money has been allocated by the Special EU Programmes Body under PEACEPLUS funding and welcomed by Cavan/ Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD, Brendan Smith.
This particular funding will deliver a covered indoor arena and sports facility, with a footprint of over 10,500m², suitable for a range of sports and physical activity, community events and programmes.
The project site is a 28-hectare parcel of land, zoned for sport/recreation and public/community, located between Breffni Park and The Royal School, Cavan.
Once complete, it will provide a covered sports arena with playing pitch, spectator seating, and other ancillary accommodation. The sports centre building will have changing facilities, multi-purpose rooms, reception and ancillary accommodation.
The project also includes four GAA fields, a synthetic hockey/ multi-sport pitch, cricket practice area/catch nets and all facilities with lighting.
Deputy Brendan Smith today thanked Gina McIntyre, CEO SEUPB; An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and the Minister for Community and Rural Development, Dara Calleary, for their support in advancing this project.
"Repeatedly I had discussed with them the merits and the potential of this project, which will bring great benefits not just to Cavan but to the wider region. It will be transformative for recreation and sports for a wide area and for so many different sporting disciplines," said Deputy Smith.
This latest funding announcement follows the November 2024 grant of €19M in funding for the ambitious, state-of-the-art sports campus. That figure, secured through the Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund, was the second largest sum awarded under the scheme nationally.
Planning permission is already in place for the project.
Welcoming today’s announcement, Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr John Paul Feeley said: “This is a hugely significant project for County Cavan, which will enhance the sporting and athletic prospects of our young athletes, contribute to greater health outcomes for young and old, and drive economic activity in our county town and the entire county, helping to combat inequality and foster positive relations in this border county.”
Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Eoin Doyle, welcomed the latest funding allocation saying it was a "key pillar of funding for this hugely significant project". He thanked Minister Dara Calleary and his officials, Gina McIntyre, CEO of SEUPB and all her team, and the local authority's partners Cavan GAA and The Royal School for their support.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to our councillors for their foresight in making match funds available for this strategically important facility amid strong competition for resources,” added Mr Doyle.
Director of Services, Cavan County Council, Brendan Jennings, added: “I want to highly commend the monumental effort of the staff of Cavan County Council for their vision and commitment to this project from inception to this momentous announcement today ‒ in particular John Donohoe, Martin Quigley, and Nadine McCormilla, who have driven this project from the outset.
"I also want to acknowledge the key role played by Nicholas O’Kane and his team in the Planning Department for their ongoing support of the project. Our PEACEPLUS manager Jane Crudden, along with S3 Solutions and McAdam Design also played key roles in getting the project to this stage.”
The project was granted approval by An Bord Pleanála in November 2024. A two-stage tendering process will commence imminently, subject to departmental gateway approval. It’s expected that construction will commence in 2026 with a two-year construction programme envisaged.
Deputy Brendan Smith further revealed: "In all, eleven national government bodies are in support of this project."
The local TD also acknowledged the local authority, Cavan GAA and The Royal School for their "work and commitment".
Among the facilities that will be provided in the Campus Master Plan are:
•Covered multi-sports arena with an indoor playing pitch, along with spectator seating
•Indoor sports complex including social spaces, fitness and community spaces
•Seven outdoor sports pitches, cricket practice nets, spectator stands, perimeter fencing, ball stops, team shelters and floodlighting
•Eight lane athletics track and field
•New vehicular access, junction reconfiguration and entrance plaza
•Pedestrian and cycling access points with active travel provisions
•Landscaping to complement the natural setting and to encourage leisure walking.
"I am very glad to have supported this project from the outset and I compliment the partners on their vision in undertaking a project that will be a game changer for this region in relation to access to top quality and wide ranging recreational and sporting facilities," said Deputy Smith.
The new facility will be developed in phases over several years.
While exact timelines have yet to be confirmed, it's hoped to commence construction the main arena, hockey pitch, two sand mattress GAA fields, car parking and other elements by mid 2026.
The next phase, to commence straight after, will see a new sports building added, as well as an athletics track, and two more sand mattress GAA fields.
To facilitate the development, the local authority sought a 10-year planning permission, having submitted that the proposal would considerably enhance Cavan as a destination for sport and recreation.
Approval was granted by the national planning authority in November 2024 with 28 conditions attached.
Several of the conditions refer specifically to the protection of nearby habitats.
The operating hours of the sports campus are also detailed in the conditions, from 7am to 10pm, seven days per week. During bat activity periods, floodlighting on the northern pitches shall be restricted to 9pm.
PEACEPLUS is a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) designed to contribute to peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the six border counties of Ireland.
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “This facility will provide a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment where people can come together, collaborate and build lasting relationships. The Cavan Regional Sports Campus is a powerful example of how sport and community infrastructure can be used to bridge divides and create lasting connections. This is a truly transformative project which will serve as a beacon of inclusion and collaboration for generations to come.”