The extension of the closing dates for sports clubs to make applications to the sports capital fund has been described a common sense decision in difficult times for clubs by local Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy.
In recent times Minister for Sport Catherine Martin has announced that applications will now be accepted up to March 1 for the programme which saw €37 million allocated to sports clubs nationally in 2019.
“The extension recently announced by Minister Martin is a very positive step in ensuring clubs have a fair opportunity to submit comprehensive applications. As anyone involved in sports club administration will tell you the background work required for such an application is quite substantial.
“Club committees would ordinarily be meeting on multiple occasions to decide on projects prepare drawings and quotations and also put together the required financial and legal paperwork.
“The fact that Covid-19 restrictions do not allow for such meetings at present is a real difficulty and may have discouraged a lot of clubs from submitting an application if this alteration was not made,” Deputy Troy remarked.
Whilst welcoming of the extension, Minister Troy also encouraged club officials to seek as much advice and assistance as possible in advance of applying.
“There is quite a bit of criteria to be met by clubs in applying for sports capital funding, it is also important to remember that there is a complex scoring system used to assess applications and I would encourage clubs to look into this aspect as much as possible before finalising their applications.
“My staff and I have assisted many clubs in securing substantial sports capital grants in recent years and we are happy to assist any club who wishes to contact us in making the most of this opportunity” Deputy Troy concluded.
