Labour City Councillor Niall Mc Nelis has urged clubs in Galway to take time and apply for funding under the Sports Capital Grant.
Applications opened on Monday July 17 last at 9am and remain open until Friday September 8 at 5pm.
“Sporting clubs and organisations are the absolute backbone of our communities but many are really struggling. More and more sports clubs are coming to the maximum amount of usage of their current facilities.
“Here in Galway, we know that so many are involved in activities but the facilities simply haven’t managed to keep pace with the growth in popularity of games like soccer, the GAA, golf and many more.
“Clubs in Galway should take the time to review the Sports Capital Grant to see if they are eligible for much needed funding to improve facilities and amenities," he said.
“While the Sports Capital Grant is a really useful way for clubs to get some help when it comes to improving and expanding amenities that benefit the whole community, more needs to be done.
“It’s now time to look at our community sports grounds and see how we can better develop amenities in communities throughout the country. Given the shortage of land, we now need local authorities like Galway City and County Councils to urgently identify and support our sports clubs through community sports centres.
“It is Labour’s belief that there should be such a facility in every town with a population above 5,000. Sports clubs are telling us that there are huge issues locally in terms of having enough facilities for people to play sports and games in their community.
“The GAA outlined during an Oireachtas committee in May that facilities are now at a maximum and are going to run out quickly. That’s clear for clubs in Galway like Salthill/Knocknacarra GAA or Knocknacarra FC. We need to tackle this issue head on to keep sport embedded in communities like Galway.
“Sport is critically important for the mental health and physical wellbeing participants and spectators. Ensuring high quality playing pitches in communities nationwide would go a long way to encourage diversity, gender equality and inclusion within local towns and villages
“We can’t underestimate the impact that sports have on fostering positive experiences for people. I would urge every sporting club, organisation and society in the county to take a look through the Sport Capital Grant this summer," he concluded.
