The fight for national funding to provide even more sporting amenities and further promote community involvement at facilities such as the Knocknacarra Community Centre has been made even stronger by provisions in Budget 2014, according to Fianna Fáil city councillor Peter Keane.
Speaking ahead of a special meeting tomorrow at City Hall to discuss the draft Budget 2014, Cllr Keane welcomed the inclusion in the estimates of a Capital Sports and Recreation Fund which will be ring-fenced by Galway City Council and used as a matched-funding source for local authority applications for capital sports and recreation funding in 2014. He confirmed that provision had been made to ring-fence the sum of €75,000 in 2014 which would be carried forward in circumstances where the National Capital Sports Grants 2014 are unlikely to be allocated until late 2014/early 2015.
Cllr Keane, who was deeply critical of Galway City Council’s last performance in the allocation of Capital Sports Grants, said he was "delighted to have been in a position to deliver on this much needed fund" and that it is imperative that funding is available to the local authority to create and enhance recreational facilities throughout the city.
Recreational facilities such as the new Knocknacarra Community Centre at Cappagh Park will particularly benefit from the funding, according to Cllr Keane, who said that it will help to promote more community involvement in the running of such a centre as well as in seeking further national funding.
“There must be an alternative revenue stream from the Cappagh Park facility and this provides the perfect opportunity to aggressively pursue national funding to create a floodlight astro turf pitch at Cappagh Park for use by the entire Knocknacarra and Salthill communities.
“The percentage return for Galway City of 1.8 per cent in the last Government round of funding was very disappointing and the creation of this matched funding source will ensure that we are there fighting for National Funding when the time comes,” said Cllr Keane.
