Brady calls on government to reverse decision to refuse 15 sporting capital funds to communities across Wicklow
Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has reacted to yesterday’s announcement of the allocation of grants under the community sports facilities fund by congratulating the successful applicants from Wicklow, whilst adding his disappointment and frustration at the government’s refusal to fund applications and additional fifteen sporting groups from Wicklow, including Blessington AFC, and Newtownmountkennedy Sports Area Development.
A total of fifty-five sporting groups across Wicklow received a total of €5,847,870, out of a total fund of €230 million. This represents less than 3% of the funds offered to groups across the state.
Brady said:
“Obviously I want to congratulate those groups that have benefited from yesterday’s funding announcement. I have worked closely with some of these groups and am very aware of the huge effort that it takes to get these applications in.
But I am both disappointed and frustrated to learn that fifteen sporting groups from across the county of Wicklow, such as Blessington AFC, and the Newtownmountkennedy Sports Area Development had their applications refused by the government.
Blessington AFC is not just a football team, it is a local community club with over 800 members, with a long-term lease in place for grounds. The refusal of the government to approve funding to the club means that it now cannot access funds to allow the club to grow to meet the demands for its services from the local community. The club will have to turn new members away due to the refusal to grant funding needed to address the lack of facilities.
The club membership ranges across an area that covers Blessington, Kilbride, Lackan, Valleymount, Hollywood, Rathmore, Eadestown, and Kill.
This is not just about refusing funds to a local sports organisation. It is about refusing access to badly needed local facilities for a community that have suffered at the blunt end of government lack of investment for far too long.
The whole of County Wicklow received less than 3% of the total fund of €230million which was distributed to groups across the state.
The 2.54% which was allocated to Wicklow must be measured against the backdrop of decades of underinvestment in community facilities across our county.
This lack of investment was a major contributory factor to the protests which were witnessed in Newtownmountkennedy earlier this year.
That the government continues to ignore the need to invest in facilities and amenities for local communities in Wicklow is a disgrace.
The government needs to heed appeals to reverse these decisions. We have three sitting government TDs in Wicklow – they need to act.
The Taoiseach Simon Harris needs to acknowledge the community needs of his own county, a paltry 2.54% return for the Taoiseach’s home county suggests somebody dropped the ball here.
As the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly should be more aware than anybody of the role that sports participation plays in the physical and mental health of both children and adults.
I encourage all of the groups that have had their applications refused to appeal the decision. I will also be actively appealing these decisions, and doing everything that I can to have the decisions to refuse reversed.
I am calling on all government TDs in Wicklow to add their voice in support of my call for a reversal of the decision to deny funding to the 15 groups representing their communities across Wicklow.”ENDs