Croke Park announce massive grassroots funding

About €38m will be ploughed into GAA sports at grassroots levels, it was confirmed today.

Revenue generated from football and rugby internationals being played at Croke Park in Dublin will fund the investment package, to take place over three years.

The cash injection, which will provide enhanced and new facilities for players at all levels and in all areas, is in addition to the association’s ongoing investment in coaching, games development, infrastructure, and player welfare.

Approved at the GAA’s Central Council, it includes €8.5m for County Boards, specifically for club associated development projects.

It will see the construction of between 10 and 15 floodlit synthetic and all weather pitches to regulation GAA scale at centres throughout the country, enhancing and supplementing facilities for clubs, colleges and counties, and support special urban initiatives and new hurling development initiatives.

There will also be special investment in the overseas sector, Gaeltacht areas and affiliated units.

GAA President Nickey Brennan, stressed this was a one-off investment additional to funding made available on an annual basis from the GAA’s traditional income sources.

“The decision is consistent with the commitment given that any associated finance that would accrue from the rugby and soccer games at the stadium would be invested at grassroots level,” he said.

Croke Park – the Gaelic Athletic Association’s headquarters – has opened its gates to soccer and rugby while Lansdowne Road is closed for a €350m redevelopment.

Throughout the year the ground will attract more than two million sports and music fans as it hosts two international rugby games, four Ireland soccer matches and four music concerts on top of its usual 25 days of GAA games.

The GAA lifted its century-old Rule 42 ban on soccer and rugby being played on its turf just two years ago.

Mr Brennan said that while the investment was on a stand-alone basis, it had been integrated and was complementary to the overall development vision for the Association.

He said that this was a hugely significant initiative for the Association at local level and he anticipated the proposal would receive Government support.

The process of implementation will now proceed through consultation and discussion with Provincial Councils and County Committees.