FAI welcomes €15m in capital grants

THE FAI yesterday welcomed a €15 million government investment in football in Ireland.

The Sports Capital Grants, announced by Sports Minister John O’Donoghue, provide for a €12m investment for 2005, as well as the allocation of €3m held over from 2003.

While the bulk of the money goes to non-league clubs, 16 Eircom League clubs are set to benefit from a total investment of €5.275m, as they seek to improve the standard of grounds in line with the requirements of the UEFA Club Licensing scheme.