Extra cash to target youth football

A €2m grant was issued to soccer bosses today in a bid to encourage more youth onto pitches around the country.

Minister for Sports John O’Donoghue said the new grant from the Sports Council brought to €8.3m the amount given to the FAI since the start of the 2001 underage programme.

Mr O’Donoghue said increasing the level of participation among young children was vital to tackling the obesity problem and fending off the threat of drugs and alcohol.

“I think the perfect antidote to that is sports and I regard sports as being part of the battle against obesity, which is a growing problem in Ireland,” he said.

John Delaney, chief executive of the FAI, said this was a significant boost to the association which is spending €8m on its technical plan in 2005.

“Back in 1998 and 1999 the participation levels were nothing like what they are today, almost 400,00 people playing on a weekly basis,” Mr Delaney said.

“Therefore we need the funding to meet the participation levels which is now the biggest participation national governed body sport, as of an Irish Sports Council survey.”

Mr Delaney said soccer was now the third-biggest activity in Ireland after walking and cycling.

“I think Gaelic football was sixth and hurling was 11th,” he said.