FAI welcome Community Sport Facility Fund payouts as election nears

It was also a good day for the FAI's own distressed finances as €2,004,171 was accrued in funding for seven national projects.

The FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile

It’s the first round of grants since the FAI set out a €863m programme to modernise Irish football but €45.8m will have to do as a starter.

That blueprint spanned the next 15 years, seeking, on average, €34.5m per annum from centralised schemes and a further €11.5m through localised channels.