Sports clubs and community groups have been invited to apply for new capital grants totalling £50 million over the next three years.
The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, said yesterday the money would be taken from National Lottery funding "to assist the provision of high-quality, well-designed sport and recreation facilities throughout the country".
A spokesman for the Minister said successful applicants would be required to agree to a "sunset clause" in their contract, whereby grants could be recouped if the organisation failed to "make substantial progress" within 12 months of receiving the money. Clubs and organisations will have one year in which to begin their building programmes, otherwise the allocation will be withdrawn.
The Minister says this proviso is to avoid a recurrence of "situations that arose in the past". Unspent allocations would be passed on to other projects.
The £50 million scheme is to operate with revised aims and assessment criteria, terms and conditions and is focused on areas of disadvantage. It trebles spending under the Sports Capital Programme over the last three years, when £17 million was spent.
The programme provides funding for projects such as GAA county grounds, League of Ireland soccer grounds, sports complexes and local sports clubs as well as recreational, leisure and community facilities.
However, the latest scheme does not include assistance for Croke Park or the proposed 50metre swimming pool.
"Special priority will be given under the programme to the development of facilities in disadvantaged areas in line with Government policy aimed at increasing participation in sport and recreation, particularly in these areas," the Minister said.
Applications must be submitted to the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation by 5 p.m. on February 12th. It is understood the first round of allocations under the programme will be made in April.