'Campus' may yet be approved

Sports Council Grants: Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue has said there is still "some chance" the proposal to spend €120 million over five years on a wide range of facilities at Abbotstown will come before the Cabinet next month.

The project had been expected to be considered by the Government last January but, as he announced funding of €2 million for the FAI in Cabra yesterday, O'Donoghue said he anticipated the scheme would be discussed "very soon". He added he remained extremely optimistic about the development receiving the go-ahead.

FAI chief executive John Delaney said that while his organisation is anxious the Abbotstown campus proceed at the earliest possible date, "there is a realisation that things like this don't happen overnight".

While O'Donoghue used yesterday's press conference to highlight the continued growth in Government funding for sport, Delaney noted the FAI still receive considerably less per participant than either of the country's other major sports bodies, the IRFU and the GAA.

With 400,000 of all ages now playing football each week, Delaney claimed, the game is comfortably more popular than those run by the other two associations.

"The fact is, though, that the GAA gets €3.9 million, the IRFU gets €3.5 million while we get €2 million. Obviously the €2 million today is most welcome, but we believe with the participation levels we have now we deserve more, and in 2006/2007 we're going to need more.

"The growth required on our side to cope with the increased numbers has been enormous," he added.

Delaney has made representations to both the Sports Council (ISC), which was responsible for yesterday's allocation of funding, and the department, but ISC chief executive John Treacy said Delaney and the association still had some "work to do" to secure the additional money.

"From the work that has been done, however, we would believe that the FAI would have a case and we've been putting that case too. But really we're talking about next year here, and John would have a bit of work to do over the next few months."

The lower level of funding received by the FAI is, in part, explained by the separate allocations made to football in recent years under the capital sports programme, from which, prior to last year, clubs, leagues and associations had done well.

O'Donoghue said talks with the FAI continue regarding the restoration of payments under this scheme, which had been halted after problems arose.

In relation to the more general issue of funding, he said the matter was primarily one for the ISC.

"What the Government provides is a global figure, after which it's up to the Sports Council to decide what each individual organisation gets. But we're here to help the FAI and we haven't let them down."