Huge rise in population drives scheme

LEINSTER COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN:THE LEINSTER Council have prepared a five-year strategic plan to deal with the rapid population growth in the province – with projections showing half the country's population living in Leinster counties by 2026.

The document, Leinster’s Challenge, will be introduced in Portlaoise this evening and Leinster Council commercial and marketing manager John Cotter – also the chairman of the Leinster Strategic Plan Steering Group – says officials must establish a guaranteed annual development fund in order to plan effectively for a population explosion in the region.

“Leinster is experiencing massive urban growth in some areas and, conversely, significant rural depopulation in others, placing heavy demands on the province’s games development unit,” Cotter says. “Economic conditions have medium and long-term implications for funding, match attendance and facilities development. Cultural and social change and the increase in multi-culturalism bring their own challenges and opportunities to Leinster Council GAA, to which we must respond.”

Leinster Council’s championship ticket revenue has fallen significantly since 2006: “We cannot avoid the fact that, in order to plan effectively for the medium- and long-term facilities and personnel requirements of the province, a guaranteed annual development fund has to be put in place, and with whatever input can be generated from sources within and from outside the province,” says Cotter.

The expected population growth certainly presents the Leinster Council with some difficult challenges, especially in trying to cater for the younger population and their needs in Gaelic games.

Central Statistics Office (CSO) projections show the population of the State in 2026 will be 5,696,000 – an increase of 35 per cent on the 2006 figure of 4,233,000.

If the population distribution pattern is maintained, the increase in population in Leinster to 2026 will be much greater: the province will be catering for at least 516,000 more people, the majority of them young, in the next 16 years, bringing the total youth population in Leinster in 2026 to over 700,000.

The CSO study on projected population to 2026 divides counties into sectors, and two thirds of the counties in Leinster make up three groups. (The figures for Louth, Wexford and Kilkenny are included in non-Leinster groups; Dublin commands a group of its own; the commuter region of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow is grouped as the Mid-East section; Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath are in the Midland group.)

In 2006, these eight Leinster counties held 45 per cent of the population of the State. By 2026 it is projected this will rise to 48 per cent – or effectively half the country’s population.

Dublin had over 25 per cent (1,100,000) of the State’s population in 2006. This is projected to rise to 30 per cent of an increased national population, giving Dublin a potential population of 1,700,000 in 2026.

Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, based on projected trends, will see their population rise by 2.3 per cent annually, from under 500,000 to over 750,000 by 2026 – again well above the projected national average percentage growth of 1.5 per cent.

“The statistics presented for population and urbanisation in Leinster clearly shows why existing GAA facilities in the high population areas are under severe pressure. Serving current needs is already a huge challenge in the province.

“This is before we look at projected growth trends that will see urban areas in Leinster absorb over 40 per cent of the total national projected increase in population by 2026. Given the current population numbers and the high degree of existing urbanisation, Leinster’s importance to the future of the GAA cannot be overstated. The challenge facing Leinster Council GAA and our association is to develop a new approach to the use of existing facilities of all kinds and to the provision of new and extended facilities to meet future needs.”