Galway County Council has welcomed the allocation of €3.3m under the Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for two local authority supported sports developments in Kinvara and Tuam.
€1.3m has been allocated to Kinvara Hockey Club for the delivery of a hockey/multisport pitch with adjoining 2G multi-use games areas, fencing, floodlighting, and tennis and bocce courts.
Meanwhile, €2m is being provided to St Jarlath’s of Tuam for the development of a full-size 4G pitch with floodlighting, an all-weather synthetic pitch, the redevelopment of the existing grass training pitches into a full-size grass playing pitch, and a sports pavilion.
Councillor Albert Dolan, Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway said, “investment in existing and new infrastructure such as this has significant health and social benefits as it ultimately serves to increase participation levels in sports and recreation. This funding allocation will greatly assist the fantastic efforts of Kinara Hockey Club and St Jarlath’s in delivering on their ambition to provide state-of-the-art facilities for their local communities. This news is a massive boost for the people of Kinvara and Tuam.”
Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council said, “The process involved in securing State funding for largescale infrastructure projects can be a daunting one for voluntary sporting organisations. Galway County Council assisted the two clubs in presenting their case for receiving such funding and I am delighted that they have been included in this week’s announcement, thereby enabling them to move forward with the delivery of these worthwhile and positive projects.”
“The Local Authority is delighted to have supported St Jarlath’s and Kinvara Hockey Club in their funding application,” he added. “These developments have been the subject of years of planning and the collective efforts of local volunteers. This announcement will be very much welcomed by the two communities as it will enable the clubs to not only upgrade and expand their facilities, but also increase active participation in sport.”
The funding announcement was made on Monday by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne. See www.gov.ie for more.
