Press release
Additional €6.14 million allocated under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and the Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, today announced that €6.14 million has been allocated to 108 different applicants following the conclusion of the appeals process for the 2020 round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. Some €143.86 million was allocated to 1,865 different projects in February following the conclusion of the assessment process. All unsuccessful applicants were given the opportunity to appeal the department’s decision including a final opportunity to submit corrected documentation to validate their application. Up to 146 appeals were submitted by the deadline date (4 April) and today’s announcement represents the conclusion of the 2020 round of the SCEP.
Minister Catherine Martin stated:
“The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is an essential vehicle for providing suitable sports facilities around the country. The grants which we have approved today are the final set of capital allocations under the 2020 round of the Programme which resulted in a record €150 million allocated to almost 2,000 different projects. To achieve our aims of having as many people participate in sport as possible, we need the required pitches, dressing rooms, floodlights and so on, and the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is essential in delivering these facilities."
Minister of State Jack Chambers added:
“In my role as Minister with responsibility for sport I have seen first hand the huge difference that the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme has made throughout the country. It is one of the highlights of my job to meet the volunteers such as those behind the clubs and groups receiving grants today and see the real improvements the grants make to their organisations. I am delighted that we allocated the highest level of funding ever under the Programme and I will continue to make the case for further enhanced investment in Irish sport in the years ahead.”
The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion.
By the closing date for applications (1 March, 2021) under this latest round, 3,106 applications were submitted seeking over €200 million in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received. The scoring system and assessment procedures were finalised and published prior to assessment work commencing and all applications were assessed in accordance with these procedures.
Approximately 1,000 of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6 million were announced on 6 August 2021. The remaining capital applications were then assessed and 1,865 individual grant offers with a total value of over €143.8 million were announced on Friday 11 February 2022. This represented the highest level of allocation ever made under the SCEP.
Unsuccessful applicants were able to appeal the department's decision. The deadline for submission of appeals was Monday 4 April and 146 appeals were received. Today’s announcement represents the completion of the allocations under the 2020 round. A full review of the 2020 round will now be undertaken and recommendations arising will be reflected in the terms and conditions of the next round. The precise timing of this next round of the Programme will be announced once this review is complete.
The full list of successful appellants can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/
The 2020 round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme closed for applications on 1 March 2021. By that deadline, a record number of over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking a total of €200 million in funding. This was the highest number of applications ever received.
Over €16 million was announced for “equipment only” applications in August 2021. The capital applications were then assessed and 1,865 individual grant offers with a total value of over €143.8 million were announced on Friday 11 February 2022.
The level of funding available to each county was determined by regard to county populations and the level of applications from each county. Thereafter, individual applications were assessed and awarded grants in accordance with the Programme’s scoring system which was published in advance of the assessment work commencing. The likelihood of increasing sport participation, the level of disadvantage in the area and the funding received by the club previously were the main considerations of the score obtained at assessment stage. The score obtained at assessment stage was the key determinant of the individual grant amount.
Today’s announcement means that successful appellants will receive a provisional grant offer. A number of administrative requirements must then be fulfilled before formal approval issues.