€77,000 grant for Curragh Athletic FC to form part of €250K new development in 2026

The Department of Transport has announced a grant of €77,000 to Finn Valley-based football club Curragh Athletic FC.

The funding will see the installation of car chargers at the club's existing sports and community facility at Killygordon. Initially, five sports clubs in Donegal were chosen and assessed for suitability by an independent panel for inclusion in the scheme.

The scheme included GAA, rugby, soccer, golf clubs and other sporting organisations in towns, rural communities and city suburbs. However, Curragh Athletic are now one of the first clubs in Ireland to have its funds formally allocated.

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The club, who are one of the founding members of the Donegal Junior League in 1971, initially based itself at Crossroads, Killygordon at Browne’s Field, before acquiring its own land in 1994. The new site was then developed over the next seven years and the club moved across the River Finn in 2003 to a state-of-the-art facility at Killygordon. The site also accommodates the local community organisation Crossroads and Killygordon Enterprises.

The club have already selected its Charge Point Operator (CPO) and works are expected to commence in early 2026 with the chargers operational by end of March 2026. The funding itself is part of the All-Ireland: “Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Scheme” which is administered by Pobal.

Speaking after the recent grant allocation, Frank Kelly stated that the latest add-on to the many existing on-site services will add greatly to and further enhance the existing facility.

He also confirmed that the club "is also very close to finalising plans to upgrade their existing floodlights with a retrofit of glazing of windows and doors, also included and which will greatly add value to their existing community sport facilities."

Costing in excess of €180,000, with grants totalling €155,133 already allocated from both the Sports Capital and SSE, it will be a busy and exciting year ahead for Curragh FC with a total outlay expected in excess of a quarter of a million euros in 2026, including the latest allocation of €77,000 from the Department of Transport and Pobal.

The club would like to acknowledge and thank, in particular, Pat The Cope Gallagher TD, Spokesperson on Fisheries and Maritime, Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, with special responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy. They also wish to thank Pobal, Patrick McGowan and the other Stranorlar Electoral Area County Councillors for all their continued local support.

Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Gallagher said: "The investment highlights the important role local sports clubs play as community hubs, particularly in rural areas, and commended Curragh Athletic F.C. for its proactive and forward-looking approach. The funding announcement has also been welcomed by local councillor Patrick McGowan."