Laois GAA clubs score heavily in record multi-million euro funding for Laois sports

Laois GAA clubs have secured the bulk of funding on offer on the latest round of money to upgrade sports and leisure facilities in the county which will see significant work done on Portlaoise's swimming pool and investment in a new athletics track in the town.

Nationwide, 1,996 grants have been announced, to a total value of €230m for new and improved sports facilities and equipment throughout the country under the Community Sports Facilities Fund, formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.

The programme is divided into three strands with a total €5,856,341 in the pipeline for various Laois sports and leisure projects around the county.

The biggest single grant is allocated in the regional strand with Laois and Offaly ETB allocated €487,055 for a tartan/synthetic athletics track at Portlaoise College.

In the same regional grants, Laois County Council is getting €216,278 to replace the moveable floor in the Portlaoise swimming pool. The other regional grant recipient is Portlaoise AFC soccer club which is getting €159,081 for an astro pitch, floodlights and fencing. 

The total coming to Laois in the local grants section is €4,889,864 which will be distributed among 45 clubs and groups. Gaelic Games is the biggest winner with 27 clubs in the county getting money for projects.

The biggest single grant is going to St Fintan's Mountrath GAA club which is getting €200K for a new floodlighting system. Portlaoise and Portarlington GAA clubs are the joint second biggest recipients. Portlaoise GAA is getting €182,717 for a sports ball wall and nursery area. Portarlington is getting the same sum for a project called Equity in Action - sustainable sports for all.

The biggest non-GAA allocation in the local grants section is going the Lions AFC soccer club in Durrow. It is getting €170,259 for pitch development. 

Laois is getting €104,063 under the equipment grants section. Killeshin GAA is getting €70,000 for a pitch project while Arlington AFC is getting €34,063 via a 2023 application.

Government TDs Minister Sean Fleming and Charlie Flanagan welcomed the money for Laois. The grants breakdown is as follows:

Minster Fleming thanks the volunteers in all the clubs and organisations in Laois who work hard in their communities to provide fantastic amenities and sporting facilities right on our doorsteps.

"I also want to thank those organisations for their work in applying for funding under this grant scheme. I encourage people of all ages in Laois to get involved in sports or physical activities. It is very good for people’s health and wellbeing to be involved in physical activity and sports.

"Finally, now that the Government has allocated the funding, I am calling on all organisations to move as quickly as possible to develop their facilities, so that they will be available for their communities as soon as practicable," he said.

The scheme is operated by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and provides grants to assist in the development or refurbishment of sports facilities and the provision of sports equipment. It is part funded from the proceeds of the National Lottery.