Wednesday 8th August
McDaid's Department Respond to Criticism
Dr. James McDaid's Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation has issued a statement to IS Online on the absence of Saint Patrick's Athletic from the list of Eircom League Clubs that have recently shared in a bumper £1.4 million pay-out under the 2001 Sports Capital Programme.
McDaid has left a lot of football followers in West Dublin scratching their heads as crucial development applications at Richmond Park were simply ignored under his Department's 2001 pay-out, that has seen less developed clubs such as Shamrock Rovers profit to the tune of £500,000.
Questions have been asked publicly by sports lovers in Inchicore and Pat Dolan recently confessed to the Irish Independent "we're in a disadvantaged area, we've the strongest football in the community scheme going, have our own ground and we've won three titles since '96. What do we have to do to impress the Minister for Sport for funds to take the club to the next level?". Dolan's comments followed those of new Saints director Alan Duncan who felt that Saint Pat's "deserve help for the huge contribution to football we've made in the area."
The tone of exasperation from Emmet Road over the lack of support for the club from Government funds led IS Online to ask the Department of Sport to explain the current situation to the Saints large body of supporters. The Department issued this statement to IS Online on the issue of funding for Ireland's biggest community football club:
"Each year the Department consults with national governing bodies of sport in identifying priorities for the development and provision of major sports facilities throughout the country.
St. Patrick’s Athletic F.C., were allocated a grant of £100,000 in 1993 and a further £100,000 in 1996. The Department hopes that the club will soon complete the work and processes required to draw down the grant of £100,000 allocated to them in 1996.
Details of the 2002 Sports Capital Programme will be advertised later this year and it will be open to clubs and organisations to apply at that stage for funding in 2002."
The Saints must now await the next round of applications for funding in 2002. A lot of people in West Dublin will be hoping that McDaid's Department will deliver the vital funding to Richmond Park next year following the crushing disappointment of this years announcements.
Meanwhile the new Eircom League Commissioner, Roy Dooney, has outlined his plans for future funding for National League clubs, Dooney welcomed the long awaited influx of cash into Irish Football from government funds and had this to say about the new FAI strategy for dealing with grant money:
"These grants to clubs place a responsibility on the League to ensure that they are spent for the long term good of football in Ireland. The FAI has already begun work on a blueprint for the future development of football facilities in every corner of Ireland and at every level of the game.
This strategy will be discussed with all the eircom League clubs in the early Autumn and the FAI will invite the first application for grant assistance in October.
This money will be spent on developing facilities throughout the country. The FAI and the eircom League's vision is to make accessible top class all-weather training facilities with top class coaching to all our players. After years of poor facilities it is what they deserve."
