THE SUCCESS OF footballer Troy Parrott and other top athletes who come from Dublin’s inner city is not because of the government support model, but in spite of it, the Dáil heard today ahead of Ireland’s high-stakes World Cup qualifier in Prague this evening.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who represents the Dublin Central constituency, followed other members in opening his remarks by wishing the footballers “the very best” of luck when they take on Czechia later today.

Staying on the topic of the national football team, Gannon noted that Parrott comes from Dublin’s north inner city, which he said has long suffered from chronic underfunding for sporting facilities despite being one of the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas.

To highlight the issue, Gannon noted that there is “not a single full-sized football pitch in Dublin’s inner city, north or south” with the exception of Croke Park.
He said that the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) had published a 2007 report that found that the majority of people who played sport in Ireland were “from higher income and better educated social groups”.

“Placed in the context of Irish sports policy, this means that public spending on sport is very likely to be regressive, with the less well off subsidising the activities of the better off,” a summary of the ESRI report said.

Gannon said that because sports clubs need to own land in order to receive government support, groups in Dublin’s inner city were at a disadvantage, adding that golf clubs apply for funding at three times the rate of boxing clubs, because the have the capital to access the system.

According to the criteria of the Community Sports Facilities Fund, community groups and clubs need to demonstrate “ownership or long-term access to the land or facilities they wish to develop”.

They are also “typically required” to contribute a minimum of 5% of the funding for the project from their own coffers, while local authorities must contribute at least 30% to their projects.

In response, Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was standing in for Taoiseach Micheál Martin during Leader’s Questions today, agreed that Gannon had made a “serious point”.

Harris, who is also minister for finance, said that Dublin’s inner city “has done more than most” in terms of the “scale of national heroes” it has given the sporting world, particularly in terms of boxing.

Gannon had also said the issue was not about a divide between rural and urban communities, but one of “fairness”.

Harris said that disadvantage can affect both rural and urban areas, but agreed with Gannon’s “broader point”, especially in terms of the lack of a full-size pitch in the capital’s inner city.

Harris said the government was planning on opening a new sports capital round of funding soon, but he could not provide an exact date.

He said he was “certainly up for the challenge” of “bridging the gap”.

“Golf has brought great success too,” he added, to which Gannon replied he was not so much concerned about success but about provided young people with role models and the space to practice sport for its own sake.

Harris said he would be “very happy” to engage with Gannon, Dublin City Council and the relevant ministers to help address the issue Gannon had raised.