Mayo GAA applies for funding for proposed centre of excellence

Mayo GAA has applied to a multi-million euro sports infrastructure fund to help finance construction of a new centre of excellence near MacHale Park.

The monthly meeting of the county board was told that the county board has applied to the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for the development of facilities at Mulvey Park.

The discussion surrounding the so-called ‘Mayo GAA Leadership Academy’ at Mulvey Park arose after Ballycroy delegate, Michael Gallagher, questioned why no update on facilities was included in the reports sent to delegates in advance of the meeting.

Gallagher said that the amount of rumours surrounding the future of the Mulvey Park development had reached ‘farcical proportions.’

He cited comments from Aidan O’Shea on the BBC's GAA Social podcast, where the Mayo footballer bemoaned the lack of training facilities in the county.

Mayo GAA have been in negotiations with Mayo County Council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to acquire land close to Davitt House in Castlebar since the project was first announced at the Mayo GAA convention in December 2022.

The proposed centre of excellence see the establishment of three pitches - including a 4G surface - a ball-wall, and a six-lane running track.

“We’re waiting for a training facility for our young people for years. We’re hearing bits and pieces about it and is it advancing and is it not and it’s reached farcical proportions now where we’re in the sidelines at games and we hear that - and we don’t know whether it’s true or not - that the planned deal with the OPW is in trouble,” said Gallagher.

“And all we need is communication about it. It would put to bed a lot of rumours that’s going around.”

Garrymore delegate John Farragher supported his remarks and said that delegates should be made aware of all developments surrounding the project ‘rather than coming in bits and drabs and such a one putting tails on it’.

Ronan Kirrane, Secretary of Mayo GAA, said that the Mulvey Park project cannot be advanced until a decision is made on their application to the LSSIF.

He told the meeting that the development had met ‘roadblock after roadblock’, adding that the OPW were ‘not the easiest department to deal with’.

Kirrane acknowledged that there was a ‘huge deficit of facilities’ in the county and said that Mayo GAA's LSSIF application was ‘at the mercy of the political climate.’ A decision on the application is expected later this year.

Applications for the €120 million fund are currently being assessed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Grants between €600,000 and €30 million are awarded to successful applicants, who must provide match funding of 30 percent of the total project costs.

Mayo County Council has submitted a separate application to the LSSIF to develop a €12 million multi-sport facility at Knockaphunta in Castlebar.

Over €124 million has been awarded under the fund to date since the first allocations were announced in 2020.

The official guidelines for the fund list 12 different criteria for which will see applications prioritised for consideration.

These include that the project ‘can be clearly identified as a priority within a local authority’s development plan and strategic vision,’ that it caters to a number of different sports and activities and that it is open to the general public.

Projects that are deemed ‘ineligible’ include ‘facilities that mirror or are deemed to compete with other national or regional facilities currently available.’

Priority is also given to ‘shovel ready projects’ where planning permission has been acquired and the application ‘shows the project can be delivered in a reasonable time period.’

The guidelines also note that it was ‘not always possible’ for the department to provide 70 percent funding for all projects.