Mayo clubs receive boost with Sports Capital Grant

Mayo sports clubs receive boost with Sports Capital Grant


Ciara Galvin

SPORTS clubs and projects across the county have received a welcomed boost with the allocation of €1,106,141 in grants under the Sports Capital Grant Scheme. This figure is up from €780,000 in the last round of grants. Twenty-nine clubs and projects will benefit from the grants, including Ballinrobe Town Park and Claremorris Tennis Club. The details were announced by Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Sport Michael Ring.

Ballinrobe
Known locally as The Green, the town park in Ballinrobe was awarded €50,000. The money will go towards progressing works that started in 2009 and has included the development of two pitches. The pitches are used by Ballinrobe Rugby Club and Ballinrobe Town AFC. There are plans to develop an all-weather AstroTurf pitch at the park, with planning granted and drawings in place.
Speaking to The Mayo News about the funding, Fine Gael councillor Patsy O’Brien said he welcomed the news, adding that he had lobbied for it for some time. “The regeneration started in 2009, and this is another great step that will help continue the great work. Soon people will be able to walk right around the walking track under lights,” said Cllr O’Brien.

Westport
In Westport, there was good news for a new community sports facility for local school students and the wider community at Rice College, with an allocation of almost €71,000 for a new AstroTurf facility. This money will complement ongoing fundraising for the development of new facilities at the school, and almost matches the €75,000 given to the project by the now-defunct Westport Town Council.

Claremorris
Claremorris Tennis Club has been awarded €70,000 towards the resurfacing of its courts. The club says the resurfacing will help bring its facility to ‘new heights’.
“Our aim is for our facilities to be as good as the best in the country. It will help attract new members to the club and to bring back old members who had fallen away from tennis. It is our strong focus to increase the membership of the club for the benefit of the club and the town,” read a statement from the club.
Club chairman John Roe said ‘this is fantastic news and is a tremendous boost for the club’.

Other beneficiaries
OTHER clubs to receive grants included Islandeady GAA Club, which received €100,000; St Patrick’s GAA Club, Westport, which received €85,000; and Fahy Community Development and Fahy Rovers AFC, which was awarded €85,000.
Under the Regional Grant Scheme, which had a fund of €6,356,852 nationally, two projects in Mayo were successful: Castlebar Tennis Club, which received €175,000, and the Mayo Association Football League, which was given €25,000.