€100,000 funding boost for Meath Sports Partnership
More than €100,000 in funding has been awarded to Meath Local Sports Partnership that will see new basketball courts installed in Dunshaughlin Community Park, Kilmainhamwood Village Green and Blackwater Park, Navan.
New volleyball posts will also be installed on Bettystown Beach thanks to the Fund.
Local Meath East TD and Minister for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne, today (Wednesday, 23 October) confirmed allocations under the new Participation Nation Outdoor Fund.
A total of €2.26 million has been allocated to 30 local sports partnerships across the country to support the purchase and installation of permanent sport infrastructure that can be placed on public land for community use.
In line with the Programme for Government target of reaching 60% overall participation in sport by 2027, the fund is designed to spur physical activity in local community settings by supporting Local Sports Partnerships with the development of barrier-free sport projects on publicly-accessible land.
Allocations are funded by the Department and administered by Sport Ireland.
Announcing the allocations today, Minister Byrne said:
“I am very glad to announce the first allocations under the Participation Nation Outdoor Fund which will benefit every Local Sports Partnership across the country, including County Meath. This is a new fund which seeks to increase participation levels in local community settings by assisting Local Sports Partnerships with the purchase and installation of barrier-free sports infrastructure.
"As a Government, we want to see our participation levels in sport and physical activity maximised to the greatest extent possible. Budget 2025 represented a landmark moment for Irish sport with our target of doubling the sport budget compared to 2018 levels being reached two years ahead of schedule.
"The Participation Nation Outdoor Fund is another example of how we are working to boost our participation levels and I am confident that it will complement the tremendous community good that has already been delivered for Meath under both the Community Sport Facilities Fund and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund.
"I want to thank the Meath Local Sports Partnership for their valuable work in bringing these sports projects in Dunshaughlin, Bettystown, Kilmainhamwood Village and Navan forward. I look forward to seeing them delivered for the benefit of local Meath communities. I am also grateful to Sport Ireland for their work in administering the fund" concluded Minister Byrne.