Rowing Ireland has been granted additional funding of €70,000 from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The funding will further upgrade our athlete’s facilities in the Kinetica National Rowing Centre.
Forthcoming upgrades to the Kinetica National Rowing Centre include the athlete’s lounge, changing rooms and the overall interior of the National Rowing Centre.
Rowing Ireland’s Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Carpenter, said, “We are delighted with the additional funding announced by Sport Ireland and would like to thank Ministers Martin and Chambers for their continued support and investment into our sport.
“We were thrilled to welcome the Taoiseach and the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport at the Kinetica National Rowing Centre in August, where they were able to see first-hand what we have created in our home of Irish Rowing. The upgrade to the changing rooms is significant to accommodate our growing team at all levels, from junior to U23 to Senior Olympians. This will marry the work we have completed recently on the upgrade to the athlete’s lounge, testing lab and the upstairs communal area for coaches and staff.
“Given our athletes and coaches invest such a substantial amount of time in locating at the Kinetica National Rowing Centre, it is key they have the best facilities that we can provide them with. It is essential for our team that they can train and recover in the best environment possible, and this additional funding enables us to enhance and modernise our facilities.”
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, said: “Sport is crucial for all communities in Ireland. There was a record number of applications for these grants, and the government responded with the most significant level of individual awards ever.
“So this is a great day for sports clubs and community groups right around the country, and I want to congratulate all of the successful applicants.
“It has been a tough two years for many sports clubs, but the pandemic really demonstrated the importance of sport for our collective wellbeing. The grants we are announcing today will significantly improve sports facilities in every county. There is a huge variety of different sports covered, and I was particularly pleased that the scoring system placed an even greater emphasis on female participation.
“Over 30 sports and activities are represented, ranging from competitive, track and field games right through to walking.
“I want to thank all of the volunteers associated with these clubs for their tireless work and their commitment to improving their facilities to benefit all members.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Sport, Jack Chambers, highlighted the huge number of grantees and the wide variety of sports funded: “Anybody involved in sport at local level knows the importance of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. I am delighted that today’s announcement represents the highest level of funding ever provided for any round of the Programme.
“As well as the major field sports, funding is being provided to tennis clubs, cricket, boxing, kayaking, wheelchair sports and martial arts to name just some. It is great to see crowds back at big sporting events in recent weeks but our key focus is to get as many people participating as possible. COVID-19 revealed to us all the importance of community and I am particularly pleased that so many community centres and organisations have been allocated funding to develop projects in towns and villages across the country. If we want to achieve our participation targets, we must provide high quality facilities and that is what today’stoday’s announcement is all about.
“As well as grants to local clubs, I am also delighted that we are providing over €17 million for projects deemed to be of “regional” significance. Amongst these grantees are a number of GAA County Boards, National Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Authorities.”
