Amendment 8.6 is to be welcomed.
The promotion of the provision and management of high-quality, multi-functional, sport and recreational infrastructure across the County needs to be made in consultation with relevant stakeholders. It is very often the sporting clubs and organisations themselves that are best placed to inform the Council in the provision of facilities and infrastructure.
I am concerned about the historic pattern of pitch allocations in the Lucan area and that the needs of all stakeholders are not being currently catered for.
A case in point are Na Gaeil Óga CLG.
Na Gaeil Óga CLG., are Lucan's Irish speaking GAA club. Founded in 2010 to provide a place for young people to participate in Gaelic games through the medium of Irish, they are widely recognized as one of Ireland's fastest growing sports clubs. They have 500 underage players currently ranging in age from 4 to 13 and have a 50:50 gender balance across all age groups.
The growth of the club in recent years has been sustained. Since starting a juvenile section in 2014, our numbers have surged. As of 2022 they have over 30 teams across camogie, Gaelic football (mens & womens) and hurling.
The club has had a unique social impact on the SDCC community by virtue of their unique status of carrying out all activities through the medium of Irish. The estimated increase in the amount of people who speak Irish daily outside of the education system in Lucan electoral district since Na Gaeil Óga launched juvenile structure in 2014 is in the region of 124%.
The provision of a pitch allocation in Lucan to Na Gaeil Óga CLG has been sub optimal to say the least. I would hope that this Amendment would encourage our Council to reflect the needs of all stakeholders in the provision of access to such services within the County and not just focus of the demands of incumbents.