Litir Chumhdaigh
I am making this submission as an individual player from Tallaght Rugby Club. A 20 year old sports club. A club with 100 senior men and woen and 150 youths. Training out of a graffiti'd shipping container, on a pitch so uneven a leg was broken last year. With no home of our own, or even pavilion to play from, we have consistently seen scramblers and burnt out cars on the pitch we've been allocated to play games on. Not to mention the rabbit holes that have badly sprained 2 ankles in recent times that are constantly a problem. We have no running water, no changing facilities, showers, anything. Yet consistently raise money for charity (€11,000 for aware), support local businesses, and continue to grow at a rapid rate. We just need some facilities to help us maintain growth and to stop forcing tallaght based players and kids to venture further afield and away from Tallaght to play the game they love. We have lost 5 players this season alone, to the fact that facilities elsewhere are better (gyms/showers/pitches/club house/ a pitch where we're not picking up needles/cans/bags of drugs before youth training starts on a Sunday.
First I'd like to welcome each of the below, as they potentially could really help Tallaght Rugby Club to obtain even basic amenities:
COS4 Objective 11: To facilitate as far as possible all sports played by the citizens of South Dublin County including rugby, recognising the growing numbers taking part in the sport and the particular requirements of the game in terms of pitches.
COS4 Objective 17: To ensure that any sports club established for over 5 years in the community be provided with proper facilities (changing rooms/toliets) to ensure they continue to operate and grow within our own community.
COS4 Objectives 18: To make available suitable unused council-owned brownfield sites and buildings to sport, arts, and communitygroups on a temporary or long term lease basis where feasible.