Sport Ireland and the FAI are among those who have welcomed an increase in funding to Irish sport as part of Budget 2021.
An increase in spending amounting to €45million euro was confirmed by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath on Tuesday afternoon.
Sport Ireland will see an increase of public money to the tune of €36million.
Added to that will be €7million towards "large scale sports infrastructure", and €2million for "major sporting events", of which Euro 2020 is one.
Minister for Sport & the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers said the increase in funding will "accelerate participation in sport and support our sporting bodies & associations."
Today Government has agreed a significant increase of €36m for Sport Ireland @sportireland to accelerate participation in sport and support our sporting bodies & associations through 2021. #Budget2021
— Jack Chambers TD (@jackfchambers) October 13, 2020
Interim FAI CEO Gary Owens said news of the funding has come at a critical moment for Irish football, "We appreciate the announcement by Minister McGrath today and welcome this additional funding to Sport Ireland.
"Irish sport needs this support from Government now more than ever and this is a major boost for everyone in a sector which offers so much to Irish life."
Mary O'Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, also welcomed news of the Budget increase saying it's "So important to support the sport sector through a designated increase in Core Grant Funding."
While Olympic Federation of Ireland CEO Peter Sherrard added, "This will provide much-needed support for the sector and will allow continued planning for high-performance athletes ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games and the Paris 2024 cycle."
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