- New round calendar announced
- Increased thresholds
- New pilot Tier for LAs and NGBs
On Friday 2nd October, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and the Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue TD, announced the key timetable dates for the 2026 new round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF).
A new grant management system, SPRAOI, went live on Monday 28 September. Clubs and organisations not previously registered with the Department can now register on SPRAOI. Approximately 8,000 clubs and organisations that were registered on the previous grant system have been transferred to the new SPRAOI system. The window for funding applications will run from Monday 19 October 2026 to Friday 26 February 2027.
Minister O’Donovan said:
“I want people of all ages and abilities to have access to good sporting facilities in their own communities, where they can get active, develop their talents and enjoy sport.”
“This new round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund increases the maximum grants for local and regional projects and introduces a new €750,000 funding tier for larger, shared facilities.”
“The new tier will encourage Local Authorities and National Governing Bodies to work together on facilities that support several sports and serve the wider community. My priority is to ensure this investment gives more people the opportunity to take part in sport, now and for generations to come.”
Minister McConalogue:
“Every week, thousands of volunteers across Ireland give their time and energy to keeping our sporting organisations running. The Community Sport Facilities Fund is about supporting that commitment by helping those organisations provide the facilities and equipment their communities need. I am pleased that we are increasing the maximum grants available while also making a number of practical changes to the application requirements. Participation and inclusion remain central to this programme. We want facilities that are accessible to women and men and projects that demonstrate a genuine commitment to sport for all. I would encourage every eligible organisation to familiarise themselves with the information available on the new programme and use the coming months to prepare a strong application.”
An Information Guide, setting out key terms and conditions, is now available online at gov.ie/SportsCapital
Key details of the new round, including a number of innovations, are as follows:
- Local projects: maximum grant increased from €200,000 to €250,000 and greater collaboration with schools is encouraged
- Regional Tier 1 (former “regional” projects) maximum grant increased from €500,000 to €550,000
- New Regional Tier 2, for larger, multi-sport projects introduced with maximum grant level of €750,000, targeted at Local Authorities and Governing Bodies
- Minimum lease term reduced from 15 to 10 years, mandatory requirement to have registered lease is removed
- Administrative simplifications introduced to enable more organisations to qualify for the Fund
The CSFF is the Government’s primary vehicle for providing support to sports clubs and communities to develop sports infrastructure around the country. Taking account of feedback from the sports ecosystem, a new 3rd Tier that can provide up to €750,000 in funding to larger projects, with a maximum grant rate of 70%, is being introduced and the 3-tier system is explained below.
Local grants
Applicants can now apply for up to €250,000, increased from the previous maximum grant of €200,000. This is the primary heading under which most local clubs and organisations will apply to the CSFF.
As with the most recent round in 2023, projects will only be considered for grant support if access is guaranteed to men and women on equal terms. Additionally, sporting organisations will be required to demonstrate delivery commitment to the “sport for all” ethos.
To simplify the process for school applications in collaboration with sports clubs, the requirement for a formal lease will be dropped in place of a minimum 10-year license sharing agreement. Such leases must spell out strong guarantees of facility-sharing between the club and school (e.g. minimum of 20 hours’ access per week by the club to the facility) and that no fees, other than fair maintenance fees, are charged to the club.
Regional grants (Tier 1)
Under Tier 1, applications must be made via NGBs or Local Authorities or directly by 2 or more clubs / organisations coming together to develop and share a multiuse / multisport facility.
In very specific circumstances, applications from individual clubs / sports can be made under this heading for developments such as:
• Synthetic running tracks (at least 6 lanes)
• NGB regional centres of excellence
• League of Ireland clubs
Regional Grants (Tier 2)
This new pilot category will support larger projects and is targeted at filling an infrastructural gap between traditional CSFF projects and those larger projects that are supported by the Department’s Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). This new Tier will:
- Provide funding of up to €750,000, on the basis of a maximum level of funding of 70%
- prioritise the development of multisport facilities, including all-weather pitches, for shared use by a minimum of 2 sports (this means two distinct NGBs)
- applications can only be made by NGBs or Local Authorities with clear evidence of the 30% match-funding, and prioritisation of projects where multiples are submitted
- projects must be operated / managed by NGBs / Local Authorities
The first step in obtaining a grant is to register on the Department’s online system and the Ministers encouraged any clubs that are not already registered on the Department’s new SPRAOI system to do so now. Clubs already registered on the previous OSCAR system have had their registrations automatically transferred to the new system but are encouraged to check their information for accuracy. Any first-time registrations are encouraged to check their status online and, if they require any specific guidance, to email csff2026queries@ccs.gov.ie
Once registered, all applications must be made on the same website. The system will be open for applications from 19 October 2026 to 26 February 2027.
The Information Guide is published on the Department’s website at gov.ie/SportsCapital
A review of the previous 2023 round will be published in the coming period.
The Community Sport Facilities Fund is the Government’s primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment. Grants are available to voluntary, not-for profit sports clubs, community groups, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport and local authorities. Third level colleges, Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and schools may only apply for funding jointly with sports clubs or organisations.
A detailed list of projects that the programme funds can be found in the “Guide to Making an Application”
and includes:
· Natural grass sports pitches, tracks and courts (including pitch drainage)
· Energy Efficient Floodlighting
· Artificial sports pitches, tracks, courts and multi-use games areas
· Security fencing, ball stop netting and goal posts
· Hurling walls / handball alleys
· Building or refurbishment of dressing rooms, showers and toilets
· Building or refurbishment of sports halls and gyms
· Non-personal sports equipment.
· Modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption
· Any other capital projects that are clearly sporting in nature and that will increase participation in sport or improve performance
Further information about the programme including details of all previous allocations can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/services/sports-capital/
Applications can be made online only from 9am on 19 October 2026 to 5pm on 26 February 2027.
If your Club has any questions or needs help completing the application please contact:
Liz McEnaney on 087 739 6050 or email lmcenaney@waterfordsportspartnership.ie
