Sinn Féin election candidate and Drogheda United Chairperson, Cllr Joanna Byrne, has expressed concern at the growing pressure facing sporting organisations and the families who rely on them, as the cost of living crisis continues to escalate in Louth.

“It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that my twin passions are sports and politics, and that I am a huge advocate for investment in sport which is key to building a healthier population and strengthening communities” Cllr Byrne said.

“While successive governments have talked about a National Sports Strategy, they have not developed or delivered any such plan. In fact Eurostat figures show that we have one of the worst ratios of sport to GDP.

“I believe that reversing this and developing a strategy is a very important piece of work for the next government, and that Louth needs to be front and centre of this work.”

“Sinn Féin have set out detailed proposals on investing in sport, in our Manifesto. We recognise the link between investing in sport and the reduction of child poverty and I believe that sport can play an important role in improving the lives of young people.”

“Our manifesto sets out a number of priorities that we will deliver in government including;

1 - Providing every child aged four to 18 with an annual Activity Card worth €130 to spend on extra-curricular sports or arts activities costing €126.8m

2 - Developing a National Sports Facilities Strategy and increasing funding for the LSSIF with an additional capital injection of €55m

3 - Rolling out a Euro 2028 Advance Legacy Fund of €50m and supporting the development of the League of Ireland with additional annual funding of €10m for grassroots football

4 - Modernising outdated local sports facilities across the state

5 - Increasing core funding for sport’s national governing bodies and local sports partnerships by €1.5m

6 - Increasing the Betting Tax Levy by 1%, raising €49m

“Sinn Féin want to lead the next government and if given the opportunity to do so I want to be elected as a TD for Louth to join a government that will radically improve our sports facilities.”