Westport United have found themselves receiving national media attention today for reasons that have little to do with their performances on the football pitch. Yesterday, we learned Westport United Community Soccer Club Limited were awarded a €200,000 grant from the Department of Sport which is run by deputy Michael Ring, who happens to be a TD from Mayo. Westport to be exact.]
EDIT: we stumbled on this Mayo News story from September when it was announced that Westport United would be receiving €100,000 from the Westport Town Council. The sum would only cover a portion of the required €850,000 that would cover phase one of the WUFC's building plan. In light of some of the reporting on this story in the last 24 hours, the statements of Fíanna Fáil Westport town councillour Brendan Mulroy read somewhat awkwardly.
At last week’s council meeting, where a delegation from Westport United gave a presentation on the project to those in attendance, the councillors were all supportive of the plan and for the idea of donating €100,000, with Cllr Brendan Mulroy describing the proposal as one that will take a ‘lot of effort in order to reach a lifetime’s achievement’. He also passed the baton to Minister of State at the Department of Sport, Michael Ring, whose office administers the sports captial grant funding, saying, ‘he is under pressure now, we put our €100,000 in the fund, now he needs to deliver his €300,000.’
In the end, the club would only receive €200,000
The Irish Times reports today that Ring said that Westport United '“badly deserves” a new home' and adds that the Westport United grant makes up about €775,000 of funding that Mayo received (and about €8.5 million of the sum total that Mayo sports bodies applied for).
Back in July, the Mayo News reported the following on Westport United's plan to develop their new facilities.
The development on a 13 acre site which was bought from the Westport House estate includes three football pitches, a club house – with six dressing rooms, storage area and meeting room – a viewing stand and a car-park catering for 110 vehicles.
You'll see the blueprint of the proposed new facilities above.
Fianna Fail have called for more transparency on how grants are allocated but either way, the funding will provide a shot in the arm for football in Mayo.
