Golf Ireland has announced the allocation of the €2.8m Club Resilience Fund for eligible clubs located in the Republic of Ireland.

Delivered by Sport Ireland, the fund aims to provide short-term financial help to golf clubs, support business resilience and future sustainability post-COVID-19.

Eligible clubs were invited to apply for funding at the end of 2020 and to be considered for funding, applicants must have met the criteria and conditions set out in conjunction with Sport Ireland, which were designed to assist clubs most in need of financial supports.

Just 32 of the 145 clubs that will receive funding will receive the maximum amount of €25,000 — Abbeyleix, Adare Manor (old course), Arklow, Athenry, Athlone, Balbriggan, Balcarrick, Ballyhaunis, Baltinglass, Bantry Bay, Beech Park, Borris, Cahir Park, Castleblayney, Castlegregory, Cill Dara, Coollattin, Corrstown, Craddockstown, Letterkenny, Muskerry, Nenagh, Oughterard, Portarlington, Portumna, Skibbereen & West Carbery, Slade Valley, Strokestown, Sutton, Tubbercurry, Virginia and Wicklow.

The average allocation is €18,995.

Mark Kennelly, Chief Executive of Golf Ireland said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a severe financial impact on golf clubs which have been closed for 5 of the last 12 months. The submissions received from clubs confirmed the significant need for financial assistance and Golf Ireland made a strong proposal to Sport Ireland for significant support for clubs.

“Golf Ireland is supporting its member clubs in every way we can and we are delighted to have secured this funding for golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland. A total of 145 clubs will receive funding from this scheme immediately and we hope that several more will benefit from Fáilte Ireland’s Business Continuity Fund in the coming months. In addition, we hope that many of our clubs in Northern Ireland will receive funding from the Sports Sustainability Fund in the near future.”

“I’d like to express our thanks to Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Media and Sport Catherine Martin TD, the Minister for State for Sport and Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD and Sport Ireland for considering the submissions that Golf Ireland made on behalf of golf clubs. Their response in allocating substantial funding underlines the vital role of golf in Ireland’s sports landscape ”.

Applications were open to clubs that could demonstrate a genuine need for funding to address the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business and future sustainability.

Upon receipt of an application, an eligibility check was completed to ensure the criteria were met and an assessment criterion was used to ensure clubs were only being scored on the information, facts and figures presented in the application and supporting documentation provided.

Clubs with no entrance fee and no cash reserves were prioritised while all applications were anonymised to ensure applications were independently assessed and scored before going to the Funding Review Committee for further assessment and allocation of final awards.