‘€1m pitch grant will benefit 2,000 children’ in Cork

As many as 2,000 schoolchildren from across Cork’s northside will benefit from a €1m grant that will allow Castleview AFC to build two new all-weather pitches.

The funds will be made available under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund, and bring to €173m the total amount awarded nationally under the scheme.

Castleview secretary Rodney Power said the grant was a great result for the northside.

“We’re delighted for everyone in the club, but more so for our area of Gurranabraher, Churchfield, Knocknaheeny, Hollyhill, Farranree. We don’t have any facilities like that up here, and that was our point in getting the backing of Cork City Council,” Mr Power said.

“We have age groups from four years old all the way up to adults, we have a football-for-all that runs every Friday in the parochial hall for kids with special needs, so our volunteers do try to cater for as many people as we can.”

Mr Power said that as many as 2,000 children in the Cork Athletic Union League (Cork AUL) would benefit from the new pitches, and Castleview had drawn up agreements with local schools to use the new facilities.

“This is something that will benefit other sporting codes as well, so it’s good news for all of the northside,” he said.

Mr Power said the club had received support from local politicians, singling out Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O’Sullivan for praise.

“It was Pádraig’s brainchild, to be honest, and we couldn’t have done this without him, I’d say he had Sports Minister Thomas Byrne driven demented on our behalf.” He added that Fine Gael TD Colm Burke had also helped, as had Fianna Fáil election candidate Tony Fitzgerald.

Mr Power said that Stephen Scully in Cork City Council had been extremely helpful to the club, and Eoghan Linehan, a forensic accountant with Price Waterhouse Cooper, had given invaluable assistance.

He added that Castleview chairman Ciaran Meehan had “moved mountains of paperwork” to secure the grant.

Martin Conlon, chairperson of Cork Athletic Union League (Cork AUL), said the league was “absolutely delighted” at the news and was “thrilled” for Castleview.

“What this does is put an all-weather pitch between Mayfield and Ovens, and that’s something that will benefit clubs and schools all across the northside,” he said.