Donegal sports clubs and community groups are being encouraged to engage with Donegal Sports Partnership to ascertain if they qualify for funding under phase two of the scheme.
The groups must not be not affiliated with a National Governing Body of Sport, or don’t qualify for the current Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS).
Speaking about the scheme, Donegal Sports Partnership Coordinator, Myles Sweeney, said no local group should be left out.
He said “We are trying to ensure that no community facility that provides sporting opportunities is left out of the loop when it comes to energy provision.
“There have been other schemes through the Department of Rural and Community Development to support sports clubs and community organisations. But there may be gaps there and we are just trying to plug those gaps. So, any community groups that haven’t benefitted from any of the previous schemes are welcome to make contact with us at Donegal Sports Partnership and be part of the estimate we are sending to Sport Ireland.”
Mr. Sweeney added: “There’s a quick turnaround because we need to get everything back to Sport Ireland by Friday, May 26th, so we want to get a guide from the community as to what’s out there.
“The eligibility period will relate to increased costs sustained between September 1st, 2022, and May 31st, 2023, and comparisons will then be made to previous years. Our job is to tally up all the figures that are sent in and be able to present an overall estimate for the county.”
“This latest scheme covers both outdoor and indoor. For example, if a community has floodlights the energy costs for them over the winter would be taken into consideration. Indoor heating for halls is another area that would be eligible, but it has to be specific for the usage of sports,” he said.
