"It is a civil servant who decided we are worth nothing"
October 06, 2016
It's all about the money
Cork club Erin's Own are angry at being overlooked for Sports Capital Programme funding over and over again.
As they prepare to lock horns with Glen Rovers in Sunday's Cork SHC final, chairman Tom Aherne points out that the club don't have adequate playing facilities and must raise their own funds towards a €180,000 development comprising a new ball wall and all-weather surface at their Caherlag base, having had their application to the Sports Capital Programme denied on three successive years.
€4.5m in funding was divided between 108 sports clubs in Cork last year but Erin's Own didn't see a red cent:
"How could anyone justify refusing us on three occasions when other clubs around the country got repeated grants? It is infuriating other clubs, who are awash with facilities, got a second tranche and we were ignored. Club legend Brian Corcoran rang me the other day and wanted to know why we were being repeatedly overlooked. I couldn't give him an answer because we didn't get one ourselves," Aherne told The Irish Examiner.
"I'm loathe to blame Government because our application obviously wouldn't have gone that far. It is a civil servant who decided we are worth nothing. This is a facility all clubs in the area and schools will be able to avail of when complete. Those in Dublin, unfortunately, couldn't see the benefit."
Tweet
