€435k sports windfall for Westmeath

Just five days out from voting in the local and European elections, a number of Westmeath sports clubs learned this week that they are to benefit to the tune of a whopping €435,000 from funding announced by Sports Minister, Shane Ross.

The funding is for the purchase of sports equipment and is separate to the much-anticipated Sports Capital Programme allocations, which will be made at a later date.

In Athlone the two big beneficiaries from the latest round of funding are Athlone Boat Club, which has been allocated €96,359 and the Regional Sports Centre, which will receive €83,000.

Other clubs in the town which received good news from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are: Athlone Golf Club (€42,492); Athlone Sub-Aqua Club Ltd., (€27,193); Lough Ree Yacht Club in Coosan (€24,182); Athlone Gymnastics Club (€14,196); Athlone Swimming Club (€7,142) and Athlone Hockey Club (€1,723).

Other sports clubs in the hinterland of Athlone which will benefit from funding for additional sports equipment include: Moate All-Whites GAA Club (€39,728) and Tubberclair GAA Club (€29,245).

In welcoming the sports windfall for Westmeath, and for the greater Athlone area, local TD and Minister for State,, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, said “all the clubs have been looking for this funding for some time and I am delighted to have been able to make a strong case for them, as it's is very important that clubs are properly resourced so that members can fully enjoy their chosen sports.”