Community Sport Facilities Fund 2026: Information Guide

The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has published the Information Guide for the 2026 Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) at 9am Registration is already open, applications open on 19 October 2026 and will close at 5pm on 26 February 2027, and there is plenty in the guide that clubs, NGBs and local authorities will want to know about.

All applications must now go through the new SPRAOI portal, which replaces OSCAR. If your club was registered on OSCAR, your details have been migrated and your primary contact should have received an email invitation to complete registration. We recommend doing this now.

There are significant changes to grant levels & categories, eligibility rules, title rules, criteria and process while the objectives of the fund continue to be:

Assist in the development of high-quality, accessible facilities in appropriate locations and provide equipment to help maximise participation in sport and physical recreation.
Prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas and minority groups in the provision of sports facilities and equipment.
Facilitate participation in sport by people with disabilities.
Increase female participation in sport.
Encourage the sharing of sports facilities.

The major changes to the programme are:

Local Grants increased to €250,000 (from €200,000). Still funded at a maximum of 95%. No requirement for proof of own funding.
2 Regional Grant levels. Tier 1 at €550,000 (from €500,000) and Tier 2 at €750,000 but funded at a maximum of 70% of Project Cost. Tier 2 for Local Authorities and NGBs only.
NGBs excluded from applying for equipment.
5 Year cap of €40,000 on Maintenance.
View Stands now eligible for up to €40,000.
Title requirements significantly changed.
Changes to information required at application and at approval.

Our Impact

Over the last two rounds of the CSFF, our Public Funding team has supported 76 clubs and NGBs through the application process, 72 of those received funding. That’s a 95% success rate, and it represents €12.63 million flowing directly to help build these communities.

In the 2021 round, every one of the clubs we worked with received funding, securing €2.43 million in total (averaging €202k per club. In 2023, 93% of the 60 clubs we supported secured funding, totalling €10.2 million (averaging €170k per club). Those figures reflect something we’ve learned over years of doing this work: the clubs that prepare properly and build the strongest possible case give themselves a real chance.

2into3 also offers webinars on the Sport Capital Programme for your National Governing Body. As availability is limited, please contact us if you are interested in attending.

Get in Touch

If you would like to have an initial discussion about your project and how we can help, then please contact Dennis O’Connor at +353 86 816 2278. For more information about our Public Funding Services, visit our website here.