THE Government has awarded more than €37 million in ‘top-up’ sports grants, including an additional €5 million for the redevelopment of the RDS Main Arena.

Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education announced the additional grant allocations to existing projects under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020, with €86.4 million awarded to 33 different projects including €10 million for the RDS Main Arena.

Approval

Dublin City Council gave the final green light approval for the €50 million redevelopment plans of the Anglesea Stand at the RDS in August of this year.

The plans will see the construction of a new three-level grandstand with a capacity for nearly 7,000 people, a two-level hospitality and services building, a club shop and substation.

Figures from an Indecon International Economic Consultants cost-benefit analysis projected that the RDS redevelopment will deliver an estimated additional €254 million in tourism revenues over a 25-year period. A key ongoing economic benefit from the new stand would be the enhanced tourism revenues for Ireland, with a projected additional 66,000 tourists visiting Ireland per annum.

A design statement, lodged with the planning application, stated that the two core drivers of the new Anglesea Stand are increased capacity and user experience.