An Taoiseach hears of northwest football club's €17m masterplan
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has this week met with Sligo Rovers chairman Tommy Higgins, with the club's €17 million masterplan discussed and presented.
Sligo County Council chief executive Martin Lydon joined the chairman of the Bit o’ Red to present the plan to the Taoiseach and update him on its background.
Mr. Higgins said: “In recent days we have spoken with Minister Catherine Martin and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. It is important to raise awareness of the masterplan as we look to bring it to fruition and we were delighted to speak with the government officials on our vision for academy and senior football in the northwest.
“We have been in dialogue with Sligo County Council, who have been very supportive in these discussions. We will look to provide supporters with a further update when we can.
“As mentioned at the launch of the masterplan, this is not something we put on a shelf and wait for things to happen. We are seeking to bring elements of the plan to action as soon as possible.”
Last week, meanwhile, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, met with Mr. Higgins as well as Rovers vice-chairman Andy Dodd and assistant secretary Mark Cummins at The Showgrounds to learn more about Rovers' work on plans to form a senior women’s team with a view to joining the SSE Airtricity Women’s National League from the 2022 season.
She was also briefed on the progress of academy football at Sligo Rovers by head of academy Conor O’Grady and on opportunities that a senior women’s team could bring to women in the region.
As Rovers await news on their application to join the Women’s National League, IT Sligo have partnered with their local club to set up a scholarship team where female players who join Sligo will receive sponsored third-level education as a benefit of playing League of Ireland football.
Minister Martin commented: “Tying in education with sport is a wonderful initiative and I must commend IT Sligo and Sligo Rovers for providing sportswomen with such a wonderful scheme.”
She also spoke about the work done by League of Ireland clubs in developing future Irish internationals. The Bit o’ Red had Irish underage international call-ups at men’s Under 17, Under 19 and Under 21 level this month – including three players from Mayo who are attached to Rovers – and over half of the senior men’s squad has graduated from the club’s academy.
“I am heartened to see the potential already being acted upon here and the volunteer coaches and staff are quite clearly working tirelessly to give young footballers every opportunity.
“It shows me that there is enormous potential for the League of Ireland and it must be supported in order for it to grow,” Minister Martin concluded.