Youth sports credit would encourage young people to stay in sport – Butterly

Introducing a €200 tax credit per household to be put towards sports club membership would help families with the high cost of participating in sport, a Fine Gael Councillor said.

Councillor Paula Butterly, Fine Gael General Election candidate in Louth said families across Ireland would welcome support in paying the cost of extra-curricular sports.

“The recent Irish success at the Olympics has kick started a discussion about resources and the need to further invest in sport infrastructure.

“We’ve also seen huge funding for sports clubs all over Ireland with the Community Sport Facility Fund Allocations. We’ve invested in the clubs, now it’s time to invest in access for the child.

“I believe we need to start with the basics, like encouraging more children and young people to start and stay in sports.

“Playing a sport should not be a luxury item for households and a household credit would alleviate some of the cost for families. It would also encourage those families who may be put off joining clubs due to the cost to try something new.

“The scheme would see each household with children aged 18 and under receive a voucher for €200 which can be redeemed against a club membership for any sport. This would allow children to choose a sport they’d like to play.

“It would also have the benefit of encouraging those already playing sports to continue playing throughout their teenage years.

“The health benefits derived from playing a sport are widely known but an additional benefit of belonging to a community can sometimes be underestimated.

“In the long term, the hope would be that young people would continue to practice a sport, and this would benefit their health in later years.

“Potentially over half a million children would qualify. This would be a major boost for so many families and children.

“Fine Gael wants families to feel the benefit of our strong economy, and a credit for participating in sports would go a long way in helping families.

“The scheme would be an early intervention initiative which at a relatively low cost would improve our children’s overall health and well-being. It is a simple idea that could reap significant rewards.

“I urge the government to look at introducing this scheme in Budget 2025,” concluded Councillor Butterly.