Young people's wellbeing in Louth affected as sports cancellations labelled a 'real issue'

Louth County Council have been encouraged to throw "its full weight" behind any initiatives that would avoid children's sport being cancelled over the winter.

The comments came at the February meeting of Louth County Council by Sinn Féin councillor for Drogheda Eric O'Donovan. 

Cllr O'Donovan said "far too many outdoor activities" have been cancelled due to severe weather, and while he acknowledged that some of these cancellations were necessary, he said many could have been avoided. 

"If we had appropriate facilities and infrastructure to deal with these events, such as all-weather playing fields such as astros, then many of these cancellations could be avoided," he said. 

The Sinn Féin councillor said this issue must be tackled immediately if Louth County Council is "serious about positive mental and physical health" as well as the wellbeing of young people in the county. 

"When we cancel kids sport due to bad weather due to bad weather and a lack of appropriate facilities we are keeping them indoors and disconnected through online gaming and social media," he said.

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Cllr O'Donovan pointed out that just one of Drogheda's 14 football clubs has a full size all-weather pitch, and said as a result sport often grinds to a halt from October to March each year. 

He compared Ireland to Scandinavian countries, and said "their outdoor sports are rarely cancelled due to cold, rain or snow."

"Their culture encourages and embraces all weather with the motto, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing'. They know they’re going to get snow every year and they're prepared to adapt and adjust to it every year," he said. 

"This is a real issue and I’m asking the council to throw its full weight behind any improvement schemes or initiatives that can address this issue across the county," he said. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.