Over €100k funding for youth space at Athlone Regional Sports Centre

Athlone is set to benefit from €100,000 in funding for a new dedicated teenage recreational space at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, as part of a wider €400,000 national investment in youth facilities announced by Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley.

The Athlone project will deliver a “Teen Zone” at the RSC Fitness Park, creating a safe, welcoming outdoor space where young people can meet friends, spend time outdoors, and take part in informal recreation and physical activity.

Designed in consultation with young people, the space will include sheltered all-weather seating, improved lighting, and fully accessible features.

Planned amenities also include calisthenics equipment, football tables, table tennis tables, a music post, social hang-out seating areas, an accessible swing, and an in-ground trampoline suitable for wheelchair users.

The initiative places strong emphasis on inclusion and mental wellbeing, with features designed to support a wide range of interests and abilities while encouraging active, social use of the space.

The programme follows the pilot “Making Places for and with Teenagers,” funded through Dormant Accounts and the National Development Plan. Young people played a central role in shaping and evaluating the design through that process, including input from Comhairle na nÓg National Executive.

Westmeath County Council will deliver the Athlone project, which is one of four successful locations selected nationally following evaluation.