Our Purpose

Sporting Liberties: Empowering the Next Generation in Dublin 8

Sporting Liberties is a not-for-profit organisation which has been campaigning for over a decade to address the severe lack of green and recreational space for children in Dublin’s South West Inner City.

In the SWIC and immediate surrounding area, home to 50,000 residents—including 8,500 children—there isn’t a single green area for organised sport. The area faces serious challenges such as drug-related crime, high suicide rates among young females, and a disproportionate number of residents in the criminal justice system. Sporting Liberties believes that providing sports facilities is vital to improving children's quality of life and deterring them from crime.

The organisation has long advocated for pitches at St. Teresa’s Gardens and the Marrowbone Lane depot. Encouragingly, Dublin City Council has now committed to both sites.

However, timely delivery remains a concern. While continuing to push for these developments, Sporting Liberties is also seeking existing community spaces for physical and cultural activities.

A group of five people standing in front of the Donore Credit Union LTD building, holding a banner that reads 'Sporting Liberties.' The building is made of brick, with blue accents and flags displaying the Donore Credit Union logo and name. The sky is partly cloudy.

  • "You have to start somewhere, you have to start at a local team in your area like I did, and hopefully climb the ladder. It’s fair to say that if I hadn’t started at grassroots level, I wouldn’t be sitting here"

    Robbie Keane – Ireland’s All-Time Leading Soccer Goalscorer

  • "It teaches you about discipline, respect, following a plan, working on your own as well as working as part of a team. All of these things come from sport."

    Bernard Dunne – Champion Boxer & Youth Advocate

  • “Children don’t need to be the best… They need to feel capable, included, and supported so they can enjoy movement and sport in spaces where they feel that they belong.”

    Dr Colman Noctor – Expert in Child Psychology & Sport