If somehow you have missed all of the recent updates about lotto grant approval, planning permission granted, and our Movie Awards fundraising project, then this note will get you back up to speed.
What’s going on with Fundraising?
Templeogue Synge Street GAA Club is embarking on what we hope will be our biggest fundraising campaign to date. We have engaged a professional production company to make 8 short versions of iconic movies, which will be shown at a glitzy ‘Oscars like’ Movie Awards ceremony in UCD’s O’Reilly Hall in March 2026.
Almost 100 club members have volunteered to be actors and fundraisers, which is a brilliant response to our call for help.
What is our fundraising target?
We hope to raise in excess of €150,000 from the Movie Awards Project. This is an ambitious target but has been set in conjunction with the advice of the movie production company who has run similar projects, and talking directly to other GAA clubs that have run the same Movie Awards fundraiser.
What can you expect to see over the coming months?
Each of the movie teams and their actors are challenged to raise funds through inventive fundraising initiatives and sponsorship ideas between now and March 2026. Over the course of the next 4 months you can expect to see a lot of activity in this regard. There will be lots of different options put into circulation, to TSS members and the wider community, on our various messaging platforms. You may have already seen some of this whether its the raffles, the Children’s Bingo evening or TSS umbrellas for sale etc...
We know that going from zero fundraising to lots of fundraising initiatives in a very short space of time might seem overwhelming. Please know that not every option will appeal to every member, nor is every member expected to support every option. We do hope that some of the events or ideas will appeal to each member so that everyone has the chance to support our fundraising project.
How will the money be invested? Below is a long term vision of what improvements could be made in Dolphin Park. This shows All pitch areas are floodlit, a new Gym, a new clubhouse, revised parking.
a long term view of Dolphin Park floodlighting
However, the most recently granted Planning Permission allows for clubhouse, gym, car parking revision and floodlights to be added to Pitch 1 only. Planning permission is not Granted yet for floodlights on the areas marked with *
In summary what is Permitted has 3 main components
1) A new purpose-built Gym (Guide c.€120,000),
2) Floodlights on Pitch 1 on a levelled and realigned full sized pitch with ball stop netting (Guide: c.€280,000),
3) New dressing rooms/clubhouse with structured car parking (€1.5m).
We have received approval for a Lotto grant of €195,000 to support the first two components and this Lotto grant must be claimed by Sept 2026. It is essential we claim these Lotto grants in time. Below is a summary of the sources and uses projected between now and Sept 2026.
sources and uses
The maths show that a Gym and Floodlights are achievable from the current projected funds, whereas a new Clubhouse requires significantly more funding. We will offer a survey to all members in the coming weeks to allow members’ views to be considered, in the event we must choose whether to do Gym or Floodlights first. Ideally we don’t have to make that choice……we do both.
Visibility of what will happen over the coming weeks and months?
See below for an early indicative schedule of what is planned currently. We expect that there will be changes to this initial list of events (as some events may prove unworkable for various reasons, and new events may be added): This is a guide so that you have visibility across the various different Movie teams and events.
Please note: the calendar of events will change as new events/ideas are added
We intend to send out weekly messages on whats "live" each week and we hope that this will avoid information overload and help details of every event reach every member.
In addition, each actor has created their own www.idonate.ie pages and are seeking sponsorship from family and colleagues. All funds raised go directly to the club’s bank account.
Finally
Thank you for your support thus far. The Movie Awards project has only just got going and has raised almost €20,000 so far.
Please continue to support us over the next few months as our fantastic Movie teams endeavour to get closer to that magic €150,000 target. If we are successful in our fundraising it will allow the club to provide better facilities for all our players now and into the future. The executive committee believe what we are trying to do is an investment in excellence and we hope that our members see that too.
If you have any questions on this, or how you might help, please do not hesitate to contact me.
PS: Below are some other images which help you to understand what we are trying to do
Our planned Gym is modelled on the Round Towers Clondalkin GAA Club Gym
Our Clubhouse is designed with 6 dressing rooms and multifunction rooms upstairs
