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\begin{document}
\begin{letter}{Dr. James McDaid, TD\\
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation\\
Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation\\
Kildare Street\\
Dublin 2}

\telefax{+353-1-6772204}
\telephone{+353-1-6081281}
\email{Mark.Dennehy@cs.tcd.ie}
\name{Mark Dennehy,\\{\itshape DURC Secretary}\\Vision Lab\\O'Reilly Institute\\Trinity College Dublin\\Dublin 2}
\signature{\rule{3in}{0.01in}\\Mark Dennehy,\\{\itshape DURC Secretary}}


\subject{Sports Capital Grant programme 2002}
\opening{Minister,}
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I write representing the interests of the Dublin University
Rifle Club. We are an Olympic Target Shooting club in
Trinity College Dublin. We have recently discovered that,
despite being available to 17,000 current third-level
students, 10,000 current Trinity staff and in excess of
80,000 alumni (a very conservative estimate), we are denied
access to the Sports Capital Grant programme on the basis
that we are not available to the local community.

We have a long and distinguished history in the sport
of Olympic target shooting, including winning Ireland's
first international gold medal in the 10 metre Air Rifle
event. The club is run completely by volunters. We do not
discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age or religion. We
currently have active members of all ages from 17 to 40 and
have had members in the past who were active past the age
of 60. In fact, the one and only restriction on membership
in the club is that the members are members of the Dublin
University Central Athletics Club and this restriction is
\textbf{outside} our control, being mandated by the College.
However, entry to third-level education in Ireland has
\textbf{no} restrictions and is available, free from tuition
fees and with grant aid from the Department of Education, to
anyone who wishes it and is prepared to study.

College and University clubs represent the primary area
for young people to begin in what are regarded as minority
sports. During their time in third-level education, young
people may experiment with a multitude of sports, with which
they would have had no contact with prior to then, simply
because sports equipment is too expensive, or the sport is
considered too esoteric for a local club. Trinity currently
has 45 sports clubs - the NUI colleges have similar numbers.
All of these clubs are open to all students, staff and
alumni of their respective colleges. The numbers of people who may join one
of these clubs are staggering - we conservatively estimate
that there are approximately 107,000 people between the ages
of 17 and 60 who are eligible for membership in DURC today.
This surely qualifies as a community - indeed, there are more
people currently in Trinity today than in most towns in
Ireland. UCD finds itself in the same situation, as do sports clubs
in all third-level institutions.

I also serve on the committee of the National Target Shooting
Association of Ireland, the governing body for Olympic rifle
shooting in Ireland, and in that capacity was present at the Sports
Development Conference in November of this year. At that
conference, the message from the Irish Sports Council was
that the Department was committed to furthering Sport in
Ireland at all levels from local community clubs to High
Performance athletes. 

Minister, I ask you to show that the Department of Sport's
committment goes beyond mere lip service, to meaningful
support of one of the primary areas through which young
people today can gain access to sporting facilities - the
college sports clubs. I ask that we be given equal status
to the sports clubs in local communities in light of the
fact that we provide facilities to the largest communities
of young people in Ireland today. I ask that we be allowed
access to the Sports Capital Grant programme.


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\closing{Mis\'{e} le meas,}
\end{letter}
\end{document}
