A £20 million sports facility, which will include an indoor hurling pitch, gymnasium, restaurant and bar is planned for the Tipperary Institute in Thurles.
Mr Padraig Culbert, chief executive of the institute, formerly known as the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute (TRBDI), confirmed that Dr Tony Ryan was expected to provide as much as half the required funding. The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, yesterday said he was confident the Government would be prepared to provide the rest, once the relevant Government Departments had assessed the plans.
Funding for the £16 to £20 million facility is likely to be arranged through a public-private partnership.
Mr Culbert said the facility could become a national coaching and training centre.
Commenting on whether a new swimming pool would be built as part of the institute's sports complex, Mr Culbert said the matter was being investigated.
He said there could be plans to relocate Thurles swimming pool, which is expected to undergo a major refurbishment in the near future, to the Tipperary Institute site, but only if it was in the public interest.
"The project is at concept stage, and preliminary drawings are with architects at the moment," he said.