Irish minister for public expenditure and reform Brendan Howlin has helped mark the start of work on a new EUR10.5m (£9m) sports campus at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

The multi-purpose arena, which will be located at Carriganore and has been designed by Turlough Clancy of Henry J Lyons, will complement the existing EUR8.5m (£7.3m) WIT Sports Arena and integrate with the pavilion and changing areas.

Facilities will include an indoor arena that can be converted into an examination, conference or exhibition centre; a two-level, elite athlete gymnasium; and performance analysis suites.

Four playing pitches and a 2,000-seat conference centre will also form part of the project, as well as ancillary sports and catering facilities and a 180-capacity E-Learning centre.

The first two phases of the WIT Sport Campus were completed last year and feature a cross country track; physiotherapy rooms; changing facilities; and four playing pitches, one of which is the first all-weather pitch to meet Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) standards.

GAA president Christy Cooney said: "The sporting pluses - for Gaelic games in particular - arising from this facility are clear for all to see but the possible knock-on from such an initiative is not restricted to sporting activity alone."

WIT registrar Dr Derek O'Byrne said: "The provision of this complex, allied to the close association we plan to develop with the GAA, will ensure that WIT will be a leader at combining academic and physical education as integral parts of the curriculum."