Jan 30, 2014
Background:
Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP)/Active Donegal was established in 2001 as part of the Irish Sports Council’s national 
network of Local Sports Partnerships. With the aim of promoting local participation in sport. Over the past 12 years, Active Donegal has coordinated and supported the development of sport and physical activity in County Donegal, through its four pillars, Active Sports, Active Schools, Active Communities and Active Partnerships.
The Donegal Sports Partnership is an inter-agency and multi-sector organisation established as a limited company with representative from all the main statutory, community and voluntary represented on a dedicated Board of Directors.
What we do:
Active Donegal helps clubs, schools and communities to increase and sustain levels of participation in sport and physical activity in County Donegal. We remain committed to further strengthening and developing ‘Active Donegal’ and to make its impact real through its four pillars: Active Sports, Active Schools, Active Communities and Active Partnerships.
Information:
Information is disseminated through our staff, directors, tutors, local sports clubs and NGB contacts. We utilize fully our websites and social media networks to provide a wide range of information resources and sign posting opportunities. We active encourage information sharing to and from our sporting communities.
Education:
Active Donegal provides a range of education and training programmes, which are designed to promote and support the 
delivery of sport, recreation and physical activities in the County and to build the sporting capacity of Clubs, Community Groups, Schools and the sporting volunteers.
Examples include: Child Protection and Children’s Officer Training, First Aid in Sport, Sports Leadership, Walking related training and Disability Sport Workshops.
Further details of these programmes are currently available checkout our website www.activedonegal.com or Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DonegalSportsPartnership Or contact our office – Tel: 07491-16078/9 or email: info@activedonegal.com
Implementation:
Donegal Sports Partnership’s third Strategic Plan ‘Active Donegal’ 2011-2014 aimed to thread the ethos of ‘Active Donegal’ 
through all fours pillars by linking programmes across each to maximize impact, expertise and participation. The plan’s flexibility and in particular the additional projects which were developed as result of funding opportunities, doubling of effort, opportunity, interest and implementation is a genuine testament of its flexibility, as well as the commitment of the DSP’s Board and staff.
Jan 30, 2014
Energy Efficiency Scores a Slam Dunk in National Basketball Arena
~Electricity costs cut by a third ~
Dublin’s National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, which hosted the National Cup Final last weekend, has reduced its electricity costs by a third. Having received a grant of €45,000 through www.FutureFit.ie and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Basketball Ireland invested in new LED floodlights and a new energy efficiency boiler.
The retrofit has resulted in almost 35% saving on total electricity consumption for the building and 50% on the arena lights alone. LED lighting is not only more energy efficient, it also produces 25% higher quality light with better uniformity across the court, which for the players, is like playing in daylight.
Last year FutureFit worked directly with over 50 clubs, generating combined savings of over €200,000. In addition, FutureFit secured a total of €100,000 in funding for six sports facilities including the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght; Neptune Stadium in Cork; Naomh Columba and Chonaill GAA Clubs in Co. Donegal; Emmets GAA club in Carrickmacross and Edmondstown Golf Club in Rathfarnham in Dublin. FutureFit aims to secure further funding for up to 100 clubs this year. Funding is available through SEAI’s Better Energy Communities Scheme which has a total fund of €13.5 million available this year.
For more information please check out www.futurefit.ie or call Paul O’Connor on 086-343-3368
Dr. Brian Motherway, CEO, SEAI said: “Sports plays a crucial role in Ireland’s culture and it has an influence in all communities throughout the country. The investment Basketball Ireland made to its lighting and heating systems is resulting in significant savings annually. But it also tells a wider story of the potential in energy savings for many of our sports clubs around the country, most of whom have the potential to knock 20% of their energy costs and become a model for energy efficiency within local communities.”
Bernard O’ Byrne, chief executive of Basketball Ireland said: “Receiving the grant from FutureFit and SEAI was a transformational investment for a sport like basketball. The new LED floodlights will see us save €11,000 on our electricity costs annually, which is huge for a facility of this nature. The savings that we will make annually will benefit all our 16,500 members by allowing us to continue to invest in the Arena and ensure that we remain a world-class facility.”
John Harrington, Director, FutureFit said: “1.7 million people are members of over 12,000 sports clubs. It’s difficult to think of a single community with so much influence and penetration into every city, town and almost every household in the country. We propose to use this sport network to promote energy efficiency and help sports clubs reduce their energy costs.”
Jan 29, 2014
DCU are pleased to announce their sporting masterclasses. These workshops have been designed to cover areas that have been shown to be of great value in performance sports settings yet aren’t traditionally covered in formal coaching qualifications. The workshops offer the opportunity to learn from highly successful elite coaches who are happy to share their own experiences, ideas and methods with aspiring coaches and interested parties. The format and content will be suitable for coaches and managers from all sporting backgrounds.
DCU Coaching Masterclass Flyer final External
Presenters include:
A number of different contributors from various sports have been carefully selected to cover the areas chosen.
– Billy Walsh – European, World and Olympic medal winning boxing coach and leader of the Irish Boxing High Performance Unit. Former Coach of the Year
– Jim Gavin – Manager to Dublin’s All Ireland winning football team
– Liam Sheedy – Manager to Tipperary’s All Ireland winning hurling team
– Gary Keegan – Irish Institute of Sport Chief and the coach responsible for developing the high performance unit of Irish Boxing
– Rory Fitzpatrick – Coach to Annalise Murphy, Ireland’s recently crowned European Champion and Olympic sailor
Some of the areas covered will be:
– Leadership in coaching
– Developing a performance environment in your coaching setting
– Creating successful teams
– Self development for the good of your athletes and teams
Dates:
– Wednesday 12 February 7.30-10pm
– Wednesday 26 February 7.30-10pm
– Wednesday 12 March 7.30-10pm
Format:
Each session will consist of two presentations delivered by highly experienced coaches/managers followed by a discussion forum at the end. There will be a short break between each session and refreshments will be provided.
Booking only at:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dcu-sports-coaching-masterclass-workshops-tickets-10099165877
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@DCUcoaching
Jan 27, 2014
The largest study of participation in sport and exercise ever conducted in Ireland was published today (18th December) by Minister for Sport Michael Ring. “Keeping them in the Game”, commissioned by the Irish Sports Council and compiled by ESRI researchers, provides evidence for policy from three large nationally representative surveys of activity, covering everyone from primary school children to older adults.
In launching the report Minister Michael Ring highlighted “the importance of having research of this quality in order to inform important policy decisions around trying to increase the number of Irish people taking part in sport throughout their lives.”
The report highlights the growing evidence linking low levels of physical activity to poor health and focuses on why people take up and drop out from sport and exercise activities at different life stages.#
Key findings include:
- Almost all primary schoolchildren engage in regular sporting activity – it’s what happens after that stage that is a cause for concern
- Many children drop out of regular activity during the second-level years, especially girls
- School exams have a strong negative impact: students participate less in exam years and this has a lasting effect on whether they are active in later years
- Students who play sport get, on average, better Leaving Certificate results
- Activity as an adult is less related to attitudes and beliefs than to life events: most adults believe sporting activity is good for them and want to be more active, but leaving education, work commitments, relocations and family responsibilities lead many to drop out
- Cycling and, in particular, swimming, are most likely to persist into later adulthood; Gaelic games meanwhile have a high drop-out rate
- New sporting activities are mostly taken up through social connections with friends, colleagues and family members; finding facilities is not a barrier
- These factors lead to a widening socio-economic gap as people progress through adulthood – the less well-off are more likely to drop out from sport as young adults and less likely to take up new activities
The study discusses a number of policy implications.
Speaking at the launch, Kieran Mulvey, Chairperson of the Irish Sports Council said: “The Irish Sports Council has made increasing participation in sport and physical activity a key strategic priority. It is vital that we and our key stakeholders have access to this type of research to underpin our efforts in this regard.”
John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council acknowledged “the thought provoking report which will help us focus in terms of strategic priorities”
Report author Dr. Pete Lunn of the ESRI said: “The findings imply a need to change the way we think about promoting sport and exercise. We are good at getting children involved – it’s keeping people involved as they get older that is the problem. The evidence suggests we could focus more on the major transitions in people’s lives and try to make it easier for them to continue to be active.”
Jan 21, 2014
Michael Ring, Minister of State for Tourism & Sport has published the Heads of the Sport Ireland Bill following approval by the Government today.
The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the establishment of a new statutory sports body, Sport Ireland, which will merge the two existing sports bodies – the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority. The merger of the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority is part of the Government’s programme for the rationalisation of State agencies.
“The Council and the Authority have both served Irish sport well since they were established. However, I believe that a new single streamlined organisation is the best approach for the further development of sport in Ireland, bringing responsibility for the implementation of Irish sports policy under one agency. Sport Ireland will continue the work currently being done by the Council in promoting, developing and co-ordinating sport in Ireland and also the work of the Authority in developing the National Sports Campus at Blanchardstown,” Minister Ring said.
Sport Ireland will take on the relevant functions of the Council and the Authority. The functions are set out in Head 8.
There have been substantial developments in anti-doping initiatives since the Irish Sports Council was established in 1999 and the Bill will include enhanced provisions which will assist Sport Ireland in their fight against doping in sport.
Oireachtas members from across the political spectrum will have an opportunity to shape the Bill as the Minister has submitted the Heads of the Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications for their consideration. The Bill will be drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Minister expects to introduce the Bill in the Oireachtas later in the year.
The Minister had intended that the Sport Ireland Bill would address the regulation of adventure centres by giving Sport Ireland responsibility for establishing and maintaining a register of all adventure centres in the State. However, some issues have arisen which require further consideration and the Minister has decided to address the matter separately from the Sport Ireland Bill. An adventure activities working group established by the Irish Sports Council is examining the issues associated with the regulation of adventure centres and the Minister will make separate proposals on the matter when the group has completed its work.
Link to: General Scheme of Sport Ireland Bill 2014
