FIS talks to Peter Banks, High Performance Director, Swim Ireland

Sep 30, 2013

After 30 years living and coaching in Florida Peter Banks took up the role of High Performance Director with Swim Ireland in 2009. Peter had been the Irish Swimming team’s Assistant Coach in 1988 Irish  Olympic Squad  and went on to coach Brook Bennett of the US to 3 gold’s at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics before taking up his role with Swim Ireland four years ago.

FIS: It has been a really busy and successful year for your swimmers, what have been the highlights for you?

PB: Fiona Doyle winning a silver medal at the WUG has to be the highlight of the summer. The overall performances of the over 30 swimmers that competed in the various International events. The 4 swimmers that competed at the World Championship with 4 top 16 placings the best in over 20 years by Irish swimmers. Also the development of our younger swimmers showed in the results of our swimmers at the British Age group and youth Olympics.

FIS: What changes did you make or systems did you put in place when you first took up your role with Swim Ireland?

PB: I focused on a couple of areas,

1, Qualifying standards for International events

2, Fina A standards for Olympic Qualifying

3, putting together a National Youth program.

4, Developing the performance centres

5, coach education and mentoring

I think these 4 areas were the first steps of the program; we have continually updated these areas in the last 3 years and continue to grow the program to help develop a sustainable program. That will continue to deliver success over the years.

FIS: How long does it take for the success to start being seen on the podium?

PB: I believe that it takes at least 2 Olympic cycles (8 years) to see podium performances at the Olympic and World level.

FIS: With the new 50m pools in Dublin and Limerick, is it now possible for swimmers to train in Ireland and compete at the highest level?

PB: I think with the facilities we have in the country now, we have the ability to offer viable alternative to going abroad to swimmers With the level of coaching now available I believe we can compete with the best programs. We still have some work to do regarding linking into universities and are working hard on this.

FIS: What advice would you give to any young athlete hoping to make a career in high performance Swimming?

PB: I think swimming at the highest level of our sports requires a great deal of commitment and desire. I think any parent that has child that wants to peruse that option in this sport visit a performance centre and talk to the coach and understand how they can get involved. It is very rewarding if you achieve the international standards to represent your country at highest level. Through that journey you also develop skills that will stand to you for a life time.

FIS: Many thanks for taking the time to talk to us, finally what are Swim Ireland’s goals for the High Performance swimming system over the coming years?

PB: Our overall goal for this quadrant will be to a medal at Olympic or World Level and continue to have medallist’s at the European level

For more information on Swim Ireland, read here: www.swimireland.ie

Follow Peter Banks: @pbanks4583 @swimireland

Briefing to Oireachtas Members: If Jobs are a Priority Invest in Sport

Sep 25, 2013

The Oireachtas Briefing on the Federation’s pre-budget submission was the first time the Federation had an opportunity to brief a gathering of Ireland’s elected representatives inside Leinster House. We were delighted to get the the opportunity to outline some of the challenges facing Irish Sport as well as make what we believe is a compelling case for increased investment in Irish Sport. Almost 30 T.D.’s and Senators were represented either in person or by staff. Set out below is a transcript of CEO’s Sarah O’Connor’s presentation:

I would like to begin by providing a little background to the Federation. In advance of doing so I would like to acknowledge a number of the sporting CEOs present in particular those who serve on the Federation Board namely, Harry Hermon Irish Sailing, Sarah Keane, Swim Ireland, Liam Harbison, Paralympics Ireland, Thos McDermott, South County Dublin LSP, as well as our Chair, Sarah O’Shea, Legal Director with the FAI. Each of them have been instrumental in developing the document you have in your hands and I would like to acknowledge their contribution. It is indeed this coming together of sports big and small, commercial and voluntary that was crucial to the establishment of the Federation in 2002.  The desire to have one organisation that can speak and advise on issues common to all sporting organisations whatever their size or nature remains core to the Federation’s work today. Our key message is that sport is so much more than just the sporting activity itself. The impact sport has on people’s lives, the contribution to their health, the events and activities it generates in local communities and indeed, the employment and industries it supports is something all of you must be aware of from your constituency work. However, on a national level we feel that the full potential of sport has yet to be harnessed.

This can perhaps be attributed to the way in which, sport has been traditionally viewed. The truth is that impact of sport stretches well beyond the white lines of any pitch or the walls of any sports hall. Sport is serious business. Sport sustains 40,532 jobs in Ireland whilst contributing 2.4 billion or 1.4% of GDP. Sports clubs alone spend an estimated €818 million within the economy each year. It is estimated that 11% of our annual health spend is directly attributable to physical inactivity. The Finnish Government, who preside over the most physically active nation in Europe, recently issued guidelines to local government warning against cuts to sport services saying that the bill for increased inactivity would fall due with interest some years later. Sport plays a key role in tourism generating more than €850 million for Ireland each year. Sport is also a key player in domestic tourism with over 250,000 Irish people travelling within Ireland to attend sports events in 2012 staying 2 nights on average whilst doing so. The impact on community life in Ireland is also significant. Sport does all of this whilst generating a return of €149 on every €100 invested by Government – there can’t be too many areas of government spending delivering this rate of return on investment.

There has always been an interface between government and sport – what perhaps, is worth pointing out is that in Ireland’s case this is still relatively new. Our sports council is only up and running 15 years compared to in the UK where the equivalent organisations were set up in the early 70’s or in Australia where they have been in place since the early 1980’s. There is a commitment to sport within the Programme for Sport which we feel can only be enhanced by the proposal we are outlining here today.

Our next slide details (see full presentation below) government investment in sport since 2004. The graph clearly details the drop in investment levels since 2009 – investment has fallen by 33% from the 2008 peak with a 9% drop to date over the life of the current government. What this graph does not perhaps detail is that sport was an emerging sector when the recession hit and now following five years of reduced investment particularly, in the current as opposed to capital spending on sport – is on a knife edge. Further cuts in the current spend will send sport backwards fast.

Why? There is so much sport in Ireland that at times it feels like sport just happens. However, nothing could be further from the truth – sport needs to be planned, managed, delivered & above all financed. Funding for sport generally comes from the sources detailed on the slide above. It goes without saying that some of these revenue streams are more relevant to certain sporting organisations than others particularly, sponsorship, broadcasting and ticketing. However, government investment and indeed volunteerism which has an estimated economic value of more than €350 million each year is common to all.

Funding for sport is however under real pressure. The CEOs of even the biggest sports, all of whom are represented here today, will tell you that they have never operated in such a challenging sponsorship market. Amateur sport does not enjoy charitable status unlike in the UK and it is perhaps for this reason that there is no tradition of philanthropic giving to sport. Sport is a labour intensive industry – participants need to be coached, clubs need to be administered, matches refereed. Sport cannot be supported without people and yet volunteers are creaking under the burden of increased regulation and expectation not to mention the financial pressure many clubs find themselves in. NGBs are coming under increased pressure to provide additional supports in this regard. Sport is being hit from all angles – a recent example being the revised rates bill issued to both Croke Park and the Aviva which saw a dramatic increase in rates payable. This is despite the significant economic return delivered by both facilities to Dublin for example, it is estimated that the football activity alone in the Aviva generated a spend of approximately €29 million over the last year whilst the Ireland v England rugby match when held in Croke Park on its own generated a spend of €83 million. Sport too operates in an international environment the vagaries of which Irish Sporting Bodies sometimes have little control be it the reclassification of events at the Paralympic Games which if goes ahead as planned will impact on the number of medal opportunities available to some of our best athletes in Rio or the French and the English feeling they no longer want to partake in the Heineken Cup as it is currently formatted.

So what can be done? Sport is aware of the economic challenges facing Ireland. Irish Sport has never been resource rich and is dealing with the impact of the recession at the front line, much like you our elected representatives, on a daily basis. Our message today is clear however, if jobs are a priority then Irish Sport can deliver. For just €1 per citizen a fund of €4.58 million could be created which would create 150 jobs in Irish Sport immediately leaving €1.5 million for programme funding to allow these indigenous jobs become sustainable. There are currently 2000 graduates with sport specific qualifications emerging each year available and willing to take up such employment. When the tax payable on these salaries not to mention the VAT paid by the sporting bodies given that they are ineligible to claim VAT we estimate that the “real cost” to the State would be no more than 3 million. 150 jobs at approximately €25k per job compares very favourably to the costs per job detailed in recent stimulus packages.

There is European, international and domestic evidence indicating that this is achievable. A recent EU study on the contribution of sport to the European Economy found that sport supports jobs and can grow other areas of the economy. Indeed, sport contributes as much value to the European economy as agriculture, fisheries and forestry combined. Every 60th euro generated or earned in Europe is sports related.

If the jobs are supported Irish Sport has a strong track record in delivering on investment in terms of the jobs and programmes we are looking to be supported and at the same time delivering real benefit to Irish society. Be it in schools where for example the GAA delivered 46,000 hours of physical activity last year in Munster the equivalent of employing 62 PE teachers full time. Or programmes such as the FAI’s late night leagues where there is a 49% reduction in Garda Call out rates for the duration of the League. Not to mention the development programmes run by all sports – Swim Ireland issued 22,000 “Learn to Swim Certificates” to  children last year,  13 Donegal schools are now taking part in Ulster Development School League where there were none just a few years ago, 100% increase in Junior Membership of Triathlon Ireland in 2013, the 600 plus team competing in Volleyball Spike Ball programme which allows leaves transition year students in a position to run the programme with primary school children. In short this investment will create jobs, improve health and grow the economy……

And where can you help is by keeping sport on the political agenda, supporting us in raising awareness of the potential sport offers to Ireland, joining the Friends of Sport Group within the Oireachtas we will be establishing in the next few weeks and in particular, by seeking to avoid further reductions in the current investment in Irish sport as distributed through the sports council as well as supporting our call for the allocation of an additional €1 to go towards a job creation fund for Irish Sport….to assist sport whilst meeting real needs of the Irish economy at the same time.

On that note, I am of course happy to take any questions you may have in relation to our presentation and pre-budget submission. Many thanks for your attention.

Federation of Irish Sport- Pre Budget Briefing Presentation

Press Release: Irish Sport Calls On Government to Invest in Sporting Jobs

Sep 25, 2013

IRISH SPORT CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO INVEST IN SPORTING JOBS

• Submission asks Government to invest ONE Euro for every citizen in fund to create jobs.
• Sport seeks €4.58 million – but notes €1.5 million will go back to Exchequer in taxes.
• Fund to create jobs and deliver participation programmes
• Sport confident that 150 jobs can be created immediately

Irish sport has appealed to the Government to invest a total of €4.58 million – one euro for every citizen – in a fund specifically designed to create jobs in sport.  The appeal is at the core of a pre-budget submission by the Federation of Irish Sport, the representative body for the governing bodies of all of the major sports in Ireland.  Copies of the submission were delivered to the Government earlier today, Wednesday 25^th September 2013.

The submission makes the case for more investment in sport – but investment specifically targeted at creating jobs and using those jobs to generate more participation in sport. The Federation notes that Government funding for sport has been cut by 33% over the past five years.  It calls on the Government to reverse this process and to invest in sport – but to invest specifically in creating more jobs in sport.  The Federation argues that a combination of these jobs with funding to create more participation programmes in sport will be an investment for the future. This ties in with the stated objective contained in the “Programme for Government 2011 – 2016” which provides:

“In future sports funding should prioritise projects which further greater participation in sport on a local and national level.”

The Federation points to the fact that over 2,000 young people graduate annually with a sports related qualification but that currently few, if any, of those graduates can find work in Ireland due to the continuous cuts.  This is despite the fact that in the UK sport & leisure is a significant source of employment for young people with 21% of all 16 – 25 year olds working in sport.

The Federation goes on to point out that research amongst the 100 plus organisations they represent has shown that over 150 jobs could be created immediately if there was funding available.

In calling for the Government to stop cutting sports funding and to invest in the jobs initiative the Federation has looked for a specific sum – €4.58 million, which the Federation points out is the equivalent of just ONE euro for every person in the country.  The submission details that government investment in sport currently amounts to €9.42 per citizen.

Speaking of the submission, Sarah O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, said that the Federation had decided to concentrate on a single issue in its submission.  “The cuts of recent years have hit sport hard. Sport was very much an emerging sector when the recession hit and Irish Sport now stands on a knife edge. Further reductions in funding could send Irish Sport backwards fast.

We are aware of the need to create jobs and know that sport as a growth sector not just in Ireland but across the EU, with real capacity to develop other niche sectors of the economy, can contribute to this effort at a relatively low cost to Government. This has been recognised by the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU which is prioritising sport stating that they intend to put forward proposals for adoption relating to sport as an impetus for economic growth and employment. Therefore, whilst we continue to work on other initiatives which we feel will help sport maximise the potential return it can make to Ireland, this year we have made jobs the focus of our submission.”

“We are confident that sport can create jobs and also sustain them in the long term. The additional funding sought should be viewed as seed capital for what is an indigenous industry. The Federation has identified that in the area of development officers alone sport could create up to 150 jobs almost immediately.  We are conscious that these need to be sustained – hence our call for one third of the fund to be invested in participation programmes that will go along with the jobs.  We believe these programme can become self-funding over time and will also help generate revenue to help ensure the jobs become permanent.”

“We specifically asked for €4.58 million as that represents an investment of ONE euro per citizen.  And the good news for the Government is that an estimated €1.5 million of the fund will go straight back to the Exchequer in PRSI, PAYE and VAT. The estimated cost per job is therefore €25,000 which, compares very favourably with €167,000 per job in the “Infrastructure Stimulus” announced in July 2013.”

While the jobs fund is at the heart of the submission the document also points out the overall importance of sport to Ireland as an industry.  It notes that:-

• Irish sport supports 40,532 jobs.
• Sport contributes €2.4 billion to the Irish economy (EU Study).
• Sport is a growth industry. There has been a 27% increase in the number of people working as professional athletes since 2006 (compared to an 18% growth in the number of accountants over the same period)
• 5,722 people are now employed as professional athletes and sports officials compared to the 6,093 people working as authors, writers and journalists
• Sport delivers 938 jobs for every million invested by Government compared to 443 in the Arts and 381 in the Horse and Greyhound industries.
• Irish sports clubs spend €818 million annually.
• 19% of all The Gathering events were sports related.
• Sports Tourism generates returns of more than €850 million annually
• 254,000 Irish residents travelled domestically to sports events in 2012 with a total expenditure of €49.4 million

Pre Budget Submission – If Jobs are a Priority then Invest in Sport

All Ireland Archery Festival 2013- Sat 14th Sept

Sep 9, 2013

Where: National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown (At the Aquatic Centre)

When: Saturday 14th of September 10.00 – 17.00

Featuring
Final of the All Ireland Archery Series
The archery spectacle of the year! After six qualification events Irelands top archers will do battle in the final of the All Ireland Series. Archers from all corners of the country will assemble at the all knockout event to compete for Irelands top prize.

Archery Session
Why not have an introduction (have a go) archery session, before competing in our beginner competition. Top archers will win an “Entry to Archery course” in their local club, Every entrant gets a go.

Traditional archery area
Check out our traditional archery area where you will observe historical archery where re-enactors will demonstrate the use of traditional archery equipment.

Tickets will be available on the gates
Cost: Adults €5, Juniors and Students €3, Family €12.
All archery activities are included

Directions

Drive into the National Aquatic centre in Blanchardstown, Take exit 2 on the roundabout, Keep to the left at the T-junction and follow the road around

For Directions to the aquatic centre
http://www.nationalaquaticcentre.ie/NAC_location.php

53.397149, -6.370066

Saturday, September 14, 2013