Jul 31, 2013
Recent exchanges in the Dáil shed some light on the potential impact on funding for good causes to include sport from the sale of the National Lottery.
In response to questions from Mary Lou McDonald TD, Minister Howlin confirmed that under the next national lottery licence annual contributions for good causes will be set at 65% of gross gaming revenues. He clarified that gross gaming revenues would be the amount remaining when prizes and costs were deduced from the value of total sales.
Applying this formula to the €225 million generated for good causes in 2012 would have reduced the total amount available by €11 million to €214 million. Despite this, Minister Howlin stated that the terms of the licence would be well placed to reverse the recent trend which, had been declining in recent years. The increase, he said, would be facilitated both by the terms of the next licence and the National Lottery Act, 2013 which will offer the licence holder greater flexibility for growth to include, the development of new games and distribution channels.
Minister Howlin said in addition to the projected growth of the amount available for distribution to good causes, the State would receive an upfront payment part of which, would be used to fund the new National Children’s Hospital with some moneys being used to help fund Exchequer capital projects in 2013 and 2014.
He also addressed concerns that a bigger upfront payment would not be used by a bidder as an incentive for a system that might negatively impact on the constant annual flow of money for good causes. In this regard, Minister Howlin confirmed that he picked the figure of 65% for good causes despite some suggestions from the Government’s advisors that they go for a lower-figure which, would ensure a bigger upfront payment. The Minister stated that he was willing to take a smaller upfront payment if it meant there would be a good growing annual fund for the good causes that are so important into the future.
Jul 31, 2013
IS SPECIFICALLY designed for National Governing Bodies (NGBs), sports clubs and individuals and was officially launched in December 2012 after an extensive tender process. The scheme has grown rapidly since then and already has over 30% of NGBs supporting the scheme which represents a great success.
All members of the Federation scheme have benefited from premium savings with an average of between 20-25% being achieved. The reason the savings can be achieved is because of the power of group purchasing and the continued success of the scheme is dependent on the continued support of the Federation’s members. After joining the scheme an NGB is no longer alone in the insurance market, they now have the backing of the entire scheme along with all the other scheme members. This greater purchasing power ensures competitive pricing, consistency of pricing security on claims as well as quality customer service.
Being part of the Federation of Irish Sport Insurance Scheme offers NGBs much more than security and premium savings alone. BHP INSURANCE, the broker for the scheme, offers each individual member tailor-made packages and ensures that the right covers are in place. Each member has a dedicated Account Handler who deals with all aspects of insurance from claims and mid-term adjustments, to presenting insurance workshops and attending relevant seminars.
The Insurance Scheme is not limited to NGBs as anew Club Scheme is currently being developed for sports clubs who will be able to avail of the benefits already received by their NGBs.
Read what our members have to say about the Federation of Irish Sport Insurance Scheme:
‘The Bowling league of Ireland were very impressed in the professional way that BHP Insurances approached our insurance needs. They managed to reduce our Insurance costs, and increase the amount of cover that we previously had. Our members were delighted with this reduction and our clubs around the country are in active talks with BHP Insurances for their own cover.’
-Brian C. Morton, Chairman of the Development & Strategic Planning Committee, and Treasurer, Bowling League of Ireland
‘We have been delighted with the service provided by BHP to date – we have generated impressive cost savings at NGB level and will shortly be rolling out an excellent club insurance offering to our member clubs; we have obtained excellent rates from BHP and have been impressed with the level of service provided.’
-Darren Coombes, Chief Operations Officer, Irish Table Tennis Association
‘Thanks to BHP Insurances appointment we have been able to institute cover for all of our members for the first time since our formation. The support of their team has meant that we were able to carry out a comprehensive audit of our insurance requirements and institute the type of indemnity we needed at a premium we could afford.’
-Cian Quigley, President, Australian Rules Football League of Ireland
“We in Irish Squash were very impressed with the service offered by BHP Insurance. That we achieved full cover at a significant discount is obviously a great benefit. Their professionalism and service was a great aid to us as a small NGB. Working together as NGB’s is also a great initiative and shows what can be achieved when NGB’s work together.”
-Paul Nugent, COO, Irish Squash
“We supported the Federation group scheme as we saw the benefit of being part of a bigger group of NGBs coming together to get a better deal on insurance.”
-Paul Ryder, Administrator, Deaf Sports Ireland
‘BHP Insurances took the time to understand Gymnastics Ireland and our activities before providing a proposal. Their expertise in providing solutions to the sport and not for profit sector has resulted in savings with no reduction in cover. I would have no hesitation in recommending BHP to other sporting bodies.’
-Ciaran Gallagher, CEO, Gymnastics Ireland
‘Swim Ireland are delighted by the appointment of BHP Insurances who have improved our levels of cover for a reduced annual premium. Their team gave us a thorough understanding of our insurance policies and we would recommend that other NGBs meet with them to see what they can deliver for their sport, clubs and members.’
-Sarah Keane, CEO, Swim Ireland
‘BHP Insurances have delivered significant savings for the ISA and have developed a club insurance scheme which we feel will have huge benefits for the ISA, its clubs and their members.’
-Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing Association
‘CPSI were impressed by BHP Insurances professional approach to our insurance needs and even as a smaller NGB they gave us as much time as we needed to ensure we had the right covers in place. BHP helped us introduce comprehensive personal accident insurance for all our members at a competitive rate.’
-Brenda O’Donnell, Director of Sport, Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland
‘Switching to the Federation of Irish Sport Insurance scheme was better from a value for money perspective and delivered an improved level of insurance cover for our organisation.”
-Cillian Smith, Commissioner, Irish American Football Association
“Choosing insurance cover can be a nightmare. ACI sought advice from 4 independent brokers before choosing the FIS recommended BHP’s policy suite. It met all our requirements and offered unmatched value. Added to that, there is the comfort of the extra security for our members offered by being part of a larger group along with other sports.”
-Der Casey, Honorary Secretary, Angling Council of Ireland
Sports Bodies that have supported the Federation of Irish Sport Insurance Scheme so far are:
Angling Council of Ireland
Australian Rules Football League of Ireland
Bowling League of Ireland
Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland
Deaf Sports Ireland
Gymnastics Ireland
Horseshoe Pitchers Association of Ireland
Ice Skating Association of Ireland
Irish American Football Association
Irish Blind Sports
Irish Sailing Association
Irish Squash
Irish Surfing Association
Irish Table Tennis Association
Just Sport Ireland
Pentathlon Ireland
Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland
Raquetball Association of Ireland
Swim Ireland
The Federation of Irish Sport
Weightlifting Ireland
Jul 31, 2013
It has been quite the summer of sport for our near neighbours in Britain finally, breaking the Wimbledon hoodoo, another victory in Le Tour not to mention a 2-0 lead in the Ashes over the once invincible Aussies.
Not a bad summer of sport for our athletes either, Graeme McDowell & Michael Hoey winning tournaments, Dan Martin in the Tour, Irish representatives in the Lions, the cricketers securing World Cup qualification, 4 swimmers ranked in the top 20 in the World for the first time, 5 world Paralympic athletic medals and that is before the great performances to date in the football and hurling Championships are digested.
Interesting so that this week Sir Chris Hoy, when launching the ticketing programme for next year’s Commonwealth Games, felt it was important to highlight the need for investment in sport to continue. Emphasising the need to support future athletes, Hoy said that whilst money does not buy medals it does provide a platform for them.
Hoy warns against the complacency that success can bring stating that it is often the tournaments or events where things go badly that traditionally have provoked change or increased investment in sporting structures. The Irish Government too could do well to take note of Hoy’s thoughts particularly, as they look to make decisions in the next few weeks as part of the budgetary process on the level of investment in Irish Sport for 2014.
On one hand, Irish Sport has never had it so good. Increased consistency in performance on the international stage across a number of different sports coupled with improved numbers in those participating in sport. The Irish Sports Council’s 2011 monitor found that rates of participation amongst the Irish population had increased from 34% to 46%.
On the other hand there is much yet to be done, with EU research finding recently that Irish primary schools rank as the worst in Europe when it comes to the provision of PE. Irish secondary schools were only slightly better in fourth from bottom. Obesity too represents a growing challenge with 61% of Irish adults and over 300,000 children being either overweight or obese. Not to mention the on-going issue of getting the 13% of the population that are sedentary active.
Neither participation nor performance should be taken for granted. We are surrounded by sport. It would be easy to assume that it will always be there. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that almost all of Irish Sport is delivered by a volunteer workforce which is operating in an increasingly regulated environment. Standards have been raised and whilst, this is a positive development, it also highlights the reality that sport needs to be developed, managed, delivered and above all financed. Those working at grassroots need to be supported.
This year’s budget is crucial. The available government funding for sports bodies is already down 25% since 2008. Commercial revenue and in particular, sponsorship is difficult to obtain. Clubs and participants in sport are under financial pressure. Despite all of this sport has been one of the few things to sustain us over the last few years.
As well as contributing to improved public health, sustaining our communities or enhancing our reputation abroad, sport has that intangible ability to give us a bit of a lift. Sport has provided a different focus in the midst of our economic woes….….a forum in which just sometimes the impossible becomes possible. When it happens it is always worth the wait, just ask the Monaghan Gaelic football supporters!
€43.2 million was the amount made available to assist in the on-going development of Irish Sport in 2013 – that figure represents 0.0032% of the €13.6 billion spent on health, 0.0021% of the €20.246 billion spent on Social Protection and 0.0050% of the €8.5 billion spent on education, all Departments on which sport has a significant impact and in many cases has the potential to do even more.
There are many deserving causes in Ireland in 2013 but is €43 million really too difficult to find to assist in the safeguarding of sport? In addition to the reality that sport generates a return of €149 for every €100 invested, sport remains a force for good in our society which reaches into virtually every community in Ireland through its network of 12,000 clubs across 70 plus sports. There are few activities that reach such a significant proportion of Ireland’s population.
2.1 million Irish people actively participate in sport, enabled by a volunteer workforce of over 500,000 and supported and enjoyed by many more both home and abroad. Protecting this funding is not simply an investment in the present but also a foundation stone for the creation of a better Ireland in the future.
For those who would like to know more about just what sport delivers to Ireland, please click on the ‘Why Irish Sport Matters’ infographic
Read Chris Hoy article here
Jul 29, 2013
Following the launch of Arthur Guinness Projects®, a major new cultural initiative, designed to champion and celebrate talent and creativity in Ireland, hundreds of extraordinary people with inspiring and brilliant ideas from all across the country have uploaded projects onto www.arthurguinnessprojects.com and thousands more have shown support by voting for the favourite their projects. To check out the trending Sports projects click here www.arthurguinnessprojects.com/sport/trending
Projects can be submitted up until and on midnight 9th August 2013.
Although the closing date is the 9th August, the public can continue to vote for the projects that they would most like to see come to life during the application period and up until the 23rd August, 2013.
The Arthur Guinness Projects panel will then choose the top 10% of from the public vote in each of the 4 categories.
The sports panel is spearheaded by Donegal inter-county manager and sports consultant, Jim McGuinness alongside Sarah O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Rob Harnett the CEO of Sport for Business & Matt Cooper broadcaster, journalist and author.
Together with a mentoring and promotional support programme, Arthur Guinness Projects will invest €3 million in people and their projects across Ireland over the next three years, with up to 20 projects benefitting annually.
To upload projects, vote for your favourite or to get inspiration from the current selection visit www.arthurguinnessprojects.com
Jul 26, 2013
TODAY, 24 IRISH athletes will board a plane bound for Durban in South Africa.
The air will be filled with a mix of emotions: excitement, nervousness, anticipation. But it will also hold a palpable sense of pride unique to these people, because they are the lucky ones: transplant recipients.
The athletes heading to the World Transplant Games will be proud of their own achievements, proud of their group bond, but proud too of the gift of life they received from some incredibly generous people.
The vast majority of those who handed them that gift – a kidney, a heart, a pancreas, a liver – were gone to another place by the time their body gave a stranger new life. But some, the living donors, will get to see the fruits of their gift in action.
The team are set to fly to Durban today for the international sporting event, after a reception attended by South African Ambassador to Ireland, HE Jeremiah Ndou.
Competition
Former Ireland international and premiership footballer Niall Quinn with the oldest Irish transplant athlete Charlie Ryan (68), and the youngest Oisin O’Gorman (12) in Dublin. Pic: Tony McLean/T. McLean Photography
The 19th World Transplant Games will take place from July 28 to August 4, and Ireland’s athletes will join hundreds of other transplant recipients to create a gathering of over 1000 athletes from 50 countries.
Ireland’s team ranges in age from 12 to 68, and includes 10 women, with the members coming from all over Ireland. They include seven living kidney transplant recipients.
Colin White, Team Manager for Transplant Team Ireland, told TheJournal.ie that “there is a huge sense of anticipation” about the games.
It’s kind of hard to put into words the atmosphere when you are at the opening ceremony, sitting surrounded by around 1000 transplant recipients from around the world and you realise all the people are here because of the generosity of someone else.
“These guys have gone up to the brink and looked over and because of a transplant they have been able to step back,” he said. “They know now to appreciate the simpler things in life.”
White emphasised that “when you get organ failure, if you get a transplant your life is not over – it’s just different”. This different life doesn’t mean that you can’t be an athlete, as these games show. “Don’t be fooled that the standard is low – the standard is very, very high,” assured White.
The games are also a way to show the donor families the role they played in the recipient’s life. “It’s highlighting that organ donation works. It’s giving somebody quality of life, not just keeping someone alive,” said White.
Team Ireland is a “great fraternity”, described White, a group bonded by shared experience and a love for sports. There have been marriages between members, and the friends are “there for each other 52 weeks a year”.
“Possibly the more beautiful thing we’ve had is members having children after transplants. Look at the gift of life they’ve received through their organ donation.”
There will be a constant focus on the medical side of things at the games, thanks to the volunteer team doctor but also the medical staff in South Africa. “We have to make sure everyone is healthy to do this,” said White, who will also be joined by a team physio.
Honouring their donor
There is a good mix of physical and skill-based sports, so even if someone is physically not so strong, there is a sport for them. There are some world record holders, but the focus is not just on the awards. White explained that for many, “the trip in itself is a huge statement to themselves, their family and the wider community”. It is a declaration of independence, of strength, and of grabbing new opportunities tightly.
“I have received the gift of life and I am going to use it,” is how White put it. Many of the participants tell him that taking part is a way of honouring their donor.
Even if the athletes win a gold medal, even if they break world records, it’s just one way of acknowledging the gift of donation. “Thank you seems such an insignificant phrase when you think of what you have received,” said White. “The medals are in some ways the icing on the cake.”
At medal ceremonies, he often sees winners, medals aloft, giving a glance skywards. It’s a nod to their donor, who, though departed, is still winning back home.
The Irish Kidney Association manages Transplant Team Ireland’s participation at the Games. If you would like to donate your organs, you can find more information right here.
Daily updates on Team Ireland can be found at www.transplantteamireland.ie
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