Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Mr. Michael Ring TD announces an investment package of over €2 million in Dormant Accounts Funding for Sport.

Funding of €2,089,620 is being allocated to establish Community Sport and Physical Activity hubs across the country and create a National Sports Education and Training hub.

The investment will be administered by the Irish Sports Council and will aim to engage with communities across the country, targeting people with disabilities, people who are educationally disadvantaged and disadvantaged communities.

Announcing the investment, Minister Ring commented “I believe it is extremely important that people are encouraged and given opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. Participation will lead to a healthier society and an overall improvement in the quality of life. These innovative hubs will support the sustainable development of sporting opportunities in communities across Ireland”.

Speaking at the announcement, Kieran Mulvey, Chairman of the Irish Sports Council acknowledged “The aim of the Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs is to bring local people together and provide a home for local clubs and sports organisations. Supported by the Council’s network of Local Sports Partnerships, these hubs will provide information, support and advice on a wide range of sports and physical activities and make it easier for people to get involved and engage in a more active and healthier lifestyle”.

Highlighting the National Sports Education and Training Hub, John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council commented “In line with the Government’s ‘Pathways to Work’ Policy the Council is seeking to empower individuals at local and national level by providing a clear education pathway for those interested in working in sports development. In particular the Council envisages an activation of jobseekers to promote greater levels of physical activity in disadvantaged areas and identified target groups”.

Programmes supported under the investment include the development of an Educational and Career Framework, Youth Coaching, Volunteer Support Programmes, E-learning Programmes (Anti Doping, Child Protection), Training for Jobseekers (Community Coaching), Youth Leadership and further strengthen the existing Sports Disability Training Framework.

Breakdown of funding

Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs in disadvantaged areas

-€662,000 which includes capital funding of €469,000 is being allocated to 9 Local Sports Partnerships to establish Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs

National Sport Education and Training Hub

-€871,500 allocated to 27 LSPs to deliver 55 Community Coaching courses for jobseekers

-€212,000 allocated to the Cara Adapted Physical Activity Centre within the Institute of Technology Tralee to support the development and delivery of specialised disability training courses

Further funding of €344,120 is being directly allocated to the Irish Sports Council for the development of an Educational and Career Framework, the delivery of a number of other targeted programmes including support for youth coaching and volunteers; e-learning programmes; and towards the administrative costs of these new measures.

Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs

A Community Sport and Physical Activity Hub (CSH) is a collective of progressive sports clubs and other local organisations that want to work together to improve the sport offered in their local community. Each hub is unique, however work to certain principles, namely growing participation, engaging the local community, promoting community leadership and offer a range of sporting opportunities bringing all key partners/groups/people together.

The objective of the CSHs in disadvantaged areas is to bring local people together and provide a home for local clubs and sports organisations and the hubs will operate within the existing structures of the Irish Sports Council’s national network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs).

Following a competitive bid process, nine LSPs were successful in demonstrating a broad variety of innovative hubs that cover both Disadvantaged Urban and Rural Communities and span across the three themes identified: Community Setting, School Based Setting and an Outdoor Setting.

Community Coaching

This Dormant Accounts funding is targeted at the delivery of specialised training and education courses for jobseekers including work experience opportunities in National Governing Bodies of sport/Clubs/LSPs. The programmes focus on training and capacity building job seekers in the sports sector and will also include work placements through subsidised programmes. The Irish Sports Council approved 55 course applications from LSPs, targeting over 650 people.

Further strengthen the existing Sports Disability Training Framework

Dormant Accounts funding of €212,000 is designed to support the development and delivery of specialised disability training courses through the Cara Centre within the Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT). This fund measure will include the review of the national disability training framework through consultation with key agencies and produce a finalised draft of disability training in the sports sector. It will also include the development and implementation of:

·         Disability Awareness Training course

·         Disability Inclusion Training course

·         Universal Fitness Inclusive Training (UFIT)

·         Adapted Adventure Training Programme

·         Sports Inclusion Disability Programme

It is anticipated that approximately 2,600 individuals will undergo training through a projected 121 courses, ranging from disability awareness training through to the piloted adapted adventure training.  Four NGBs will pilot the Universal Management Framework.

Further funding of €344,120 will be allocated directly to the Irish Sports Council for the following initiatives and towards the administrative cost of the new measures:

–          Development of Educational and Career Framework

The Irish Sports Council will develop an education and career framework to outline the educational pathway and related career options available within the sporting sector.

–          Youth Coaching

With over 80% of coaches in Ireland working with children and young people, there is a need for them to be educated and supported in relation to current best practices on children in sport and the knowledge, skills and competences to deliver and evaluate child-centred programmes in sport. Under this programme tutors will be trained, deployed and supported and tutor materials developed.

–          Volunteer support

There is a significant need and demand within national governing bodies for volunteer learning and development support. Assistance for this particular demographic will result in enhanced skills for the volunteers, improvements in their ability to secure employment and increased likelihood in their retention as active participants in sports and physical activity.   Funding will be allocated to the ISC to support career development for this demographic through up skilling and other professional supports.

–          E-learning programmes

To build on the current instructor led training that has been developed, funding will be allocated to the ISC to deliver some areas of its programmes online to educate various groups in areas such as child protection and ethics in sport.

Dormant Accounts Funding

The Dormant Accounts Act 2001 together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003 and the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Acts 2005-2012 provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (i.e. banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.

Dormant funds/unclaimed life assurance policies, which have not been reclaimed by the original account/policy holder or their beneficiaries, are transferred each year by the financial institution/insurance undertaking to the Dormant Accounts Fund which is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).

The legislation provides for a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed. In each year monies may be disbursed in accordance with Part 6 of the 2012 Act, from the Account, but only for the purposes of programmes or projects to assist:

1.       the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;

2.       the educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged or

3.       persons with a disability (within the meaning of the Equal Status Act 2000).

The Dormant Accounts Fund is under the statutory functions of the Minister of the Environment, Community and Local Government.  The Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs and the National Sport Education and Training Hub were included in the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2014.