Our #1 Ask of government in Budget 2024 is an Increase in Core Funding. As part of our Pre-Budget campaign to highlight why #SportMatters, we caught up with our member CEOs from Swim Ireland, Rowing Ireland, Volleyball Ireland, Canoeing Ireland, Badminton Ireland and Basketball Ireland to hear why core funding is crucial to running their sporting organisations.
First up we hear from Swim Ireland CEO, Sarah Keane.
Federation Pre-Budget Submission: Our key request is that the government continues to demonstrate its commitment to the National Sports Policy. The government has committed to doubling funding to sport over the ten-year life of that policy and much has been achieved by what has been done to date. The reality is that the upcoming budget will be looking at funding for Year Seven of that ten-year National Sports Policy.
It has always been the contention of the Federation of Irish Sport that it is essential that the government’s commitment to doubling sports funding (over the ten-year life of the NSP) should be done incrementally,
on an annual basis. Multi-annual funding commitments are essential to create certainty for the NGB’s and LSP’s, to allow them to plan strategically; maintain adequate staffing levels and staff certainty; and most importantly deliver on their objectives. The NGBs and LSPs are essential components for delivering on Government’s commitments and ambitions in relation to sport and physical exercise.