Mental Health Awareness Seminar

Sep 18, 2014

What: Mental Health Awareness Seminar

Where: Maldron Hotel, Tallaght

When: Monday, Sept. 29^th 6.30 – 8.00pm

(Food and refreshments available from 6pm)

Guest Speakers: Seana Cooke, FAI women’s international soccer player

Cllr. Kenneth Egan, ex Olympic Boxer

As part of South Dublin County Council’s Health & Wellbeing Week from Sept. 29^th to Oct 5^th  SDCSP is organising a Mental Health Awareness seminar aimed at club coaches, committee members, leaders and parents in the South Dublin area. Mental Health has been recognised as an area of great concern in Ireland and sports bodies, through education and training to assist coaches in their community clubs to create an accepting environment where young men and women can feel comfortable to talk, have become very important vehicles to get the conversation started and rid Ireland of the stigma of mental ill health.

The seminar will have expert speakers on mental health from Mental Health Ireland (www.mentalhealthireland.ie),  Headstrong (www.headstrong.ie) and See Change (www.seechange.ie) covering topics such as:

• the building blocks of mental health
• what does mental ill health really mean?
• the key issues impacting on peoples mental health & well being
• the value of listening in supporting mental health
• the supports that are available to community clubs

In addition, there will be direct contributions on the experience and effects of mental ill health from guest speakers Seana Cooke, a senior women’s soccer international, and former Irish Boxing Champion and Olympian Kenneth Egan. They will outline how they experienced mental ill health, how they came to recognise it and seek help for it and the steps they (and their wider circle) made to overcome it.

Approximately 1 in 10 people in Ireland (450,000) are affected by depression at any one time. It would be fantastic to see you there and would be very grateful for your assistance in actively promoting this very important seminar to your contacts. The seminar is free of charge but you are asked to book a reservation by email – info@sdcsp.ie

Sport Ireland Bill 2014- Summary of developments

Sep 3, 2014

The Sport Ireland Bill published at the end of August is the most significant piece of legislation directly impacting on sport since the Irish Sports Council Act setting up the Irish Sports Council Act was passed in 1999.

One of the motivations behind the legislation is to facilitate the merger of the Irish Sport Council with the National Sports Campus Development Authority – the state agency charged with the development, management and operation of the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown. However, the proposed Bill does also make some subtle changes to the overall functions of the two bodies when they come together under the “Sport Ireland” banner.

In the main, the legislation provides for the governance, operation and administration of the new body. However we have set out below a summary of the developments from the existing regime.

1. Functions of Sport Ireland

The role of Sport Ireland in relation to the development of coaching and tutors at all levels in sport tin co-operation with sporting bodies is specifically mentioned which, was not the case in the 1999 Act. There is also more detail in relation to the proposed functions regarding anti-doping when compared with the previous legislative regime.

Sport Ireland is also to have a role in disseminating information around competitive sport and recreational sport as well as encouraging sponsorship in competitive and recreational sport. The Bill also makes provision allowing the Minister to assign additional functions to Sport Ireland.

It would also appear that there is to be an increased role for the Minister in relation to research with the research to be carried out by the new body to be done on the direction of the Minister.

2. Sponsorship & Donations

The Bill also provides that Sport Ireland cannot enter into a sponsorship contract or take a gift that would be inconsistent on Government policy or any of its functions.

3. Service Agreement

In a new development there is to be a service agreement to be entered into between Sport Ireland and the Minister setting out the tasks to be carried out by the new body.

The timing of the proposed enactment of the Bill should become apparent when the legislative programme for the Autumn is published on 17^th September. However, we understand that the it is intended that Sport Ireland will become operational as of 1^st January 2015.

Read The Bill Here

Read More Here

FutureFit helps clubs reduce their energy bills

Sep 2, 2014

FutureFit has recently been successful in securing government funding of over half a million euro on behalf of 21 sports clubs and facilities throughout the country. The funding will help pay for roof and wall insulation, energy efficient lighting, more efficient boilers, heat pumps, solar thermal installation and efficient refrigeration systems, all of which will help reduce their energy bills significantly. The average cost is over €50,000 per club which should generate an average saving of over €11,000 per year giving a return on investment of 2.3 years after funding.

Clubs around the country are well aware of the high cost of energy in their facilities and that every euro saved can be diverted back into valuable services for the club. Energy retrofitting is really important for Ireland, reducing expensive imports of fossil fuel and providing much needed employment.

FutureFit is also delivering a management and training module entitled “EnergyFit”

What your club gets from EnergyFit?

• Professional energy assessment to identify savings

• Analysis of bills for best tariff and annual usage/costs

• Online, real-time electricity monitoring

• Training on energy management for club members

• An application for SEAI funding where appropriate

• PR and other support from our partners

For further information please contact paul@futurefit.ie or call 086-343-3368

Minister Ring publishes Bill to merge the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority

Aug 29, 2014

Provisions included to statutorily underpin the national Anti-Doping Programme and the Irish Anti-Doping Rules

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport, Michael Ring TD, has today (Thursday) published the Sport Ireland Bill 2014 following approval by the Government.

The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the establishment of a new statutory sports body, Sport Ireland, which merges the two existing sports bodies – the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority. The merger of the two bodies is part of the Government’s programme for the rationalisation of State agencies.

The Sport Ireland Bill is available on the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport website at: http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=27180&&CatID=59

Minister Ring said: ‘This Bill brings responsibility for the implementation of Irish sports policy under a single agency, Sport Ireland. The new agency will take over responsibility for the relevant functions currently performed by the Council and the Authority. 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. I hope to have the Bill enacted during the next Dáil term and to establish Sport Ireland as early as possible’.

The Sport Ireland Bill combines the main provisions of the Irish Sports Council Act, 1999 and the National Sports Campus Development Authority Act 2006. It also includes new provisions relating to doping in sport, which ensure the statutory underpinning of the national Anti-Doping Programme and the Irish Anti-Doping Rules.

Minister Ring added: ‘Anti-doping is a key area of work in sport aimed at ensuring that all athletes are competing on an equal footing. The Bill includes new provisions which will help Sport Ireland in its work in combatting doping in sport, and in continuing the work done by the Irish Sports Council in this area. The Bill provides a statutory basis for Ireland’s Anti-Doping Programme and the Irish Anti-Doping Rules. It also provides for sharing of information between Sport Ireland and relevant organisations, including the Irish Medicines Board, the Gardaí and Customs, which is an essential element in the fight against doping in sport’.

NGB Profile: Softball Ireland

Aug 27, 2014

Softball was introduced to Ireland in the early 1980’s and Softball Ireland was established in 1989. Softball Ireland is the governing body for all variations the sport of softball in Ireland. Softball Ireland is internationally aligned with the European Softball Federation and the International Softball Federation.

The primary objective is to promote and develop the sport at every level from recreational softball through to Irelands High Performance Programme. Currently headquartered in Dublin Softball Ireland is run by an elected voluntary board who are responsible for the organisation, development and growth of the game in Ireland.

What is Softball?

Softball is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Women’s fastpitch softball became a Summer Olympic sport in 1996, but it (and baseball) were dropped in 2005 from the 2012 games. It is hoped that Softball will be reintroduced to the 2020 Olympic Games.

There are two types of softball. In the most common type, slow-pitch softball (which is played by the majority of players in Ireland), the ball, must arch on its path to the batter; there are 10 players in a team; and bunting and stealing are prohibited. In fastpitch softball, the pitch is fast, there are nine players on the field at one time, and bunting and stealing are permitted. Softball Ireland has launched Women’s fastpitch in 2014 as part of its policy of getting more women playing sport.

Membership:

There are 37 affiliated clubs in Ireland with a combined membership of just under 700 players.

Fact File:

• Softball was invented in 1887 in Chicago as an indoor game. It was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground, softbund ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies’ baseball. The name softball was given to the game in 1926.
• The standard distance between bases for slow-pitch softball is 65feet and for fastpitch softball is 60ft. In fastpitch softball the ball is pitched underarm and can reach speeds of up to 60mph
• Ireland has been participated in European Championships since 1998 and is currently ranked fourth in Europe in slow-pitch softball. Ireland has previously won both silver and bronze medals at the European Championships

Key Events in 2014/2015

World Series Softball Tournament, September 13, 2014, London

European Softball Federation Annual Congress, February 2015, Dublin

ESF Slow-pitch Championships, July 2015, Bulgaria

ESF Fastpitch Championships, 2015, TBC

Contact Info

www.softball.ie

Twitter: @softballireland

E: info@softball.ie