Just Sport Ireland Increases Number of Sports Signed Up to 33 in 2012

Dec 20, 2012

2012 marked a period of real progress for Just Sport Ireland, the independent dispute resolution facility, set up by the Federation of Irish Sport to provide a specialised, fast and cost effective mechanism for the resolution of sporting disputes. More than 30 sports now have provision for JSI within their rules.

JSI provides both an arbitration and mediation service for Irish Sport. JSI can also on request provide qualified people to sit on the internal disciplinary panels of sports bodies.

The provision for alternative dispute resolution within the rules of sporting organisations is provided for in the Programme for Government. It is also a key objective in the Irish Sports Council’s current statement of strategy. Indeed by 2014 the Irish Sports Council, which supports JSI through the Federation, will require all sporting organisations to provide for alternative dispute resolution within their governing rules.

The principle advantage of making provision for JSI within the rules of a sporting organisation is that it acts as a self-defence mechanism against the threat of court litigation. Dispute resolution with JSI is designed to be fast, cost effective and is dealt with by people with knowledge of sport in an entirely confidential environment.

It costs €150 to refer a dispute to JSI for mediation and €250 for arbitration. In 2012 the average cost of arbitration with JSI was €1,382 although parties may also incur additional legal costs if they appoint solicitors. The JSI process is however designed to be easy to use so that legal representation is not required.

This should be enhanced in early 2013 with the adoption of a new JSI Rulebook to further simplify and streamline the process making JSI even easier to use. 33 National Sporting Organisations have so far made provision for JSI within their rules with organisations as diverse as Special Olympics Ireland, Mountaineering Ireland, Athletics Ireland and Deaf Sports Ireland all signed up.

If your organisation has not yet made provision for Just Sport Ireland we would ask that you contact the Federation’s  Support Services Officer to find out how JSI can help your sport. Conn can be reached at 01-6251155, registrar@justsport.ie or visit the website http://www.justsport.ie/

A brief summary of the service is outlined for download here.

€1.3 Million Reduction in Sports Council Funding for 2013

Dec 6, 2012

Budget 2013 sees a reduction in €1.3 million in Irish Sport Council funding for next year. The 2.9% reduction on the Irish sport council’s  €44.5 million allocation for 2012 is 2.1% less than the anticipated cut of 5%. Speaking about the impact of Budget 2013 on sport, Minister Varadkar said:

“The boxers, paralympians, individual athletes, our national teams and local and county sportspeople lifted the nation’s spirits throughout the year. We are immensely grateful for that as a nation. Moreover, rising levels of participation in sport suggest that our policies are working and investment in sport is producing a real return. In recognition of this, I am reducing the planned cut in funding to the Sports Council from 5% to 2.9% for 2013.”

The estimates for 2013 outline that a further €57 million in expenditure savings will need to be found across the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in 2014. With €2.6 million of those savings earmarked to come from sport it remains important for Irish Sport to continue to press home the message of the varied contribution sport makes to Ireland whilst at the same time looking at diversifying the income streams available to it. Much work remains to be done in this regard particularly when it comes to incentivising the private sector to invest in Irish Sport.

Read the Federation of Irish Sport’s pre-budget letter to Ministers Varadkar & Ring

Federation of Irish Sport launches new Sport Insurance Scheme

Dec 6, 2012

The Federation launched the new Sport Insurance Scheme on 5^th December with a group of over 30 sporting bodies attending a reception at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin.

The new group insurance scheme has been specifically designed for National Governing Bodies, sports clubs and individuals and follows an extensive tender process undertaken by the Federation on behalf of our members.

The scheme is intended to ensure that our members get a good deal on insurance and we hope this will allow NGBs to concentrate on what really matters – the continued development of their sport.

BHP Insurances Ltd has been appointed as brokers to the scheme and they have been brokering community group schemes since 1998. Together with IPB Insurance, the underwriters of the scheme, they will ensure that should the need arise, members will receive the back up of a fast efficient and experienced claims service.

FIND OUT HOW THIS SCHEME COULD HELP YOU

All Island Sport and Physical Activity Research Body Convenes in Armagh

Dec 6, 2012

The Federation attended the inaugural meeting of the All Island Sport and Physical Activity Pedagogy Partnership (AI-SPAPP) in Armagh on the 8&9^thNovember which was convened by Dr Fiona Chambers, UCC and Professor Deirdre Brennan, University of Ulster.

L to R: Peter Smyth, research manager Irish Sports Council, Dr. Fiona Chambers, UCC Sean Kelly MEP, Sharon Haughey, Deirdre Brennan and Paul Donnelly (Policy planning & research manager, Sport NI. Photo: John Murphy

The body which was launched by Sean Kelly, MEP, intends to bring together academic researchers, NGBs, athletes, young people, policy makers, practitioners as well as community and business leaders to devise a research strategy that will help encourage lifelong physical activity.At the opening session on Thursday evening each member of the group were asked to pitch, in ten minutes or less, their three research priorities and the Federation identified:

1. Economic benefit of participation in sport to the health system

(e.g. reduction of health spend)

2. Educational benefit of participation in sport for children/young adults

(e.g. improved learning/results)

3. Economic impact of sport to Ireland

(e.g. jobs created, money to exchequer, areas of potential)

Whilst some research has been carried out in Ireland on the economic and social impact of sport, this needs to be updated and it would be useful to have annual research and empirical data to outline the positive impact sport has in Ireland in numerous areas e.g. Health, Education, Tourism. This research would allow the sporting community show to government that sport has real measureable benefits which should be supported on an on-going basis.

The Friday session, at the North South Ministerial Council Buildings in Armagh, broke the group into their areas of expertise and sought to tease out possible terms of reference for the group, to narrow down research objectives and to identify actions for the next meeting in March 2013.

The Seminar finished on Friday afternoon and the delegates headed off to the four corners of the island with much to think of and work to do before the next meeting in the new year.

Mr Seán Kelly, MEP, said initiatives such as AI-SPAPP were important if we wished to maximize our physical, human and intellectual resources for the benefit of the public. “We need to have our brightest minds informing policy, impacting practice and preparing preventive strategies to offset the challenges of a post-modern world that has, perhaps unwittingly, engineered physical inactivity.”

Further Reading:

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=21286

http://thecorknews.ie/articles/adult-inactivity-examined-8143

http://www.ucc.ie/en/news/summary-173746-en.html

http://news.ulster.ac.uk/releases/2012/6640.html

€26M for 615 new sports projects announced by Ring

Dec 3, 2012

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring has announced almost €26 million in new funding for local sports projects across the country, the first round of sports capital funding in four years.

Speaking at the announcement Minister Ring, said: ‘I am excited about the allocations being made today. These allocations will benefit people in every county by giving them more opportunities to get involved in sport, whatever their ability. This funding will allow a diverse array of sports clubs and groups to build and improve much-needed facilities, or to purchase sports equipment’.

The 2012 round of the Sports Capital Programme is the first round of the programme since 2008. New criteria were introduced for this year’s programme with a particular emphasis on clubs in disadvantaged areas.

Between 1998 and 2010, €140 per person was provided in sports capital funding across the country. However, the allocations to individual counties varied significantly. While the best performing county got €196 of sports funding on a per capita basis, other counties got only a little over half of that. Therefore on this occasion funding has been allocated on a per-capita basis to each county with a weighting for past performance.

A total of 2,170 applications were received, the highest number of applications ever received under the Programme. These applications sought a total of €229 million in funding. Further allocations of €4 million will be made to national and regional projects in the coming weeks.

The Sports Capital Programme is the Government’s main vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment.

Main features of the 2012 Sports Capital Programme are:

• Total fund of €30 million available for allocation.
• Some clubs previously excluded were able to apply this year. For the first time clubs and organisations which do not own their land or do not have a long lease were able to apply for modest grants of up to €25,000 to upgrade facilities.

The allocations announced include funding for:

o   Natural grass sports pitches, tracks and courts (including pitch drainage)
o   Floodlighting
o   Artificial sports pitches, tracks, courts and multi-use games areas
o   Security fencing and ball stop netting
o   Hurling walls / handball alleys
o   Building or refurbishment of dressing rooms, showers and toilets
o   Building or refurbishment of sports halls and gyms
o   Non-personal sports equipment
o   Shared facilities
o   Any other capital projects that are clearly sporting in nature and that will increase participation in sport or improve performance

See the complete list of allocations here

Federation of Irish Sport Publishes Annual Review

Nov 30, 2012

Click the image to view the Annual Review

• Irish Sports Continue to Shine Brightly – but Strikes Cautious Note for the Future
• Decisions Today will  have Real Impact by End of Decade
• Federation Highlights Potential of Sport in Vision 2020
• Innovative Funding methods Must be Considered
• Value of Sports Tourism Highlighted
• Call for Professional Body to Bid for Sports Tourism Projects
• Sport Could Play Major Role in Tackling Obesity Problems

Irish sport continues to be one of the few bright spots for Ireland in these difficult economic times.  In a year that has seen Irish soccer feature once again at a major championship, Katie Taylor win Olympic Gold, our Paralympians take 16 medals at the London Games, Kilkenny continue their remarkable feats, Rory McIlroy win all around him and Irish rugby unveil a new and exciting generation of players, Irish sport has provided one of the few beacons of hope for the country.

At the same time sport cannot be taken for granted and decisions taken now could have a major negative impact in the future that could set Irish sport back decades.  These are just a number of the key messages in this year’s annual Review of Irish Sport which has been published by the Federation of Irish Sport.  The Review was launched earlier today, Friday, 30 November, 2012.

The Federation, which represents Ireland’s national sporting organisations, has been publishing an annual review since 2009.  The main purpose of the Review is to remind key influencers of the positive power of sport in Ireland and also to ensure that the development and funding of sport remains a Government priority.   As in previous years the Federation has used its Review not alone to warn against funding cuts but to also suggest ways in which changes in Government policy could be beneficial to the development of Irish sport and its funding.

In her review of the year Federation CEO, Sarah O’Connor, said that she was delighted to note that the Government had given a commitment to involve sport in next year’s Global Economic Forum. She said it was recognition of the very real contribution sport is today making to the Irish economy and to our reputation both at home and abroad.

She went on to say that the Federation and its members fully recognise the difficulties for Government funding for sport today and that she was felt it was even more essential that the Government be open to explore other ways of securing investment in sport.  She said that now was not the time to make decisions on areas such as sports sponsorship by alcohol companies. She said that all the research that the Federation had undertaken pointed to the fact that there are little or no new sponsorship monies available in the marketplace.  She said that whatever is done in the long-term nothing should be done in the short-term.

She also noted that sport had made a submission to the Government in relation to funding of amateur sport.  “Amateur sport is at a distinct disadvantage to other areas of community and voluntary sector given that unlike them it doesn’t qualify for charitable status.  There is therefore no incentive to give to sport in the same way that there are for other causes that are of public benefit.”  She said that a change in the status of amateur sport could make a huge difference to sport in the short term.

She again noted the importance of volunteerism in Irish sports.  She said that without the 500,000 plus volunteers that are involved in Irish sport every year that it would simply cease to function.  She said it was all too easy to forget that there is a real economic value on such volunteering and the value to sport is of the order of €350 million a year.

In conclusion she also noted the fact that sport was committed to being part of The Gathering in 2013.  She believed that sports tourism, as evidenced by such events as the US Football match in Dublin and the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway could be of huge benefit in the re-building of the country.  She appealed to the Government to set up a specialist agency, along similar lines to that in Denmark, to bid for sports events.  She noted that Sport Event Denmark was now successful in two out of every three bids it made.

The Future of Irish Sport

As part of this year’s Review the Federation asked a number of experts in the sporting area to look ahead to the year 2020 with a view to seeing what sport could be like for the country if it were given the right support.  There was remarkable consistency among many of those asked and the key findings as to what they would like to see sport looking at in 2020 were as follows:

• One single State entity to deal with all sport,  bringing together the old Irish Sports Council, the National Sports Campus Development Authority, Coaching Ireland and the Irish Institute of Sport.  The new entity to have control over all elements of sport including high performance NGB grants, the sports capital budget and also to be involved in all decisions relating to sport and health and sports tourism.
• Recognition of sport as a cornerstone for the improvement of Irish Society and increased co-operation between all Government Departments having an impact on sport
• Charitable status for amateur sport to help free up new streams of revenue.
• Monies from taxes raised from the betting industry to be shared across all sports.
• The setting up of a single agency to bid for international sports events.
• Sport to be used as a vehicle to improve the health of the nation.  Only this week a new study showed that obesity/overweight is costing the island of Ireland €1.65 billion a year.
• The completion of the National Sports Campus.
• Ireland having a high performance system that matches the very best in the world
• All schools having physical education as part of their curriculum.
• Greater involvement of women in sport throughout all of their lives
• Ireland hosting the Rugby World Cup 2023.

View the 2012 Annual Review Here