Campus to develop facilities for Horse Sport Ireland & Pentathlon Ireland

Oct 25, 2012

Press Release from Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport:

• Lease agreements in place with FAI, GAA, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association to develop facilities on site
• FAI receives FIFA grant for developing training pitches
• New HQ for Irish Sport NGBs to be occupied early next year
• Work on multi-sport pitches & pavilion to commence in January 2013
• Site clearance and infrastructure works are underway

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has confirmed a number of developments at the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown including the development of high performance training facilities for Horse Sport Ireland and Pentathlon Ireland.

Speaking at a briefing on developments at the National Sports Campus, Minister Varadkar also confirmed that lease agreements have been put in place with the FAI, GAA, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association (IHA), after the ownership of lands at Blanchardstown were transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Campus Development Authority in August.

“I’m very pleased with the huge progress made in the last six months. I hope this decision by HIS and Pentathlon Ireland will encourage many other NGBs to view the Campus as an ideal site for developing facilities and enhancing their own sport. Following on from the positive announcement on investment in training pitches from the FAI earlier this month, today’s announcement shows that the partnership approach between Government and sporting bodies which I announced last March is working,” Minister Varadkar said.

The National Sports Campus Development Authority will now develop a centre of excellence for Horse Sport Ireland/Pentathlon Ireland for equestrian sports, and facilities for the modern pentathlon.

Other developments

• Ownership of the State lands, approximately 520 acres, was transferred by the Government from the Department of Agriculture to the NSCDA in August, allowing the Authority to draw up Lease Agreements with the FAI, GAA, IRFU and IHA to develop their own facilities on site. The FAI has subsequently received a grant towards the development work from FIFA;
• Site clearance and infrastructure works are underway. Tenders are also being sought for the installation of a new internal access road which opens up the site, and preparatory work for the installation of multi-sport all-weather pitches and a pavilion for use by the local community. This work, including the installation of the community pitches will be completed during 2013;
• Work on refurbishing an existing building on site as a new Irish Sport HQ will be completed early in the new year. Fit-out will take place in the early months of 2013. The first of the 18 NGBs to be based there is scheduled to come on site in March;
• Agreement has been reached between Horse Sport Ireland/Pentathlon Ireland for the development of a centre of excellence for equestrian sports and the modern pentathlon at the Campus. The cost of upgrading the existing facilities to the required standard required by Horse Sport Ireland is estimated to be around €600,000. A Business Plan is being put in place to sustain the facility and re-coup over 50% of the capital investment within ten years. Procurement and installation works are already underway and are expected to be completed by March 2013. The agreed plan with Horse Sport Ireland involves the development of a high performance equestrian training arena within the walled garden area of Abbotstown House, and the renovation of an adjacent farm outhouse to accommodate the Pentathlon disciplines of Fencing and Pistol Shooting. A Licence Agreement has already been executed between the NSCDA and Horse Sport Ireland on behalf of its affiliates, and especially Pentathlon Ireland. Ireland’s pentathletes Natalya Coyle and Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe enjoyed a prominent position at the recent London Olympics, and the hope is that these new facilities will help in the development of such athletes in the future.

NSCDA Chairman Sean Benton said: “The proximity to the National Aquatic Centre, the support services of the Irish Institute of Sport, and the availability of cross country courses on Campus will all be of considerable benefit to aspiring equestrian riders and pentathletes alike. It is our intention to continue rolling out training facilities which are required by elite athletes and yet are also made available to the public as we have done at the National Aquatic Centre and at Morton Stadium, Santry.”

HSI Chairman Joe Walsh said: “This move is a very important step for Irish Equestrian and affiliated sports. It not only provides us with the dedicated training facilities which we need, but it also merges equestrian sports with other mainstream sporting disciplines which can only be of benefit to all of Irish sport. Priority access will be given to high performance athletes, but the facilities will also be used by HSI affiliates and will also be open for private hire by the public.”

Ends

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Press Office: 01 6041076 / 01 6041090. Nick Miller 086 6992080
WHPR (on behalf of NSCDA) Greg Keane: 01 6690030 / 087 6601908

Irish American Football Association – The Gathering Dublin Launched

Oct 4, 2012

On Wednesday 3rd October, the Minister for Sport – Mr. Michael Ring TD and the Mayor of South Dublin – Cllr. Cathal King launched The Gathering Dublin. The Irish American Football Association is pleased to announce that it is one of the partners in The Gathering Dublin and will be staging a number of events in South Dublin during 2013. A new website – www.thegatheringdublin.com went live after the launch.

At the Global Irish Economic Forum held in 2011, the Irish Government announced that 2013 would mark the year of The Gathering, the biggest tourism initiative ever created for Ireland. Minister Leo Varadkar stated that “The Gathering will be a year long programme of events festivals and fun”. In response, South Dublin Tourism conceived The Gathering Dublin, which is expected to be the most prominent initiate in the The Gathering 2013 calender of events.

South Dublin County is home to Basketball Ireland, Baseball Ireland and the Irish American Football Association, so the county decided to build on its unique association with American sports to put together a series of events aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to compete in sporting events within the County. Other sporting and cultural organizations have also joined the initiative to give a programme of events that spans 15 sporting and cultural areas.

The Gathering Dublin is also unique in that it brings together local government, national sporting facilities, the tourist industry, cultural organizations and the sporting National Governing Bodies into a single partnership that is not only able to host major events, but also able to fully cater for the travel, accommodation, cultural, educational and sight seeing needs of the visitors.

The American football events to be run in South Dublin in 2013 as part of the programme of events in 2013 are:

EFAF Atlantic Cup (June 28/29): This is the official Western European Amateur Club Championship. Irish Champions, Belfast Trojans will compete against teams from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg over the weekend of 28^th/29^th June. The Atlantic Cup will be run as a festival style event whereby fans can sit back and enjoy the games, take part in some interactive American football skills games and enjoy some local food and drink. Visitors from Europe can also take part in some cultural activities.

Shamrock Bowl XXVII (July): This is Ireland’s National Championship game and will take place in Tallaght Stadium. It will be run as a family orientated event and will be used to showcase the IAFL to a wider audience. For the first time ever, travel packages will be available for European and American fans who want to attend the game.

The Gathering Classic games (Aug/Sept): Four visiting North American teams will play a doubleheader of games in Tallaght Stadium in late August or early September. These will be regular season competitive games featuring large high school, college or semi-professional teams. The aim of the event will be to introduce Irish and European fans to the unique atmosphere of a major US game as well as showcasing Tallaght Stadium as a venue for major American football games in the future. The visiting teams and fans will also be able to enjoy some Irish cultural experiences.

Welcome Message from The Gathering Dublin team:

The Gathering Dublin is set to bring everyone who loves Ireland back for a year of fantastic events. From American Football to Baseball to Art Competitions, 2013 is the year where we all get together to “Meet To Compete” in South Dublin, located 30 minutes from one of Europe’s most historic yet cosmopolitan cities. Dublin, voted one of the world’s friendliest cities is busy preparing for a very exciting 2013.

With visitors arriving from all over the world, here in South Dublin we’ve decided to show off what we do best. We have top of the line sporting facilities like Tallaght Stadium and The National Basketball Arena, there’s theatre spaces like Civic Theatre and RUA RED and we’re completely connected by the bus and red line LUAS.

With 25 sporting events, an international art competition running across 15 countries and the chance to trace your genealogy, The Gathering Dublin 2013 welcomes first-timers and ex-pats to Ireland for a chance to make memories and fondly visit old ones.

2013 is the year for everyone who loves being Irish!

So – if you are connected to Ireland in some way – either through genealogy, college attendance, alumni association or business connection, if you are or have played for a school, college or state and would like to have your team ‘Meet to Compete’ in The Gathering Dublin 2013, drop us a note at info@thegatheringdublin.com

The Gathering Dublin Events: American football, Art, Basketball, Baseball, Bridge, Canoeing, Cricket, Cycling, Soccer, Golf, Irish Dancing, Ladies Football, Poker and Youth Soccer.

Partners: South Dublin Tourism, South Dublin County Council, The Gathering Ireland, County Dublin Vocational Educational Committee, Department of Environment, Fingal Leader Partnership.

Media Partners: World Irish, European Irish, Irish Central.

Travel Partner: Joe O’Reilly Ireland Group.

€2.6m for new Sports Equipment Grants to boost participation – Ring

Oct 4, 2012

Press Release from Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport:

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring has approved grants of €2.6 million to allow 22 national sports bodies to buy new equipment, boost participation in sport and improve performance.

The funding has been awarded to a range of National Governing Bodies including the Athletics Association, the Irish Rugby Football Union, Irish Wheelchair Association Sport, Canoeing Ireland, the GAA, the Irish Sailing Association, the Football Association of Ireland, and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.

The new equipment will include items as diverse as a mobile Olympic Handball arena, scrum machines, a ‘cricket factory’ where you can try out cricket for fun, and martial arts arenas.

It includes a grant of €160,228 to the Irish Wheelchair Association Sport to provide new equipment for sports like basketball, athletics, hand cycling and rugby, boccia, table tennis, archery, frisbee, tennis, powerlifting and gym equipment.

Minister Ring said: ‘The real beneficiaries from this funding will be the thousands of sportspeople across Ireland who head out on weeknights and weekends to train with their local club. Although some of the equipment will be used at national level by the governing bodies, a significant portion will be utilised at local level. I hope it will encourage more people to get involved in sport’.

The equipment aims to help a diverse range of sports to attract more participants, run better competitions, monitor performance and train more effectively, building on the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Applications were invited through the Irish Sports Council. All 22 organisations which applied are being funded under the scheme.

Minister launches Special Olympics Ireland’s Health Promotion Project Report

Oct 2, 2012

Press Release from Special Olympics Ireland:

(Tuesday, 2^nd October 2012) Minister of State, Kathleen Lynch T.D. attended the launch of Special Olympics Ireland’s research report:  “The Development and Evaluation of a Health Promotion Programme for People with Intellectual Disabilities.”

Research has shown that 68% of people with an intellectual disability have a BMI in the overweight/obese category. The aim of this programme was to develop, pilot and evaluate a user-friendly Health Promotion resource pack which could be delivered in community based Special Olympics clubs and Intellectual Disability Service. The report details the findings of the programme, which was initiated in 2008 to help address the lack of health promotion resources for people with an intellectual disability in Ireland.

The Resource Pack was developed in consultation with Special Olympics athletes, volunteers and family members and covers the most pertinent health needs of people with intellectual disabilities including nutrition, physical activity, heart health and bone health.

Statutory and non-statutory organisations collaborated in the development of this resource. Health knowledge and behaviour questionnaires were administered to the 286 participants at start of the pilot in order to establish a baseline and again on completion. The results showed a statistically significant increase in health knowledge and health behaviours, most notably a 48% increase in the numbers of participants meeting the recommended daily intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables.

Qualitative data was gathered through questionnaires and focus groups conducted with participants, volunteers, Services staff and family members. The feedback from the participants indicated that the user-friendly nature of the pack ensured that the participants were more inclined to follow its direction.  It was evident that by relating the importance of health to sport, the participants felt more encouraged to make a health change.

Speaking at the project report launch Minster of State Kathleen Lynch T.D. said “I am delighted to hear such positive findings arising from this pilot programme. It is wonderful to hear how much of a difference it has already made to the participants in such a relatively short period of time. If this programme shows us anything it is that health and sport go hand in hand and that positive lifestyle changes are important and beneficial to us all. I would like to congratulate everyone involved and encourage the participants to keep up the good work!”

Dr Nazih Eldin, Head of Health Promotion Dublin North East, Health Service Executive said “The HSE welcomes this initiative which aims at reducing health inequalities for Special Olympics athletes in Ireland.  It is great to see that an effective, evidence based and targeted programme was developed in collaboration and cooperation of so many different experts, parents and people with intellectual disability.  The HSE is hoping that this model will achieve all its goals and that the benefit will be shared by everyone in Ireland”.

Matt English, CEO Special Olympics Ireland said “The publication of this report is hugely significant for Special Olympics Ireland. We are delighted to see the positive impact that the introduction of this programme has made not only to our athletes who participated in it but also their families. The findings are hugely encouraging to us and once again affirm our promise of enriching and enhancing the lives of people with an intellectual disability in Ireland. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who played a part in making the initial pilot programme such a success, particularly the HSE Dublin North East”.

View the report here

Coca-Cola to Provide Funding of €125k to Communities in Ireland

Sep 7, 2012

Coca-Cola HBC Ireland today announced the details of 45 non-profit organisations shortlisted for the ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’. These organisations are in with a chance to be awarded grants from the Fund, which stands at €125,000. One overall winner will be awarded €25K with ten runners up receiving €10K in funding.  The public vote will go live from this Saturday the 1^st of September and will close on 30th of September 2012. The public vote will count for 50% of the total vote with the judging panel awarding the remaining 50% of votes available.

The ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’, which is being operated in partnership with The Wheel and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) has been designed to support projects and initiatives that are promoting active lifestyles throughout the island of Ireland.

Speaking today, Erica Roseingrave, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca-Cola

HBCIreland said: “The response to the ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’ has been tremendous. We’ve received so many fantastic entries which showcase the inspirational work that takes place at grassroots level in communities all around Ireland. Out of the entries received the 45 that made the shortlist were those that either had a new or innovative idea or were ones that we felt have the potential to have a positive impact on larger groups of people in communities across the country.  We hope that the funding that is being made available will be used to fund projects that will have a long-term and sustainable benefit. We know from our experience last year that when organisations receive funding of this nature that they can do amazing things. We are very excited about the potential projects in the shortlist and would encourage members of the public to go online to www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou, review the applications and to vote for their favourite.”

“We would also like to thank all those that were not shortlisted for taking the time to apply for funding. We were very impressed by all the entries and amazed and humbled by the work that is being done – in many cases by dedicated and hard-working volunteers. We would like to wish all those organisations best wishes for the future. From this Saturday, the 1^st of September the shortlist will be available online and the public have up until the 30^th of September to cast their vote. In parallel with the public vote our judging panel will be casting their votes and together with our judges, I would like to wish the final 45 the best of luck in these final stages.”
The eleven winners of the grants will be announced in November 2012. One overall winner will receive a grant for €25,000 with the ten runners up receiving individual grants of €10,000.

The judging panel is made up of a variety of experts and promoters of active lifestyles who were selected because of their proven track-record in making positive contributions in this area. Judges include:

• Erica Roseingrave, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca-ColaHBCIreland
• Karl Henry, Personal Trainer
• Alan Quinlan, Former MusterRugby/IrelandPlayer
• Sarah O’Connor, Chief Executive at The Federation of Irish Sports
• Eoghan Murphy, Fine Gael TD inDublinSouth East
• Deirdre Garvey , CEO, The Wheel
• James Laverty, NICVA
• John Heaslip, CEO, Business in the Community NorthernIreland

Welcoming the shortlisted forty five, Deirdre Garvey, CEO, The Wheel said: “Once again, we are delighted to partner with Coca-Cola on this project. This is the second year of The Fund and it’s great to work with Coke and our fellow judges to identify the most worthy projects which could potentially go on to receive quite a significant amount of money from the ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’. The great aspect of this Fund is that the money goes directly back into the communities around the country. The projects shortlisted rose to the top of the pile and I hope the public will play their part in choosing the winning eleven by logging on and casting their vote.”

To view the shortlist for the ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’ and vote for your favourite log onto www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou before midnight on the 30^th September 2012.

DEADLINE FOR NATIONAL AWARDS TO VOLUNTEERS IN IRISH SPORT EXTENDED

Aug 7, 2012

Volunteering in sport has never been more important to Ireland

The importance of volunteering in Irish sport has never been more important than in today’s difficult economic times when funding for Irish sport is at its most stretched. The efforts of the 450,000 people who each year volunteer their time is crucial to the well-being of Irish sport according to Sarah O’Connor, the Chief Executive of the Federation of Irish Sport.

“It is in recognition of those efforts that the National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport were set up a number of years ago” said Ms O’Connor who was announcing that the deadline for nominations for this year’s awards has been extended to Friday, August 24^th, to ensure that these dedicated individuals are recognised for the work they do.

Sport remains the biggest driver of voluntary activity in Ireland and the work of volunteers in sport is vital at every level. Without grassroots helpers, sport simply wouldn’t happen. The Irish athletes currently representing their country arrived at the pinnacle of their sporting careers as a result of the hours of passion, dedication and effort that volunteers afforded them as they developed as players and athletes.

This was highlighted by Irish Olympic swimmer Sycerika McMahon at the launch of the awards in May: “It is impossible to get to the Olympics irrespective of the sport without a huge number of people making sacrifices to get you to that point. This includes friends, family, coaches but also the people at my club and school who invested me at the beginning when I was just another child learning to swim.”

From the nominations received, ten winners will be selected to receive an award at the ceremony in the Aviva Stadium in November. An overall or lifetime award to honour a volunteer, who has consistently given of their time for a sport, a team, or an event over many years, will also be awarded.

This is the fourth edition of the Volunteers in Irish Sport Awards, which is an initiative of the Federation of Irish Sport in conjunction with the Irish Sports Council, the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and The Community Foundation of Ireland.

Full details of the scheme and how to nominate can be found on line at www.volunteersinsport.ie. Nominations can be made by clubs, individuals or sporting bodies.