Nov 14, 2023
Nominations open from 13th November – 18th December 2023
- Supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships
- To nominate volunteers visit volunteersinsport.ie
- #dedicatedtothededicated
November 13th , The Federation of Irish Sport today announced the launch of the 2023 Volunteers in Sports Awards, a highly anticipated event set to recognise the unsung heroes who breathe life into sports in every corner of the country. Supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships these dedicated volunteers are the backbone of sporting communities, and it’s time to celebrate their unwavering commitment.
Nominations for the awards are now open, and you can submit your entries at the dedicated awards website, www.volunteersinsport.ie. Under the banner of #DedicatedToTheDedicated, these awards are more than just a ceremony; they are a celebration of the remarkable individuals who pour their hearts into sports in every county across Ireland.
The 2023 awards will culminate in a spectacular in-person awards ceremony, scheduled to take place on Thursday 29th February 2024. Nominations opened today Monday, November 13th, and the window for entries will close on Monday December 18th, 2023. The nominations received will be meticulously shortlisted and thoughtfully considered by our Judging Panel. This prestigious event will see 32 county awards presented, and one exceptional individual will be crowned with the coveted Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of sporting activities in clubs and communities nationwide. They generously invest their time, energy, and passion, dedicating themselves to the development of their chosen sport. Over 450,000 dedicated volunteers are needed on a weekly basis to fuel club activities. Their collective efforts translate into an astonishing estimated economic value of €1.5 billion, showcasing the immeasurable impact of their contributions. Without these volunteers, the very existence of sports clubs would hang in the balance.
Olympian David Gillick in attendance to launch the Volunteers in Sport Awards at the Sports Campus in Dublin.
Attending the launch was former track star, ambassador David Gillick who mentioned,
“Volunteers are the backbone of our sport, I wouldn’t have achieved what I did in sport if it wasn’t for people volunteering. Equally, every sport at all levels needs volunteers to give teams and athletes the opportunities to realise their potential. We all know someone who gets involved week after week, simply for the love of sport and I’d encourage everyone to nominate those superstars in this years’ volunteer awards.”
Speaking at the launch Federation CEO Mary O’Connor commented;
“The Federation of Irish Sport is once again delighted to host these awards with the support of the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships. The awards recognise dedicated club members and celebrate the impact they’re having not just to their sports club but to the wider community. Recognising our volunteers in sport is hugely important and acknowledging them in this way serves as an important reminder of the significant economic and social value of volunteering in Ireland. We want to ensure that volunteers in sport know their dedication doesn’t go unnoticed and inspire more volunteers in sport.”
Highlighting the significance of this awards, Head of Sport, Louth LSP, Louth County Council Graham Russell stated, “The National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships are, once again, proud to support the Federation of Irish Sport in hosting of these awards. The LSP’s work, on a daily basis, with volunteers from clubs and communities in every corner of the country, to support them in developing opportunities for people to engage in sport and physical activity. We are thrilled to be involved with these awards, which highlights the role that volunteers play, not just in organising sport, but in improving the physical and mental health of the country and in bringing communities together.”
Russell added that “Every elite player or athlete that has played at the top level, in an All-Ireland Final, World Cup, World Championship or in an Olympic Games will tell you that the opportunities afforded to them in the Clubs and Sports that they have excelled in, would not have existed if it were not for volunteers. No Volunteers, no Sport”
The 2023 Volunteers in Sports Awards are more than just an event; they are a tribute to the unsung heroes who make sports happen in our communities. We encourage everyone to participate in this celebration by nominating the dedicated volunteers who deserve to be recognised for their exceptional contributions.
For more information and to submit your nominations, please visit www.volunteersinsport.ie
Oct 25, 2023
The Federation was delighted to host a special member gathering in-person and live streamed event which brought together our members to hear from insights from their peers about increasing your sporting organisation’s commercial viability, delivering successful sporting events, running promotional campaigns, and reaching a wider audience.
We would like to sincerely thank Caroline Donnellan, Director of Marketing and Brand at Sky for sharing their concept and strategy behind their partnership with the FAI Women’s National Team and supporting their World Cup campaign with the multi award winning Outbelieve sponsorship campaign.
To view the recording click on the image.
The event moderated by Jill Downey, Chief Sustainability and Sponsorship Officer at Core featured a roundtable panel discussion with our members Anne McCormack CEO Hockey Ireland, Nathaniel Cope Head of Communications, Media & Digital Basketball Ireland, Patrick Haslett of Impact3Zero and Andrew May CFO Cricket Ireland. To conclude there was a spotlight on our Partners HBV Live with CEO Heatley Tector, Ross McMullen MD of Camden Promotions and Ronan Burns Head of Sales and Business Development at Future Ticketing.
A huge word of thanks to our hosts at HBV Live for their hospitality, professionalism and excellent studio facilities.
Oct 5, 2023
We’re continuing to share our member CEO views on our Asks of Government in Budget 2024. Under Action 3.7 of the Sports Policy Action Plan the Federation was tasked with presenting the business case for reforms to the taxation policy. These recommendations have been set these out in our Pre-Budget Submission under the following headings:
- Extending relief donations to approved sporting bodies
- VAT relief for sporting bodies
- Granting of charitable status to those NGBs and LSPs who wish to pursue that option
- Tax-driven incentives for personal exercise
We asked member CEOs: Would a change in VAT or Taxation Reform have a positive impact on your sport?
Here’s what Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan had to say about VAT:
The Government has committed to doubling funding to sport over the ten-year life of the National Sports Policy, and while it has risen incrementally, the reality is that since 2021 the real value of core funding for NGBs has been eroded by inflation and other costs of doing business.
In this clip Michelle Carpenter, CEO of Rowing Ireland highlights the operational costs to her sporting organisation.
Click on the image below to read the Submission in more detail.
Oct 4, 2023
Click on image to play
NGBs and LSPs strongly support the call for the increase in core funding to meet the operational challenges and business costs in the current climate
Members of the Federation of Irish Sport gathered today at Irish Sport HQ at the National Sports Campus to hear details of the Pre-Budget Submission made to Government on behalf of the Sports sector.
Federation CEO Mary O’Connor highlighted the four key Asks of Government with the top priority being an Increase in Core Funding for National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships. Arising from the meeting of member CEO’s and Coordinators, it became evident of the urgent need to retain staff and having sufficient personnel to implement organisation operational plans and National Sport Policy programmes to increase participation and encourage lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.
Oct 3, 2023
They have highlighted four key asks of Government with the top priority being an increase in core funding for governing bodies and local sports.
The federation is also calling for taxation reform, as well as the raising of the betting levy from 2% to 3%, and accelerating insurance reform.
“I think we all understand that there are unprecedented demands on the Government for this budget and also that there needs to be fiscal prudence around it,” said Swim Ireland CEO and president of the Olympic Council, Sarah Keane, speaking to RTE Sport.
“But I think for us there just seems to be a continued lack of connection between physical activity and sport and what that does for the health of the nation, and how that may be able to help impact positively on our ever growing department of health budget.
“We need people to be physically active and healthy, but for sport to do its job we need to be better funded,” she added.
Keane also highlighted the current National Sports policy, which aims for participation to rise from 43% to 60%, while adding that some of the lower profile sports have struggled since Covid times.
“Some sports have recovered incredibly well from Covid…but in an awful lot of sports, grassroots sport does not have that opportunity, and if we want to increase participation, we have to put more resources into it to the sector to do it,” said Keane.
“It is a very small figure that sport and physical activity gets compared to the wider budget, but the impact could be absolutely phenomenal on the nation.
“There is much more awareness in Irish society now about the fact that we need to be careful with what we eat, try to sleep more, watch our mental health and be physically active, but there is a disconnect between the fact that it costs to provide those opportunities.”
Also speaking at the briefing, Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor said: “It is important that Government do not take sport and physical activity for granted in budget 2024 and continues its commitment to the sector by increasing core funding and recognising the significant role sport and physical activity plays throughout Ireland from grass sports to high performance.”
Enda Lynch, CEO of Badminton Ireland added: “Staff on one-year contracts, without pensions or health insurance etc. is not sustainable – and without the brilliant people currently working in sport, we simply won’t succeed. An increase in core funding that is reflective of NGB’s looking to do the best for their staff is critical.”
Oct 3, 2023
NGBs and LSPs strongly support the call for the increase in core funding to meet the operational challenges and business costs in the current climate
Members of the Federation of Irish Sport gathered today at Irish Sport HQ at the National Sports Campus to hear details of the Pre-Budget Submission made to Government on behalf of the Sports sector.
Federation CEO Mary O’Connor highlighted the four key Asks of Government with the top priority being an Increase in Core Funding for National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships. Arising from the meeting of member CEO’s and Coordinators, it became evident of the urgent need to retain staff and having sufficient personnel to implement organisation operational plans and National Sport Policy programmes to increase participation and encourage lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.
In addition to the main Ask relating to Core Funding, the other priorities for the sector include Taxation Reform under Action 3.7 of the National Sports Policy, Raising the Betting Levy from 2% to 3% and an Acceleration of Insurance Reform.
Tasked with driving Action 3.7 of the National Sports Policy the Federation worked closely with Byran Hughes Senior Associate at A&L Goodbody and supported by economist Jim Power, to submit a report to Government which contains a number of tax expenditure reforms, which at their core seek to make sporting organisations more self-sustainable and less reliant on Government grant funding in the future.
Speaking at the briefing A&L Goodbody Senior Associate Bryan Hughes commented: “In assisting FIS with submissions to the relevant Government Ministers, we are conscious of the budgetary and legislative constraints. However, certain amendments aligned with the Sports Action Plan are possible which would go some way to achieving the policy objectives of it and the National Sports Policy.”
A number of member CEOs voiced their support of the call for an increase in core funding:
Michelle Carpenter CEO of Rowing Ireland contributed: “As we head into a significant time for many sports which in effect is a home Olympics with Paris 2024, it’s key to invest in core funding in sport to embrace and underpin the investment in high performance sport through supporting our clubs and legacies. We have incredible ambassadors that will empower and encourage a nation and we need the tools now to maximise on this.”
Enda Lynch CEO of Badminton Ireland added: “Despite the incredibly valuable role sport plays in the health and wellbeing of Irish people, and the growth in participation that successive governments have targeted, the funding necessary to help people lead healthier lives through sport is struggling to keep pace in line with inflation and associated costs of doing business. Staff on one-year contracts, without pensions or health insurance etc. is not sustainable – and without the brilliant people currently working in sport, we simply won’t succeed. An increase in core funding that is reflective of NGB’s looking to do the best for their staff is critical.”
Speaking at the briefing Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor said: “It is important that Government do not take sport and physical activity for granted in budget 2024 and continues its commitment to the sector by increasing core funding and recognising the significant role sport and physical activity plays throughout Ireland from grass sports to high performance.”
Pictured below R-L: Dr. Una May CEO Sport Ireland & John Feehan CEO Basketball Ireland. Bryan Hughes Senior Associate A&L Goodbody, Sarah Keane CEO Swim Ireland, Economist Jim Power, Enda Lynch CEO Badminton Ireland. Matt English CEO Special Olympics, Sarah Keane CEO Swim Ireland and Gary Stewart CEO Volleyball Ireland.
