Apr 4, 2022
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce. Entries are now live and the full list of categories can be found on the dedicated awards website. Entries can be made online by submitting a nomination (in less than 400 words) and supporting evidence contained in a PowerPoint presentation (max. 5 slides), illustrating how your entry meets the criteria. The Federation is looking forward to hosting the awards ceremony on Tuesday evening 17th May to highlight the value of Sport in Ireland and recognise the ongoing work of our members. Please note that entries close on Monday 25th April.
Best of luck with your entry!
Mar 31, 2022
Media Release
31st March 2022
The Federation of Irish Sport launch the 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce
The Federation of Irish Sport today announced Clubforce as the title sponsors for the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards, following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday 17th May in The Westin Hotel’s historic Banking Hall.
The 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce will be the fifth staging of the awards which recognise the invaluable relationship between business and sport in Ireland. The Sport industry in Ireland supports 64,000 jobs, stimulates €3.3 billion in household spending, and generates €3.7 billion (GVA) gross value added to the Irish economy. The awards celebrate and reward excellence in the business of sport, while simultaneously highlighting the contribution of sport to Ireland Inc.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “I am delighted to launch the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards and to have Clubforce on board as title sponsor. It is more important than ever to celebrate the economic importance of sport to the economy following an incredibly difficult two years for the sector. I am particularly pleased to announce Clubforce as title sponsor and sponsor of the Best National Governing Body Award. A leading provider of an all-in-one sports platform, they are powering clubs and sports associations across the country and have proven to be an invaluable resource in the day to day working of NGBS. We’re particularly excited to hear news of their NGB specific product later this year.
The 10 award categories recognise the value that sport adds to the Irish economy from the sports industry perspective, in addition to celebrating the ongoing work done by national governing bodies and local sports partnerships to promote sport and physical activity nationwide. According to recent Sport Ireland research the sport economy has grown faster than the economy as a whole over the past 10 years. Entries to the awards will open in the coming days and I would encourage everyone involved in sport to submit an entry to the open categories available.”
Noel Murray, CEO Clubforce
“It’s a real privilege to work with Mary and her team to showcase the value that sport brings to our economy here in Ireland. One of our values at Clubforce is to make sport accessible to all. It’s a rare event like this one that allows us to reflect, measure and celebrate the tangible benefits of ordinary people, we the non-professionals, playing sport every day.
We’re excited about the line-up and grateful to Mary and her team for putting together such an impressive agenda. I’m delighted that Warren Healy, our founder, will present the award for best National Governing Body as his passion has fuelled the innovation for our new NGB product which we will formally launch later this year. We’re looking forward to an excellent night.”
Nominations will open on Monday 4th April, all open categories and can be made via www.irishsportindustryawards.ie. Closing date for applications is Monday 25th April.
For more information visit www.irishsportindustryawards.ie or contact Clare Louise O’Donoghue on 086 0437887 or via clarelouise.odonoghue@irishsport.ie
Photo caption: Pictured (L to R) Noel Murray, CEO Clubforce, Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport, Warren Healy, Founder Clubforce.
Photo distribution by Sportsfile
ENDS.
About the Irish Sport Industry Awards
The 10 categories of awards celebrate leading governing body and local sports partnership initiatives, Best Sports Sponsorship, Best Sports Business (new and existing) the Jimmy Magee Award for Best Sports Journalist, Best Inclusivity, Best promotion of Women in Sport, Best Use of Communications platforms, and the Outstanding Achievement Award. There are 6 open categories open for public nomination and 4 closed categories which will be judged by an esteemed judging panel comprising a mix of media, PR, and independent sports industry experts. The knowledgeable judging panel will again be Chaired by Sport for Business founder Rob Hartnett. Entries open on Monday 4th April 2022.
Full category list:
Open categories
- Best Sports Sponsorship
- Best use of Communications Platform in Sport
- Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport
- Special Award for Inclusive Sport Initiative
- Local Sports Partnership initiative of the year
- National Governing Body of the year
Closed categories: decided by the Federation of Irish Sport Judges
- The Jimmy Magee award for Sports Journalist of the year
- Best New Sports Business of the year
- Best Sports Business of the year
- Outstanding Contribution to Irish Sport
About the Federation of Irish Sport
Established in 2002, the Federation of Irish Sport is the representative organisation for the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in Ireland. The Federation’s membership consists of over 110 NGBs and LSPs from every corner of the country, including the GAA, FAI, IRFU, Swim Ireland and Athletics Ireland. Currently, the Federation’s membership comprises 81 NGBs and 29 LSPs, representing over 12,000 sports clubs nationwide.
The role of the Federation is to speak on behalf of its members and represent their views to the public, while also providing them with a range of services. As governing bodies, the members’ priorities lie with their sport. Therefore, the job of the Federation is to communicate their views regarding the benefits of sport in areas such as personal health/wellbeing, the economy and society as a whole.
About Clubforce
The Clubforce mission is to make sport accessible for all whilst promoting joy, health, and wellbeing in the wider community. Clubforce has transformed the way sports clubs are managed and provides an all-in-one technology used by teams and associations worldwide to connect members, reduce administration, and drive fundraising forward. Clubforce technology allows volunteers, parents, and players alike to work together effectively, receiving the right information at the right time so everyone can participate to their very best.
Mar 30, 2022
Sport Ireland and Ireland Active have today announced a €3.2 million funding package for swimming pool operators across the country. This funding forms part of the €73.6m in Covid funding to support the sport sector announced by Government last December.
The funding allocation is an acknowledgement of the importance of the sector and the impact swimming has on the nation’s health. Ireland Active was appointed by Sport Ireland to administer the swimming pool grant scheme, supported by partners Swim Ireland.
Speaking about the announcement, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media Catherine Martin TD said: “While it is appreciated that the last two years has been a difficult period for swimming pool operators across the country, the funding announced by Sport Ireland and Ireland Active today will help provide financial stability to this important sector.”
Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD added: “Swimming Pool operators demonstrated their resilience throughout the pandemic. It is important that this resilience continues. The funding announced today will assist swimming pool operators to continue getting communities across the country active and providing a real-life skill. This has never been more important and is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing.”
Swimming pools provide a vital resource for schools, clubs and communities across the country, and it is important that this infrastructure is maintained going forward. This investment will help swimming pool operators continue to provide safe and essential service which is vital to sustain swimming and maintain high physical activity levels.
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, Una May, said: “The Irish Sports Monitor highlighted swimming to be the second most popular sport amongst adults with 300,000 participating each week. Swimming pools provide a vital resource for schools, clubs and communities across the country. Swimming greatly contributes to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities right across the country”.
Karl Dunne, CEO of Ireland Active added: “The funding being allocated today will provide some much-needed relief for swimming pool operators who have been severely hit by the pandemic and continued raising energy costs. This investment will help swimming pool operators continue to provide essential services which is vital to sustain swimming and maintain high physical activity levels. The recognition of Government around the operational and financial difficulties, along with the high energy costs of maintaining swimming pools is very welcome and will provide some much-needed financial assistance to swimming pool operators”.
Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane commented: “It has been fantastic to have Swim Ireland, Ireland Active, Sport Ireland and Government all working together to support pool operators and recognising the important role they play in helping to deliver and provide swimming opportunities in Ireland. We would like to thank all parties involved for their support in this welcome boost for swimming pools, the funding will go a long way to supporting the pools rebuild after a difficult two years, in a sector which is vital for the health and safety of our nation.”
See Grant allocations here
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Mar 29, 2022
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed the publication of the Department of Justice’s Justice Plan 2022 including timelines for a number of key reforms relevant to the Irish insurance market. In particular, the Plan undertakes to:
- “Publish amendment to the Occupiers’ Liability Act in regard to the actions required of an occupier to meet the common duty of care, and in relation to the voluntary assumption of risk by visitors”
- “Publish, subject to legal assessment, economic research on models to reduce legal costs”
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “We note that while the Action regarding duty of care in the Report itself is not as detailed as we might have hoped for, the accompanying press release states that the Minister for Justice will “Continue to tackle the cost of insurance by bringing forward new legislation on the duty of care as part of the Civil Law Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, due to be published in the coming weeks.” We welcome the timeline suggested in this statement and urge the Minister to ensure the enactment of the legislation does not slip beyond 2022.
“Additionally, we note a potential 6-month delay between the completion of economic research on models to reduce legal costs and the publication of that research. Again, we urge the Minister to ensure it is published this year.
“Finally, we welcome mentions of mediation and the fraud database in the Plan and await the outcomes of this work.
“Insurance premiums for SMEs, voluntary and community groups, sports and cultural organisations and charities continue to spiral, with many organisations now struggling to get cover at all. Our ongoing policyholder survey measures the increase in average liability renewals at +16%, on top of unsustainable increases in previous years. So the work of the Minister and Department of Justice on key reforms is critical in delivering affordable insurance premiums as a matter of urgency.”
ENDS
Mar 14, 2022
Volleyball Ireland hosted the St. Patrick’s Challenge on Saturday 12th March. The event marked the return to showcasing the sport to members of the public post-Covid. Pictured above Newbridge Volleyball Clubs Ciara Lowe on the attack for Ireland in the St. Patrick’s Challenge.
The event featured u20 Men, u19 Women, Snr Women and Snr Men, with each country taking scalps each.
Ireland Women looked in danger early on as Northern Ireland cruised the first set 25-15. Lauren Clark of UCD and Ciara Lowe of Newbridge spared the favourites blushes with some hard hitting serves and skillful net play. Ireland eventually won out 15-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-19.
Earlier in the day the u19 Women cruised to a straight sets win 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 with Naas Libero Grace Moloney dominating the back court.
Northern Ireland got off the mark in game 1 with a 3-nil win 25-21, 25-16, 25-16 as Callum Grieves’ youngsters impressed.
The final game was evenly poised throughout with Ireland’s young men, led by Loughrea’s Aiden McDonnell going toe to toe with Peter Stewart’s more experienced charges. Drumshanbo man Gareth Gilmartin threatened the wing throughout but it was an apt win for the North and means the inaugural St. Patrick’s Challenge Trophy is shared two apiece.
Mar 11, 2022
The Federation of Irish Sport condemns Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war on Ukraine and stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and Ukrainian sport.
Sports bodies, along with the Irish Government, European and international counterparts, have introduced a range of sporting, economic and financial sanctions against Russia and related businesses and individuals.
The International Olympic Committee has issued a resolution recommending that International Federations and event organisers do not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions. The International Paralympic Committee has issued a decision banning Russian and Belarusian participants taking part in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
38 Government Sport Ministers from around the globe including Government Chief Whip and Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers have signed a statement on Russia’s War on Ukraine & International Sport and as a collective of like-minded nations have affirmed support for international sport organisations’ position that:
- Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to host, bid for, or be awarded any international sporting events.
- Individual athletes selected by Russia and Belarus, administrators and teams representing the Russian or Belarusian state should be banned from competing in other countries, including those representing bodies, cities or brands that are effectively representing Russia or Belarus, such as major football clubs.
- Wherever possible, appropriate actions should be taken to limit sponsorship and other financial support from entities with links to the Russian or Belarusian states.
The Federation of Irish Sport endorse these principles and applaud all those that have implemented them already. These restrictions should be in place until cooperation under the fundamental principles of international law has become possible again.
The Federation of Irish sport encourage all our members and the wider sport community in Ireland to continue to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Statement ends
