Sport Ireland releases Adolescent Girls Get Active Research

Mar 9, 2021

• By the age of 13-15 many girls have labelled themselves “not sporty” and are living by this label, with few attempts to counter it
• The most powerful barrier that prevents inactive girls from taking part in sport and physical activity is not feeling good enough to join in
• Report shows there aren’t enough opportunities for girls to take part and have carefree fun with friends while being active

Sport Ireland today released the Adolescent Girls Get Active Research Report, which was undertaken to discover how to encourage teenage girls, particularly those currently disengaged with sport and exercise, to take part in regular physical activity.

The research, commissioned by Sport Ireland, and funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund, was undertaken by Women in Sport UK. The project focused on teenage girls in Ireland with the aim of identifying their attitudes, needs and desires in relation to sport and physical activity; identify their experienced challenges and barriers to accessing sport and physical activity and ultimately develop informed communication strategies to encourage increased participation.

Speaking at the release of the research report, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, Catherine Martin TD commented: “To see the motivations and attitudes of this group of young girls so clearly outlined is insightful. For the first time we have a true understanding of what is causing teenage girls in Ireland to drop out of sport, or what is preventing them from getting involved in the first place. Sport and physical activity can be a powerful force in a person’s life and we are now armed with the knowledge to reframe sport for teenage girls and to make it a positive and powerful force in their lives. My vision for women in sport is that of one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential, while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. It is encouraging to see the research today which supports this commitment with in-depth research and tangible communication strategies that can be adopted to really encourage our teenage girls to engage and re-engage with sport.”

Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD welcomed the study: “The National Sports Policy 2018-2027 sets out the ambitious target of eliminating the active sports participation gradient by 2027. Significant work by Sport Ireland as well as National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships is lowering this gradient and today’s research, with these tangible outputs and guidance to programme developers, will ensure further progress in eliminating the drop out and inactivity levels among teenage girls. The research clearly outlines the perceived barriers to sport for our teenage girls. It shows that the feeling that they are “not good enough” or “are not sporty” is often rooted in their experience of traditional, more dominant team sports and the stereotypes reinforced in popular culture and experiences. There is however an understanding of the physical health benefits of sport and physical activity, teenage girls value the mental health benefits of exercise and there is an aspiration to be fit and healthy. It is now our job, as leaders in the sports sector, to leverage the learnings in this research, broaden the concept of sport so it is accessible and inclusive to all girls and not just the sporty few and provide more opportunities to engage”.

The qualitative research, conducted online between August and October 2020, involved a deep exploration the lives, behaviours and attitudes to sport, of teenage girls’ aged 13-18 in both rural and urban areas.

Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy commented, “We are delighted to be able to present the sector with this hugely important body of research and the tangible principles that they can now take and adopt in their work. It is important to recognise that disengaged girls may simply need different or adapted pathways and approaches to attract and sustain their interest in sport and physical activity. The sector is now armed with this knowledge and the insights to really make an impact, to adapt processes and programmes to ensure that girls are engaged in a way that is meaningful to them. I look forward to seeing the impact of the research in participation levels in the future”. 

Despite the physical contrasts in rural and urban living, the research found that the underlying wants and needs of teenage girls are often similar. They feel there is a lack of social space for teens where they feel welcomed, wanted and included. They feel there are limited opportunities to try new things, learn new skills and ultimately feel good about themselves.

By exploring their lives and really trying to understand the desires and attitudes of teenage girls, they researchers have been able to establish five key anchors that really matter to teenage girls.  Unsurprisingly, friends and friendships are central to a girl’s support network and they strongly prioritise time with friends above all else.  Independence and opportunity, social connection, moments of pride and keeping on top of it all and managing the many teenage pressures are all other aspects that matter to teenage girls.

The Adolescent Girls Get Active Research identifies the opportunity for sport and exercise to fill a void in girls’ lives but highlights that an understanding of the anchors, as well as the barriers to participation is essential to make sport and physical activity relevant and meaningful to young girls.

Capability and the feeling of not being “good enough” is the most powerful barrier that prevents inactive girls from taking part in sport. The research shows that teenage girls in Ireland have a narrow, and often negative experience of a small number of traditional (and dominant) team sports in Ireland, and think this is all that sport is and can be. Girls associate ‘sportiness’ with team and contact sports, so girls who are interested in exercise do not feel targeted with sporting initiatives.

Building on the insights and anchors and the knowledge of the barriers, the research established 8 Principles for Success to engage and connect with teenage girls and to support them to embrace sport and physical activity into their lives:

1. No judgement
2. Invoke Excitement
3. Clear emotional reward
4. Open eyes to what is there
5. Build on existing habits
6. Give girls a voice & choice
7. Champion what’s in it for them
8. Expand image of what ‘sporty’ looks like

Sports organisations can use these 8 Principles for Success to check and challenge existing programmes to enhance appeal and relevance for the target audience. They can also be used to innovate and develop completely new initiatives through a teenage girl lens.

Director of Participation and Ethics, Sport Ireland, Dr. Una May outlined the need for this research: “Evidence shows that participation levels plummet during adolescence with just 7% of girls aged 14-15 meeting the recommended physical activity levels. We also know that girls who are active in their teenage years and develop a love of sport are much more likely to establish a life-long relationship with sport and exercise in to adulthood. By really understanding the motivations and attitudes of teenage girls we can now confidently review existing programmes to enhance appeal and relevance for the target audience. We can also use these principles to innovate and develop completely new initiatives. ”.

Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead, Nora Stapleton commented, “There are many organisations, researchers and others who are working in this space to try and develop interventions to encourage teenage girls to be more active, or to simply stem the dropout rate from sport. I hope that this document can support the work that they are doing. From a Sport Ireland perspective, we plan to utilise the findings and principles for success and develop a number of pilot projects to run in conjunction with the network of LSPs.  We have an exciting Hackathon project launching later today which will provide an opportunity to the public to contribute their ideas to get girls active so I’d encourage everyone to keep an eye out for that and to get involved.”

Ends

Further Information:

David Gash

Communications Manager, Sport Ireland

087-2277643

dgash@sportireland.ie

Notes to editor:

Full report is available on the Sport Ireland website

Alliance for Insurance Reform reacts with dismay to judicial guidelines 

Mar 8, 2021

Calls on Government to intervene immediately and do the right thing

The Alliance for Insurance Reform has reacted with dismay to the new Personal Injuries Guidelines published today by the Judicial Council and has called on the Government to immediately intervene to do the right thing for hard-pressed motorists, charities, voluntary and community groups, sports and cultural organisations and SMEs severely affected by insurance costs, by dramatically reducing the proposed damages for minor injuries.

The new judicial guidelines are set to replace the current Book of Quantum guidelines on the amounts awarded for personal injuries.

Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance, said “Getting insurance costs down means cutting the general damages paid out for minor, fully recovered injuries to reflect international norms and norms already established by the Court of Appeal. It would have taken reductions of 80% to the damages handed out for such injuries in order to do so. In advance of the adoption of these guidelines, we called on the judiciary to have regard to the common good in their deliberations but they have ignored this plea and we are dismayed at what they are now proposing.”

Examples of minor injuries that remain way too high following the Judicial Council review include:

• Minor thumb injury (no sprain, no breakage). Was €21,200 reduced to €12,000 (-43%) . Currently €4,582 in England & Wales
• Whiplash. Minor, substantially recovered. Was €15,700. Now €6,000 (-62%). Currently €4,192 in England & Wales (will drop to €1,492 in May). Up to €1,125 in Germany.  Unlikely to receive compensation in Sweden.
• Whiplash. Minor, full recovery expected. Was €19,400. Now €12,000 (-38%). Currently €7,605 in England & Wales (will drop to €4,763 in May).
• Whiplash. Moderate. Was €30,200. Now €23,000 (-24%). Currently €13,225 in England & Wales
• Back. Minor, full recovery expected. Was €18,400. Now €12,000 (-35%). Currently €7,605 in England & Wales
• Ankle. Minor. Was €23,100. Now €12,000 (-48%). Currently €7,413 in England & Wales

“We have now written to An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, in his role as Chair of the Cabinet Committee Sub-Group on Insurance Reform, asking Government to intervene immediately, take control of the situation and cap general damages such that damages for minor injuries are reduced by an average of 80% compared to the previous Book of Quantum guidelines. The Law Reform Commission has made it clear that such an action would be entirely constitutional subject to certain safeguards and it is up to the Government to do the right thing now for the sake of the common good.

“In the meantime, any changes implemented as a result of today’s announcement should be immediately passed on in reductions by insurers to their policyholders.“

Eoin McCambridge, managing director of McCambridge’s of Galway and director of the Alliance said “The single biggest element of the cost of insurance, as determined by the Cost of Insurance Working Group, the Personal Injuries Commission and the Central Bank’s National Claims Information Database, is compensation; and general damages for minor injuries account for the vast majority of compensation payouts. What we award for minor, fully recovered injuries in Ireland is 4.4 times higher than in England & Wales and further multiples higher than other European jurisdictions. An 80% reduction on minor injuries would only bring us down to where England and Wales currently are and would still be nowhere near the equivalent damages in other European countries – and England and Wales are further slashing their damages for minor whiplash injuries this May.

“We are not talking about damages for serious injuries here. Where a person is seriously injured due the negligence of someone else, they must be properly compensated and that is what insurance is there for. What we are talking about are the bumps, bruises and mild, fully recovered whiplash injuries where treatment ends when the legal action is finished. We reward these injuries at a level unprecedented in Europe and these are the awards that are damaging Irish society.”

Tracy Sheridan, owner of Kidspace play centres in Rathfarnham and Rathcoole and director of the Alliance said “Insurance costs remain an existential issue for Irish SMEs, charities, sports and cultural organisations, voluntary and community groups. Government must move immediately on this because the Irish economy is not going to recover from Covid-19 through SMEs, or Irish society through the voluntary & community sector, unless insurance is sorted.”

END

NOTES:

“The single biggest element of the cost of insurance…is compensation”: See Alliance for Insurance Reform Fact Sheet No. 2 “Who Gets What?” graphic.

“Damages for minor injuries account for the vast majority of compensation payouts”: See PIAB – Insights into the Personal Injury Environment, November 2019

“And England and Wales are further slashing their damages for minor whiplash injuries this May.” https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=462cc73f-7e17-4547-a22a-0b4c0327c24f

“What we are talking about are the bumps, bruises and mild, fully recovered whiplash injuries where treatment ends when the legal action is finished.”: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/most-whiplash-patients-end-treatment-when-legal-action-finished-1.4041918

Overall, the Alliance expects general damages for minor, fully recovered soft tissue injuries to be recalibrated in the manner reflected in the ISME Fair Book of Quantum which corresponds with our own independent academic advice.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform brings together 41 civic and business organisations from across Ireland, representing over 55,000 members, 700,000 employees, 614,000 volunteers and 374,000 students in highlighting the negative impact of persistently high premiums and calling for real reforms that will quickly reduce liability and motor insurance premiums to affordable levels and keep them that way. Our members include:

• AOIFE Ireland (Association of Irish Festival Events)
• Car Rental Council of Ireland
• Childminding Ireland
• Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland
• Community Reuse Network Ireland
• Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association
• Cork Business Association
• Early Childhood Ireland
• Family Business Network Ireland
• Federation of Irish Sport
• Galway Chamber
• Galway City Business Association
• Galway County Public Participation Network (PPN)
• Home and Community Care Ireland
• Ireland Active
• Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism
• Irish Caravan and Camping Council
• Irish Concrete Federation
• Irish Hotels Federation
• Irish Road Haulage Association
• Irish Showman’s Guild
• Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network
• Irish Travel Agents Association
• ISME
• Licensed Vintners Association
• Motorsport Ireland
• National Campaign for the Arts
• Nursing Homes Ireland
• Play Activity and Leisure Ireland
• Quick Service Food Alliance
• Restaurants Association of Ireland
• Retail Excellence
• RGDATA
• Sligo PPN
• Society of the Irish Motor Industry
• South Dublin County PPN
• Sport Ireland
• Union of Students in Ireland
• Vintners Federation of Ireland
• Volunteer Ireland
• The Wheel (Ireland’s national association for community, voluntary and charitable organisations)

For further details contact:

Peter Boland

ALLIANCE FOR INSURANCE REFORM

TEL: 086 826 6036

WEB: insurancereform.ie

FB: /insurancereformireland

TW: @InsuranceRefIre

TRUST Ireland – Photo, Video, and caption competition celebrating human rights in and through sport.

Mar 2, 2021

With Funding from IHREC, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the UNESCO Chair at MTU and key sports stakeholders in Ireland namely the Federation of Irish Sport, Sport Ireland, the GAA, Sport Against Racism Ireland and the Central Statistics Office have launched TRUST Ireland. TRUST Ireland is designed to socialise sport, human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals among government agents, the sports sector, higher education and training, and rights holders on the island of Ireland.

As part of Munster Technological University’s Innovation and Enterprise Month, TRUST Ireland are launching a photo and caption competition. Entrants are invited to submit a photo or video on what “human rights in and through sport” means to them, along with a short (240 character) caption explaining their choice. Entries can be original or curated photos or videos.

The competition is open to people of all ages both across Ireland and internationally. In particular, input from rightsholder groups including people with disabilities; women and girls; Travellers and ethnic minorities; the LGBTQI+ community; asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; and disadvantaged or marginalised communities are sought.

Prizes in the form of vouchers will be offered in the following categories:

• Best overall entry
• Best picture / video
• Best caption
• Youth award
• Popular vote award
• Best MTU entry

Key dates:

March 1^st 19:00 (GMT). An online webinar will launch the competition. Webinar Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89172930476

March 1^st – 19^th: The competition will be open for submissions which can be submitted here: http://unescoittralee.com/trust-photo-caption-competition/

March 25^th 19:00 (GMT). An online webinar will be held to showcase entries and announce the winners in all categories. Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81757005132

FEDERATION OF IRISH SPORT EXPLORED INNOVATION, THE FUTURE OF WORK AND THE POWER OF SPORT WITH EU COMMISSIONER MARIYA GABRIEL AND MINISTER JACK CHAMBERS AT MEMBER FORUM.

Mar 1, 2021

• EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Sport and Youth delivered the keynote address to Federation of Irish Sport members at today’s CEO/Manager forum.
• Minister Jack Chambers spoke of the power of collaboration, innovation and support across the European member states as we all strive to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 in the sector and maximise innovation and opportunity moving forward.
• Danny Mansergh of Mercer Marsh explored the future of work and the opportunities and challenges COVID-19 might present going forward.

The Federation of Irish Sport were delighted to host their first CEO forum of 2021 focusing on innovation, the future of work and the power of sport with special guests EU Commissioner Gabriel, Minister Chambers and Danny Mansergh. The event brought together 80 individuals from more than 40 sporting organisations and showcased the value of shared learning.

Commissioner Gabriel’s work in Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Sport and Youth aligns with that of Federation members and her keynote address served to update, inspire and drive innovation among the Irish sport sector. The commissioner’s work supports the belief that ‘Sport lies at the centre of interest and everyday life of European citizens. It is vital for our society and for our economy’, a view that all Federation of Irish Sport members share.

Government Chief Whip and Minister of state at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht and Sport with special responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers spoke of the power of sport and physical activity to bring communities together and paid tribute to the innovation and resilience shown by those working in the sector during trying times.

The final speaker of the day, Career and Health Lead with Mercer Marsh, Danny Mansergh posed the question of whether the post COVID workplace presents challenges or opportunities. The presentation delivered interesting insights into the future of a dynamic and changing world of work.

Speaking about the event, Federation CEO Mary O’Connor said, ‘We were delighted to be able to bring our members together virtually today to gain valuable insight on the work of the EU commission and that of our own government as it relates to Sport and Physical Activity. We thank our special guests today for sharing their knowledge and insight on the innovation and importance of the sector during these challenging times. It is vital that the sector has the opportunity to engage, understand and learn from the work of the EU commission, the government and our subject matter experts, particularly during challenging times where advocacy for sport and physical activity, and it’s role in society, is of key importance.’

The member forum also provided updates on the work of the Federation of Irish Sport over the past months including the hugely successful Volunteers in Sport Awards, insight into member engagement activities and advocacy for the year ahead.

ENDS.

Queries to sarah.maloney@irishsport.ie

DANNY MANSERGH OF MERCER MARSH BENEFITS CONFIRMED AS FINAL SPEAKER FOR FEDERATION OF IRISH SPORT MEMBER FORUM.

Feb 25, 2021

• Danny Mansergh is Career and Health lead at Mercer Marsh Benefits and will deliver an insight into the future of work in his presentation titled ‘The post Covid-19 workplace – challenge or opportunity?’
• The CEO/Manager briefing will also provide updates to members on the work of the Federation of Irish Sport from CEO, Mary O’Connor.

The Federation of Irish Sport are delighted to announce that Mercer Marsh Benefits will be contributing to the upcoming member forum on the area of HR and the workplace. Career and Health lead Danny Mansergh will be on hand to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on the future of the workplace and the challenges and opportunities it presents for organisations.

Speaking about Mr Mansergh’s attendance, Federation CEO Mary O’Connor said, ‘The Federation is delighted to have Mercer Marsh as a contributor for our upcoming forum. The world as we know it has changed and that is true for the workplace and our employees. We know that COVID-19 has presented many challenges but as we look towards a new future, we must also identify the opportunities for our workforce. We look forward to Danny’s insights on the future of the workplace next Monday.’

The member forum will also provide updates on the work of the Federation of Irish Sport over the past months including the hugely successful Volunteers in Sport Awards, insight into member engagement activities and advocacy for the year ahead.

ENDS.

Queries to sarah.maloney@irishsport.ie