Jun 19, 2020
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, and the Minister with responsibility for tourism and sport, Brendan Griffin, today (Friday 19 June) announced that a funding package of up €70 million has been approved by Government to support the sport sector.
This funding package will support the sport sector through;
– Funding of up to €40m for the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU,
– a Resilience Fund of up to €10m to support the National Governing Bodies of Sport,
– a Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m to support clubs, and
– a Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m.
Minister Ross said “The sport sector has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and many sporting bodies and clubs are experiencing significant financial challenges. We have had extensive contact with the sector and it is clear that the challenge is enormous and is being felt at every level. While the scale of this package may seem extraordinarily large, it merely reflects the enormity of the challenges being faced by our sporting bodies.
This new funding package will assist our National Governing Bodies of Sport and sports clubs as they prepare to restart their sports under the Government roadmap. Sporting organisations and clubs are hugely important for the social fabric of every community in the country and we want to ensure that the sector recovers as strongly as possible from the current crisis. The Roadmap accelerations and funding being announced today will ensure the survival of our vibrant sport sector, particularly the network of clubs throughout the country. My officials will now engage with Sport Ireland to design new grant schemes, which will be administered by Sport Ireland.”
Minister Griffin said “Today is the most important day for Sport in this country during my time in this office. I am delighted that the Government saw fit to respond to the many loud calls for help from our sporting bodies. The scale of lost revenues, from the smallest of club fundraisers to a sold-out stadium, is breath taking. Today’s package will go a long way to aiding the badly needed recovery.
Despite all of the challenges, it is heartening to see that so many people have recognised the importance of staying active during the Covid-19 crisis. We are now seeing more adults than ever actively participating in sport, with huge numbers having taken up cycling, running and recreational walking. I welcome today’s acceleration of the Roadmap reopening – it’s great news and greatly appreciated by sports people throughout Ireland. There is a huge opportunity now to secure a lasting improvement in the health and wellbeing of our nation by engaging with children and adults who have become more active during the crisis and putting in place programmes to help them go from casual sporting activity into lifelong participation. The Sports Restart and Renewal Fund will assist sporting bodies and local sports partnerships to maximise this opportunity.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- This additional funding will be invested through four new grant schemes, to be developed by Sport Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and administered by Sport Ireland.
- Funding allocations to NGBs and clubs under the new scheme will be determined following a robust grant application and assessment process conducted by Sport Ireland.
- Sport Ireland will announce an open invitation to applications from funded bodies for assistance under the grant scheme.
- The funding will be distributed by Sport Ireland through the National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
- The schemes would be designed to ensure that grant aid would only be provided where Sport Ireland is fully satisfied that the funding is absolutely required.
- Combined funding of up to €40m will be made available to the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU. Funding will be allocated on a case-by-case basis and will be a direct response to each NGB’s specific needs with regard to solvency and continued existence.
- A Resilience Fund of up to €10m will be made available to support the National Governing Bodies who find themselves in need of assistance to avoid closing.
- A Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m will be made available to support clubs from all of the NGBs. Again, the clubs will be required to demonstrate that they are in need of assistance to avoid closing.
- A Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m will be made available. Sports clubs are deemed ineligible for the Government’s Restart Grants scheme (as they are not solely commercial trading entities). In addition, they have been excluded from Government supports for the community and voluntary sector to cope with the challenge of COVID-19. This Fund will seek to address these exclusions.
ENDS
Jun 19, 2020
Ireland’s leading sporting organisations have come together with global partners including the International Sport and Culture Organisation (ISCA), The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA), TACTHUB, APO Group, The Rugby Site, Sport for Life Canada, PHE Canada, EUPEA, CEREPS, AIESEP, UNESCO Chair for Physical Activity and Health in Educational Settings (University of Basel, Switzerland), and UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Sport, (IT Tralee, Ireland), with the support of UNESCO and Devpost, to launch a global challenge aimed at reimagining sport and physical activity during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
UCC Sport, Sport Ireland, Federation of Irish Sport, Cappanlea National Centre for Outdoor Education and Training, Cork Local Sports Partnership and their global partners are looking for the best ideas on how sport and physical activity can survive and thrive in a world radically changed by the experience of pandemic.
We are seeing empty football stadiums, matches taking place behind closed doors, and sports clubs of all kinds restricting access. Social distancing restrictions are making training different and changing the nature of participation in sport. At the same time people are more conscious than ever of the need to stay physically active and the contribution of sport and physical activity to health and wellbeing.
This ‘free to enter’ global challenge is designed to address the question:
How might we sustainably redesign sport and physical activity for children and families, the young and the not-so-young, for participants, spectators, fans and community groups, so that it is inclusive, accessible, attainable – and fun! – during the pandemic and afterwards?
Proposals may be targeted at specific age groups or ability levels, at the different ways in which people interact with sports and physical activities and at how space is used in sport and physical activity.
The Global Design Challenge for Sport and Physical Activity will take place over the weekend of 26th – 28th June 2020, with teams asked to submit ideas online to Devpost at
https://global-design-challenge.devpost.com/?ref_content=default&ref_feature=challenge&ref_medium=portfolio
The Global Design Challenge is set in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals following the policy framework enshrined in the Kazan Action Plan (2017):
- Developing a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all to sport, physical education and physical activity
- Maximising the contributions of sport to sustainable development and peace
- Protecting the integrity of sport
https://en.unesco.org/mineps6/kazan-action-plan
Teams will be invited to indicate how their projects are relevant to these goals.
The Global Design Challenge will promote the principles of Design Thinking and teams will receive support in the form of a free Workshop on Design Thinking by internationally recognised expert, Dr Fiona Chambers of University College Cork, Ireland.
To help them prepare their proposals, teams will be provided with video-making resources created by Judie Russell of The Vidacademy.
Teams that are successful at pitching stage will be provided with an opportunity to incubate and develop their idea. All the entries submitted will be visible to the organisers, who may initiate interaction with any team to explore the possibility of developing their idea.
For further information see: www.sportireland.ie/participation/design-challenge-2020
Follow us on
Twitter @GlobalDesignCh1
Instagram @globaldesignchallengesport
Facebook Global Design Challenge for Sport and Physical Activity
Jun 18, 2020
For more information on how Future Ticketing can help you get your event or activity running post-Coronavirus contact Ronan Burns on ronan@futureticketing.ie or visit www.futureticketing.ie
Jun 15, 2020
Calls on incoming government, judiciary and Garda Commissioner to move swiftly
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed the clear focus on insurance reform in the Programme for Government document now in circulation, but has urged a real sense of urgency from everyone now charged with getting reforms over the line.
Proposed reforms listed in the document include:
- Establish a cabinet subcommittee on insurance reform
- Recognise the work of the Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee of the Judicial Council to provide guidance on personal injury claims
- Enhance and reform the PIAB
- Regulate claims harvesters
- Consider changes to the Occupiers Liability Act and The Civil Liability Act to strengthen waivers and notices to increase protections for consumers, businesses, sporting clubs and community groups
- Consider a constitutional amendment to enable the Oireachtas to set general damages
- Address insurance fraud by seeking to expand the National Economic Crime Bureau
- Ensure fraudulent claims are forwarded to the DPP
- Establish a fraud database
- Give additional powers to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)
- Oblige insurers to quantify impact of key reforms
- Work to remove dual pricing on insurance
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “While we welcome the focus on insurance reform in the programme for government document, we have been here before with the hope offered by the Cost of Insurance Working Group Report in 2017 and the Personal Injuries Commissions Reports in 2018. If Irish SMEs and voluntary groups are going to recover from the Covid19 crisis, we need urgent real reform on foot of the programme for government.
“We will need the full engagement of the next Government and particularly the new cabinet sub-committee if we are to make meaningful progress. But we will also need the Judicial Council to move swiftly to dramatically reduce general damages for minor injuries; and the Garda Commissioner to establish a full network of divisional fraud units with dedicated fraud investigators and a specialised support unit at the NECB. On the reforms that are proposed, we cannot afford any further delays as most of them have already been round the houses before.
“We will be seeking clarification from the political parties on the commitment to reform the Occupiers Liability Act and The Civil Liability Act with regard to duty of care. If their approach is merely to strengthen waivers and notices, this will not be sufficient to address an issue that has become all the more important in the light of the current pandemic. We must rebalance the duty of care so that occupiers are required to take a duty of care that is reasonable, practical and proportionate but not absolute, ignoring personal responsibility.
”We also note with concern that there is no mention of commencing the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019, an important piece of consumer protection legislation that was signed into law by the President in December 2019, but has still not been commenced by the Minister at the request of the insurance industry. This legislation cannot be allowed to be sidelined on behalf of a narrow-interest lobby group.”
ENDS
For further information contact:
Peter Boland
ALLIANCE FOR INSURANCE REFORM
TEL: 086 826 6036
WEB: insurancereform.ie
FB: /insurancereformireland
TW: @InsuranceRefIre
Jun 15, 2020
Future Ticketing software can provide your organisation with a very wide range of features to support your business needs, various elements of this functionality have suddenly increased in significance and importance on the back of the CV-19 i.e. functionality which can support organisations and clubs in providing a safe environment for staff, participants and members alike on re-opening and return to play, some examples of this functionality are as follows;
How Future Ticketing can work for your organisation:
- Online Bookings – encourage online sales & registration, to eliminate cash, eliminate ‘pdf’ entry forms, reduce and eliminate queues by providing fast-track entry on pre-booked tickets.
- Timed Entries – organise your day and events into specific time slots, as required.
- Capacity Management – set capacity limits appropriate to your event, activity or training course .
- Scan in & Scan out – gives you a running total on the no. of members/people on site at any given time.
- Temperature Scanning – use a scanner to scan barcodes in, but you can also check/read temperature of ticket holders/participants on entry and again on exit if required.
- Complete Data Records – you have a complete record, incl. temperature of all who have been on site i.e. to support contact tracing.
Please call us today so we can support your organisation through these challenging times.
ronan@futureticketing.ie or staysafe@futureticketing.ie
Jun 15, 2020
Women on the Move
Women on the Move starts on Wednesday 17th June at 7pm in Blackwater Park, Navan. This outdoor class will include a bodyweight circuit that is suitable for beginners. Pre-booking is essential as numbers are limited. To book please email Conor at conor.gonnelly@meathcoco.ie
Men’s Health Week
Men’s Health Week runs from Monday 15th June until Sunday 21st June 2020. One of the core aims of the week is to support men to engage in healthier lifestyle choices/activities. Meath LSP will have the following activities for men next week:
Men on the Move; this is a physical activity programme for Men 35+, suitable for beginners:
- Men on the Move Kells – Monday 15th June at 8pm in Lloyd Peoples Park
- Men on the Move Navan – Thursday 18th June at 7.30pm in Blackwater Park
Pre-booking is essential as numbers are limited. To book please email Ruairi at rmurphy@meathcoco.ie
Walking Football for Men 40+; Drill based programme, a lot of fun and no skill needed:
- Walking Football Navan – Tuesday 16th June at 8pm in Blackwater Park
Pre-booking is essential as numbers are limited. To book please email Conor at conor.gonnelly@meathcoco.ie
