Oct 3, 2019
Following on from previous notices in January 2019, the Data Protection Commission issues an important message on personal data transfers to and from the UK in event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
All-Island NGB’s may find this relevant.
https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/latest-news/dpc-issues-important-message-personal-data-transfers-and-uk-event-no-deal
Please also see below a list or digest of information on general queries relating to Brexit. “Getting Ireland Brexit Ready”, which contains a series of guidance notes and other website references for nearly all of the areas mentioned above:
- Getting Ireland Brexit Ready
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a7ba02-brexit-info/
- Administration and Banking
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/52c5c4-administration-and-banking/
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
- World Trade Organisation – VAT, Tax Customs
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tariffs_e/tariffs_e.htm
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bf5200-data-management/
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a09c0f-brexit/
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7feff3-brexit-business-useful-contacts/
Oct 3, 2019
For every €100 invested in sport by Government, Exchequer receives up to €195 in tax revenues – new report
Research findings published by the Federation of Irish Sport in partnership with Investec
- Research into economic value of sport in Ireland represents first major evaluation study since 2010
- Key findings include: sports volunteerism valued at €1.1billion; sport supports €2.7 billion in consumer spending and directly employs 39,500 people
- Sports tourism is worth €500m annually, rising in years when the country hosts major sports tournaments
- Research represents first phase of a comprehensive body of research into the value and impact of sport in Ireland.
For every €100 invested in sport by the Irish Government, the Exchequer receives up to €195 back through taxes on sports-supported expenditures and incomes, according to new research published by the Federation of Irish Sport in partnership with specialist bank Investec.
The Federation of Irish Sport is the representative organisation for the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and the Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in Ireland. The Federation’s membership consists of over 100 NGBs and LSPs from all 32 counties, including the GAA, FAI, IRFU, Swim Ireland, and Athletics Ireland.
The research partnership represents the first phase of a larger body of research aimed at evaluating the economic value and impact of sport to the Irish economy, government and volunteering, as well as its health and social benefits. The research is drawn from a range of EU-level and Irish-level data sources*.
Key findings from the report include:
- Employment: Sport contributes approximately 4% of gross added value in Ireland. It directly employs 39,500 people, accounting for 1.7% of the workforce. This is a greater number than the total number of primary school teachers in Ireland.
- Household expenditure: Sport accounts for 7% of total consumer expenditure. This equates to an average of €30 per household per week, putting it on a par with clothing and footwear, and alcohol and tobacco.
- Volunteering: The economic value of sports volunteering is approximately €1.1 billion per year, should the average industrial wage be applied to this unpaid work.
- Sports tourism: Sports tourism generates €500 million per annum, and more in years whereby Ireland hosts major international sports events.
- Government funding: State investment in sports has not kept pace with the improvement in the public finances during the economic recovery. Central Government expenditure on sports and recreation is lower than 2009 despite a 77% increase in tax revenues during this period. This is at odds with the beneficial impact of sports investment on the public purse.
- Government return: The State may recoup approximately €195 in tax revenue for every €100 it spends on sports-related goods and services. An active sports-related economic policy can also help counter unemployment.
- Health costs: In addition to a positive revenue impact on the public finances, increased investment in sport could reduce public health expenditure. An estimated 62% of the population are overweight or obese. This is believed to cost the State over €1 billion annually. Separate research estimates that there are 4,000 preventable deaths in Ireland each year due to physical inactivity.
National Sports Policy 2018–2027
Last year, the Government launched Ireland’s first ever National Sports Policy, a comprehensive ten-year plan to get even more people participating in sport and physical activity.
Within this, the Government pledged to double sports funding from €111 million per year to €220 million per year over a ten-year period, including an 11% increase in capital funding in the 2019 Budget.
In light of the publication of the National Sports Policy, the Federation of Irish Sport made a Budgetary Submission in August this year asking that the Government again deliver on its commitment to increasing investment in current sports funding.
FOIS Comment
Speaking at the publication of the report, Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, said:
“Sport is central to the Irish story. It’s also an essential contributor to the Exchequer, social inclusivity and participation, health, and tourism. Critically, as our research shows, investing in sport makes economic sense.
“The last significant body of economic research undertaken in Ireland was the Indecon Report published by the Irish Sports Council in 2010. Thankfully, nearly a decade later, the Irish economy and our public finances are in a far healthier place. Tax receipts are up 77% on ten years ago and the general economic sentiment is cautiously confidence, despite Brexit and other international challenges.
“However, as our research demonstrates, Government investment in sport has not kept pace with growing tax revenues. The National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027 signalled a very positive step forward in demonstrating the Government’s renewed commitment, and critically, the €2.5 million increase in core funding in Budget 2019 represented the first budgetary increase in a decade. While this increase was a relatively small sum of the money in the overall Budget spend, it had a hugely positive impact on the Irish sports community.
“Our single biggest ask ahead of next week’s Budget is that it provides for further investment in people and programmes. We believe it is essential that Budget 2020 takes the second step on the road to meeting the National Sports Policy’s very laudable goal of doubling sport funding over the ten-year life of the policy.
“Sport needs this to happen on a year-on-year basis if it is to meet the challenging participation targets set out in the National Sports Policy.”
Minister Griffin comment:
The Minister of State for Sport, Brendan Griffin TD, also welcomed the publication of the report:
“The value and significant contribution of sport to Irish society comes across very clearly in this research. The Government is acutely conscious of the importance of sport and we have spelt that out very clearly in the 10-year National Sports Policy that was launched last year. We have committed to increasing sports investment over the next decade and we will progressively deliver on that commitment”.
The Federation of Irish Sport’s ‘An Assessment of the Economic Benefits of Sport in Ireland’ report is available to download at IrishSport.ie.
ENDS
For media enquiries, contact:
- Paddy O’Dea| paddy@pr360.ie | 01 637 1777 | 086 357 3365
- Barry Murphy I barry@pr360.ie I 01 637 1777 I 087 266 9878
Notes for editor:
*The entire research bibliography and methodology is detailed in the report. The report is available for download here
Sep 25, 2019
As part of European Week of Sport, Cara in conjunction with Sport Ireland coordinated a day of inclusion training at the Kerry Sports Academy for the network of Sport Inclusion Disability Officers based in the 29 Local Sports Partnerships nationwide. They were also joined by a dedicated team of Cara tutors who deliver over 100 inclusion workshops nationwide.
The inclusion training was facilitated by two international leaders in Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity. Dr Lynn Anderson is a Distinguished Service Professor in the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department at State University of New York at Cortland, and the director for the Inclusive Recreation Resource Center. She has been active in the field of therapeutic recreation, inclusion, and outdoor recreation for over 40 years. Dr. Lauren Liebermann, is currently a Distinguished Service Professor at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, and teaching adapted physical education. She is the leading authority in the world on physical activity and sports for children who are blind or visually impaired.
Speaking at the training day Cara CEO, Niamh Daffy said: “We are delighted to have both Dr Lynn Anderson and Dr Lauren Lieberman here with us today to further upskill the network Sports Inclusion Disability Officers and Cara Tutors who are all doing fantastic work at community level to bring about more inclusive practice with the aim of increasing sport and physical activity participation opportunities for people with disabilities. ”
More information can be found at www.caracentre.ie or by contacting Michael Gilroy at mgilroy@caracentre.ie.
Ends.
Sep 25, 2019
There was a record-breaking day on September 8th along with three thrilling Finals as new winners were crowned across all three grades in front of a record crowd of 24,730.
Kerry got the day off to a start with a bang as they claimed the Premier Junior crown for the very first time, in what has been a remarkable rise over the last decade for the Kingdom. Midfielder Patrice Diggin was the star of the show as she drove her team on to see off a valiant effort by Limerick, eventually beating them by 0-11 to 0-8.
The Intermediate Final then saw Galway face Westmeath and it was the Leinster side that prevailed having overhauled what looked like a seemingly unassailable lead of seven points for the Tribeswomen at half-time. Spurred on by stalwart Pamela Greville they roared back in the second-half to claim their maiden Intermediate title and seal promotion to Senior Camogie in 2020 by a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-9.
The main event more than lived up to expectations as Galway produced a barnstorming performance including three stunning goals to eventually beat Kilkenny by 3-14 to 0-17 to claim only their third Senior All-Ireland title and their first since 2013. In a high-scoring affair Galway led for much of the game but it wasn’t until the closing minutes that they finally put the tie beyond doubt. An electric performance from the experienced Niamh Kilkenny in midfield was key in their attacking display as she caused problems for Kilkenny all afternoon.
The final act of the day was therefore for captain Sarah Dervan to collect the O’Duffy Cup on the steps of the Hogan Stand as it began its journey west across the Shannon!
Sep 25, 2019
Irish Horses and riders have recorded an incredible result today (Sunday) at the FEI WBFSH Show Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Lanaken in Belgium, taking home two Gold and two Silver medals. It was a spectacular performance from the Irish to claim four of the nine World Championship medals on offer.
Carlow’s Jason Foley and The Irish Sport Horse Rockwell RC, bred by Ronan Byrne and owned by Kevin Crumley, claimed Ireland’s first medal of the day when they struck Gold in the final for 5-year-old horses, while Kildare’s Mikey Pender and Chacco Bay collected the Silver. Eleven combinations had jumped clear in the opening round to set up a thrilling jump-off, with Foley taking the title with a double clear round in 37.72 seconds, just under half a second ahead of Pender in runner-up spot. The result came just 12 months after Irish riders took Gold, Silver and Bronze in the 5-year-old final at the same Championships in 2018.
Foley, who is just 18-years-old, admitted that he was struggling a bit with his steering in the jump-off, but for a very good reason.
“I dislocated my shoulder three weeks ago in a fall. I didn’t actually think that I could make it here, so I hope the hospital doesn’t see this, but I thought, let’s try it and I was lucky that it went OK!”
The 6-year-old final saw Mikey Pender add to his tally, when he collected another Silver medal with MHS Cardenta, finishing just a tenth of a second off the winners time. Kilkenny’s Vincent Byrne also claimed an excellent seventh place finish with Be Aware (ISH).
More medals were to follow in the curtain-closing 7-year-old final, with Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes-Kennedy, who is just 17-years-old, and Cuffesgrange Cavadora (ISH), bred by Eamonn Sheahan, taking the winners prize when last to go in the jump-off to complete a brilliant World Championships for Irish Sport Horse breeding.
“Last year Cavadaro finished fourth in the 6-Year-Old Final with Ger O’Neill in the saddle. They were clear and in the lead until the last few competitors but just missed out on a medal, so I’m very pleased we’ve earned gold today,” said the talented young Irish rider. The future is already mapped out for this winning pair it seems. “We’re going for European Junior Gold next year!” said the rider’s mother, Clare Hughes, who also owns the winning horse.
Horse Sport Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy added:
“This has been a memorable World Breeding Championships for our horses and riders. To take home two gold and two silver medals against the best young horses in the world is another huge boost for the Irish Sport Horse industry. I want to congratulate all our riders, owners and of course the breeders of all our horses and the entire team who represented Ireland brilliantly at these Championships this week.”
BREEDING
Rockwell RC (ISH) F by Kannan (KWPN) out of Urban Sea (ISH) by Guidam (SF) bred by Ronan Byrne owned by Kevin Crumley ridden by Jason Foley.
Chacco Bay (OLDBG) by Chaccato out of Heops. Owner: Hiltrup Sporthorses GmbH. Breeder: Alfons Brueggehagen Ridden by Michael Pender
MHS Cardenta (ISH) F by Cardento (HOLST) out of Willow Point (ISH) by Diamond Serpent (ISH) bred by Thomas Brennan owned by Bravo Hughes Ltd ridden by Michael James Pender.
Be Aware (ISH) by Pacino (BWP) out of Warrenstown Well Aware (ISH) by Cruising (ISH) bred & owned by Ronan Tynan and ridden by Vincent Byrne
Cuffesgrange Cavadora (ISH) by Z Wellie 72 (KWPN) out of Cuffesgrange Cavalidam (ISH) by Luidam (KWPN) bred by Eamonn Sheahan, Owned by Clare Hughes, Ridden by Seamus Hughes Kennedy.
Sep 25, 2019
Baton Twirling Sport Association of Ireland
In August the BTSAI sent seventy one athletes to the International Cup Baton Twirling competition in Limoges, France. This event covers a total of seven disciplines with some of the sections having 80 contestants hoping to place in the first ten.
We are very proud of all our athletes making it into semis, finals and bringing home a total of eight medals. Four Gold, Two Silver and Two bronze.
Nineteen countries competed in this event with a total of 1,112 athletes and five thousand performances over four days of competition.
Well done Ireland!
