Nov 16, 2018
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport were present at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on their areas of Government earlier in the week and put the sporting world on notice that the Government’s Large Scale Infrastructure Fund would be launched for applications early next week.
That will put organisations including Leinster Rugby and the RDS, Connacht Rugby, the GAA, FAI and Cricket Ireland, who have all expressed ambition for new facilities to benefit from this fund very much on notice.
Minister Griffin also revealed that letters of invitation to take part on the Sports Leadership Group who will be charged with putting targets and timetables around the key pillars of the ten-year National Policy on Sport are also en routs or awaiting signature.
This group was originally targeted as being in place within 90 days of the policy launch which would have been October 19th but it is always better to get it right rather than getting it quick and it will be important to get the right representation of different interests within the wider sporting family.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin also revealed that their findings would be reported on “around this time next year, maybe a little earlier” and that the implementation would now extend to over 12 years, reviewable every four in line with the cycle of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Among the other things we learned were that the current round of Sports Capital Grant funding has attracted total bids of €163 million of funding, for a pot of only €40 million and that it would likely be March or April of 2019 when the notification of awards would be made.
“We want to administer this as quickly as possible and get the money out to clubs and organisations but there is a massive administrative job of work to be done.”
“The 2017 applications that were resubmitted could be out before Christmas but that is dependent on a number of moving parts.”
“We would hope that the 2018 applications will be finalised in the spring but there will also be a slowdown in that if there are small anomalies in applications that we will be giving them a second chance to get those things corrected.”
On a question of governance Minister Griffin revealed that of the 76 bodies affiliated to Sport Ireland that 12 National Governing Bodies, three local sports partnerships and one other are already fully compliant with the Governance Code and that it was expected by 2021 that all of the bodies would be fully compliant.
Nov 5, 2018
The Baton Twirling Sport Association of Ireland were very honoured to be selected by the World Baton Twirling Federation to host the 2018 European Cup of Baton Twirling.
The event took place in the Sport Ireland indoor arena and the athletics hall was used as a practice area for the 571 athletes from 16 European countries who attended.
There were two days of music tests and training and five days of competition, making it the biggest sporting event in Ireland in 2018 outside of Special Olympics with 500 delegates, judges, officials and coaches also in attendance.
We have put in a bid to host the 2020 World Baton Twirling Championships, and if we are successful will have approximately 23 countries in attendance.
The Baton Twirling Sport Association of Ireland has been recognised as a National Governing Body for sport since 1989 and is a founding member of what is now the Federation of Irish Sports.
Nov 4, 2018
Athletics Ireland has secured the hosting of the European Cross Country Championships for the second time. Members of the bid committee presented to the European Athletics Council in Budapest and emerged as winners.
The European Cross Country Championships will take place at the National Sports Campus on Sunday 13th December 2020. Athletics Ireland bid for this championship was supported by Fingal County Council, Sport Ireland and RTE.
Hamish Adams CEO, Athletics Ireland said ‘We are delighted to have secured the hosting of the European Cross Country Championships for 2020. We look forward to working with Fingal County Council, Sport Ireland and RTE to ensure the event is a world class experience for both athletes and spectators.’
Mary Godwin, Senior Executive Officer, Fingal County Council added “We look forward to working closely with Athletics Ireland and the other partners to ensure we host the best European Cross Country Championships to date.”
Sport Ireland also welcomed the news that the 2020 European Cross Country Championships will take place on the purpose built cross country track on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.
News of Athletics Ireland’s successful bid for the major championships was announced by the European Athletics Council in Budapest today. This will be second time the prestigious event visits Irish shores following the successful hosting of the event in Santry in 2009.
Welcoming the news, Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, said: “On behalf of Sport Ireland I would like to congratulate Athletics Ireland on their successful bid for the 2020 European Cross Country Championships. Ireland has a rich history in cross country running and we are delighted to host this event on the purpose built cross country track here on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.”
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy, added: “This is a great example of agencies coming together to showcase Ireland as a top destination for major sporting events. We look forward to working with Athletics Ireland and the other partners to deliver an excellent event here on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus, which will be broadcast right across Europe.
“I would like to pay tribute to Athletics Ireland Chief Executive, Hamish Adams, bid coordinator Liam Hennessy and all involved with the bid on their hard work in securing the championships for Ireland.”
Oct 25, 2018
Congratulations to Hockey Ireland who have secured the support of Turkish Airlines for the Men’s team heading out to the World Cup in India next month.
Here are some of the other commercial partnerships signed by Irish sporting bodies in recent weeks…
Well done to the FAI who secured the backing of Brendan O’Carroll and his wife Jennifer Gibney of Mrs. Brown’s Boys fame to the tune of €420,000 for the FAI Mrs Browns Boys Heart Care programme rolling out screening for young players from January 2019.
Subway are back for a fourth year of sponsorship of Basketball Ireland’s massively popular schools cup tournaments.
The same brand is also backing Schools football with the FAI.
JLT are back on board as sponsors of the Gymnastics Annual Awards taking place next month.
Oct 25, 2018
As part of a monthly feature, we get to know a little more about the organisations and the individuals that support the work of the Federation.
This month it’s the turn of Larry Fenelon of Lemans Solicitors, a true man of many sporting interests.
Can you tell us a little about how your business partners with the Federation and its members?
We are the official legal partner to the Federation. We work closely with the federation to educate its members on their legal responsibilities. We act for over 30 NGB’s from the largest to the smallest. We are the only law firm in Ireland to have a dedicated and experienced sports law team.
What are some of the ways in which members might use your services?
We help NGB’s to be better run organisations. We draft constitutions and Memorandum & Articles of Association to reflect a modern and fit for purpose organisation and to improve governance.
We also are renowned for drafting complaints and disciplinary rules, selection criteria, data protection policies and sponsorship or partnership agreements.
What is your personal background in sport?
I played Rugby. I’m a Dubs fan and love all things GAA. I play squash and cycle in response to my mid-life crisis. As a night owl I’ll watch anything from Motor Sport to American Football.
What do you find most interesting about working in and around the sporting sector?
If you can marry sport and work, you are doing well. Working with passionate and dedicated people who are largely volunteers is very uplifting.
Sport matters to a lot of people. It matters to me. We are usually at the coal face of resolving disputes for NGB’s which can be very fast paced and interesting.
What was the last sports event you attended?
My son’s debut for Wanderers U7’s against Lansdowne and also my daughter’s Camogie match for Clanna Gael Fontenoy against Erin Go Bragh on the same day.
Before that the Men’s All Ireland Senior Football Final in Croke Park.
If you had an open ticket which sporting event around the world would you attend?
The 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
And if you could arrange for one victory for a sports team or star that matters to you what would it be?
Dublin to lift Sam Maguire for an unprecedented 5 in a row, with Diarmaid Connelly as captain!
Oct 23, 2018
The Federation is pleased to welcome the publication of a new five-year strategic plan for Irish Rugby, taking the sport through to 2023.
There are specific targets in terms of performance which reflect Ireland’s strength in the game but also plenty at the structural and grassroots level, including in the area of the Women’s game.
The IRFU has targeted for the Men’s team to make it to the semi-final stage of the World Cup in 2019 and 2023. It has also tagged the words ‘or better’ to that ambition in a statement that mirrors the rising expectation around Joe Schmidt’s side ahead of next year’s tournament.
Two or more Six Nations titles, two or more European titles and two or more PRO14 titles are also on the list of targets set out for those who currently hold the shirts at the highest level and while they are a stretch, as they should be, there is no reason to be any less ambitious.
Launching the plan in Dublin CEO Philip Browne recognised some of the challenges faced by the sport, not least in terms of funding in order to grow.
“The increased profile of rugby driven by on-field success has resulted in an increase in participation, especially through age-grade and the use of modified formats.”
“But of course we recognise the many challenges the game faces and we have sought to address these in this Strategic Plan as part of our effort to ensure the game, over the next five years and beyond, will be put on an even stronger footing for the generations to come.”
“The game continues to expand at every level and central to this expansion is funding. Currently, our professional teams, at national and provincial level, account for 93% of the game’s revenues, of this some 80% is generated by the men’s international team.”
“This stark statistic is reassuring and concerning in equal measure; the former as it recognises the phenomenal attraction of our senior international team to television rights holders, sponsors and supporters alike, while the latter highlights the extremely narrow base from which every other strand of the game must be funded.”
Only 16 percent of expenditure goes directly towards the international teams that generate the 80 percent, with 39 percent going towards the Provincial structure, 14 percent towards the domestic game and 11 percent towards elite player development.
The full document runs to 40 pages and is an impressive laying out of the principles behind the targets as well as how the growth and sustainability can be created.
In terms of player numbers, the sport is looking at an overall 8 percent growth in registered numbers to 210,000 by 2023, catered for by a growth of 11 percent in teams from 1,706 to 1,900 over the same period.
Commenting on the performance goals outlined in the plan, IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora said: “The focus will be to drive alignment across the game and ensure the talent pathways feed the high-performance side of the game with a particular emphasis on Sevens and the interface between clubs and schools and the professional game.”
“Key areas of focus will be the further advancement of the player management programme, coach education, talent development, investment in research and data analytics and the recruitment and retention of world-leading experts across the range of high-performance disciplines. The delivery of a world-class high-performance centre will be a key element in driving the performance goals targeted over the next five years.”
Women’s rugby features prominently in the plan.
“To achieve our objectives for female rugby, we recognise the need to build from grassroots to create a sustainable model for the game,” said IRFU CEO Philip Browne who will himself sit on the Committee overseeing progress.
“This entails attracting more adult and young female players into the game and providing sustainable and accessible opportunities to play the game through both 15s and Sevens.”
“We aim to create a structured pathway which attracts young female players to club rugby where they can progress their rugby careers through Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 levels towards the senior Women’s game,” added Mary Quinn, Chair of the IRFU Women’s Sub Committee.
“In schools, we are committed to creating opportunities for female students to experience rugby through a Rugby7s and Sevens pathway.”
“Increased participation through a quality player development pathway that enables players to achieve their full potential. This, in turn, will support an increased flow of talent through the Women’s All-Ireland League and provincial panels into national squads.”
Speaking about driving competition at representative level and growing female participation in volunteerism and game administration Su Carty, IRFU World Rugby representative, added: “We aim to build depth to drive greater competition for representative places which will propel Ireland’s representative sides towards consistently strong performance levels on the international stage.
“We want to grow the number of female volunteers working in support of these programmes as coaches, referees, managers and administrators. Furthermore, we want this growth reflected in the governance of the game at club, provincial and national level.”
Image Credit, Dan Sheridan, Inpho.ie
