Sep 14, 2018
Sport is set to be a big winner in the new round of Education funding announced this morning by an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Ministers for Education Richard Bruton and Mary Mitchell. It will though take some time to materialise.
The education element of the Government’s Ireland 2040 programme includes a commitment to a PE Hall Build and Modernisation programme. The aim is to provide all post-primary schools with access to ‘state of the art’ facilities to provide PE provision.
The rollout of PE as a leaving cert subject is also strongly referenced, though the programme is not scheduled to begin until the second half of the current phase meaning from around 2222.
School laboratory modernisation is to take place earlier with applications for that expected to open in 2019.
In sport it is always good to come first but science has been on the curriculum a lot longer and while sport could make a case under the auspices of national health strategies, getting onto the agenda is at least a result.
“Project Ireland 2040 represents a significant shift in how we as a country plan for our future development,” said Taoiseach Varadkar.
“We are taking a much longer-term view and linking investment with planning for the first time ever. In the education sector, that means we’re significantly increasing the amount we invest in our schools, colleges and universities. For example, we’ll be boosting the school building budget by 70% over the next ten years and trebling our investment in higher education.”
“I am particularly pleased that we’ll be investing in PE halls – modernising old ones and building new ones – to ensure all post-primary students can use state of the art PE facilities.”
“This will be especially important as we phase in PE as a Leaving Cert exam subject. Education doesn’t just drive economic success, it’s also crucial to giving everyone the opportunity to fulfill their full potential, in all parts of the country. This ambitious and unprecedented level of investment – almost €12 billion – in our education sector will ensure our this generation of children and the next get the best possible start in life.”
Sep 13, 2018
The Federation has made a pre-budget submission to Government outlining five clear and concise asks as they consider spending plans for 2019 and beyond.
These include a ‘significant increase’ in current funding for National Governing Bodies and Local Sports partnerships; multi-annual funding programmes for performance and participation; a greater role for central sporting bodies in the allocation of Sports Capital Funding; an advance in the introduction of tax incentives relating to sport; and the provision of direct funding to cover increased costs of Governance and Compliance.
Following on from a listing of the spectacular successes achieved in Irish sport over the last twelve months the Federation hails the most important event as being the publication of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027.
“This historic document enshrined the important role that sport plays in Ireland across so many different areas including health and well-being; economic activity; education and personal development; community development and social cohesion; and international reputation,” states the submission.
“It also reiterates the Government’s full commitment to fund sport in an appropriate manner with the target being a doubling of funding to an annual €220 million over the next ten years.”
The submission points out that if the full potential of the capital investments in clubs and at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus is to be fully realised that “there needs to be a commensurate investment in people and programmes.”
The five areas in which Irish sport is seeking consideration in the budget, which will be announced on October 9th are as follows:
1. Increase in Current Funding:
The National Sports Policy document has pointed to the important role that will be played by the NGBs and LSPs in the ultimate delivery of the Policy. These two groups of organisations are responsible for the majority of the people and the programmes that will deliver the majority initiatives that to ensure sport meets the challenge set out in the Policy. In particular, to increase by 2027 the number of adults regularly participating in active and social sport by 7% (the equivalent of an extra 260,000 people participating in sport)
The sport policy has also rightly identified increasing participation, over the period of the plan, for older people, the disabled, and poorer communities. It is recognised, in the Policy document that these hard to reach segments will require higher levels of support than the current sports model has capacity for, particularly in a full employment economy.
It is vital our members begin this important task as soon as possible, it is equally important that the funding to achieve this is provided at the earliest possible opportunity. With 25% of LSPs and 33% of NGBs saying their biggest single challenge in delivering on their objectives is funding. We would call on the government to make a significant increase to current funding (that goes to our member organisations from Sport Ireland) in recognition of the role they have to play and the need to begin their work as quickly as possible.
2. More Certainty in Future Funding:
More certainty on funding has been a key policy demand for NGBs and LSPs for a number of years, the Federation is delighted to see that the Sports Policy is committed to ensuring that there is more certainty for funding for Irish sport in the future. The Policy has committed to multi-annual funding for High-Performance Programmes by 2019 and also for participation programmes.
We would ask the Government to align such multi-annual performance for participation programmes with the high-performance commitment and that multi-annual funding for participation programmes would also begin next year. The Federation is happy to work with both Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport to enable this to happen.
3. Sports Capital Programmes:
The Federation welcomes the Government’s commitment to further annual capital funding programmes both through the existing programme and through the new sports capital for larger infrastructural works. We would ask that the Government take on board the paper submitted by the Federation in April 2018 in relation to the allocation of such funding.
In this, we recommended that the knowledge and expertise of the National Governing Bodies be utilised to ensure that such capital funding is directed towards projects that will have maximum impact in meeting the objectives of the National Sports Policy.
We proposed that, for the next round of the SCP, the Federation would collate an exercise under which each NGB would identify the infrastructural deficiencies and national priorities that it identifies for its sport, and make this available to the Department as a checklist against which applications can be scored under a proposed new criterion. This would also ensure that the NGBs can plan to have the necessary people and programmes in place to ensure maximum benefit is derived from all new facilities once completed.
4. Sport and Tax:
The Federation has called on the Government previously to explore the role of tax incentives in attracting non-Exchequer investment. We are delighted that the Sports Policy includes a commitment to review this. We are happy to work with the Department of Finance and Revenue in making available the relevant expertise of many of our members so that proposals can be developed which deliver the required results in a way that offers value to the Exchequer. We believe that a tax incentive, proven to be effective internationally, will work in Ireland.
5. Good Governance & Compliance:
Over the past decade the proper governance of sport has rightly been highlighted. There has been a recognition that sport must embrace the highest standards particularly in encouraging more and more young people to participate. This has been totally accepted and embraced by our members for example, 60% of NGBs have reviewed their governing documentation in the last 2 years in an effort to ensure they are in line with best practice.
Included in such governance has been increasing regulatory requirements many of which are designed to protect participants and are therefore to be welcomed, but they have increased the administrative burden on NGBs & LSPs some of whom are still run on an entirely voluntary basis. These include commitments to health and safety; Garda vetting; Child Protection, Data protection (GDPR) and as well as full implementation of the Governance code which all NGBs & LSPs are due to complete by 2021 under the National Sports Policy.
The fact is, however, that over the last decade these very necessary activities have led to funds being taken from other activities and programmes. It has been estimated by our members that between 10% and 15% of their total budgets now go on such activities. We would call on the Government to recognise this cost and to begin reflecting its reality in the provision of funding directly for these activities.
The government recognises the popularity of sport and its importance in terms of overall strategy on health and wellbeing.
It must be hoped that this will follow through in delivery on the financial front next month.
Sep 7, 2018
The new Basketball season was launched in Dublin yesterday. Participation across the country has now risen to 49 teams across four divisions, a rise from 42 that took part last year.
Reigning Hula Hoops National Cup Champions Templeogue head five teams from Dublin in the top flight of the Men’s Super League. Neptune and UCC Demons represent Cork with Maree and Moycullen flying the flag for Galway, Garvey’s Tralee Warriors and Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin from Kerry and Belfast Star making up the twelve.
There is a wider geographic spread in the Women’s Super League with three teams from Cork, three from Dublin and one each from Waterford, Carlow, Galway and Kilkenny.
“The positive momentum of Irish basketball continues with our National League membership up to 49 teams and the geographical spread of the clubs improving all the time,” said Basketball Ireland Secretary General Bernard O’Byrne.
“We’re really looking forward to another great season across all of our competitions.”
“Hula Hoops is delighted to be entering into a new phase of our sponsorship of the Hula Hoops National Cup,” added Ian O’Rourke, Brand Activation Manager, Largo Foods.
“The competition has increased by seven teams since last year’s Cup. This is an example of the growing participation in Irish basketball and the Hula Hoops National Cup itself.”
“Hula Hoops will be providing coverage of the National Cup throughout the year, culminating in the finals weekend at the end of January. There’s huge excitement around this year’s competition and there are some very tasty draws in store for fans.”
Sep 7, 2018
Joe Reynolds has been announced this morning as the new Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland
Reynolds succeeds Jim Beecher who has held the role on an interim basis since 2017.
He is a successful businessman, sport horse breeder and racehorse owner and has been a member of the Horse Sport Ireland board for the last two years.
He is credited as having played a key role in supporting the significant change programme currently being implemented following the ‘Review of Certain Matters relating to Horse Sport Ireland’ published by Michael Creed TD and produced by Indecon International Consultants last year.
He is also a member of Horse Sport Ireland’s Finance, HR and Commercial Committee and the Dressage and Para-Dressage High Performance Committee.
“I am very pleased that Joe has agreed to take on the challenge of chairing the new Board of Horse Sport Ireland,” said Minister Creed.
“His extensive experience in the equine sector makes him an ideal Chair to provide strategic leadership and continue the implementations recommended by Indecon to expand employment and create the maximum contribution to the Irish economy.”
“I am delighted to take up the position of Chairman in an organisation which I have been involved with for many years,” added Reynolds.
“Exceptional strides have been made on the Indecon recommendations, within Horse Sport Ireland, over the past 12 months and we are now at a very exciting stage. I am very much looking forward to continuing that good work with the management team.”
“I have worked with Joe over the past year on the Board of Horse Sport Ireland and on a number of Committees and we are very fortunate to have someone with his in-depth corporate and sector knowledge, enthusiasm and experience chairing the new Board,” said Horse Sport Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy.
“We are looking forward to continuing to restructure Horse Sport Ireland, drive progress and to provide a platform for the Sport Horse Industry to realise its full potential.”
“I would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution and support of our previous interim Chairman, Jim Beecher, over the past 18 months and to wish him well for the future.”
Joe Reynolds is expected to take up his position as Horse Sport Ireland Chairman immediately.
Sep 7, 2018
Sport takes centre stage on the seasonal return of the Late Late Show on RTÉ TV tonight.
The Irish Senior Women’s Hockey Team will be chatting about their stunning success when they made history becoming the first Irish sporting team to reach a World Cup final; the huge support they received from home and the impact their victory is having on hockey in Ireland.
They will be joined in the Green room and then on the iconic set of the show by Limerick’s finest, Senior Hurling Manager John Kiely, captain Declan Hannon and strength and conditioning coach Joe O’Connor who will be discussing their breakthrough summer.
And if you thought of heading out after that, stay a while. Gymnast Rhys McClenaghan will be on talking about beating Olympic champion Max Whitlock to win pommel horse Gold at the European Championships.
Hurdler Thomas Barr about becoming the first ever Irish man to win a medal in a sprint event in the history of the same championships; and swimmer Ellen Keane will tell viewers about the Irish team’s huge success in the Allianz European Para Swimming Championships in Dublin last month, including her own victory in the 100m breaststroke SB8.
The final sporting connection to the show will see Clare based cave diver Jim Warny share his experience of the rescue mission that saved the lives of 12 young footballers and their coach in Thailand.
The show gets underway at 9:35 tonight.
Sep 3, 2018
Russell White achieved a career-best performance on Sunday (September 2nd) by claiming a silver medal at the ITU World Cup race at Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.
As well as being the standout result in White’s career thus far, it also equals the best ever finish by an Irish athlete in a World Cup triathlon and makes White just the third Irish athlete after Aileen Reid and Bryan Keane to stand on a World Cup podium.
White was strong throughout the Standard (Olympic) distance race which is notorious as one of the toughest on the world circuit. He emerged 5th out of the water from the 1,500m swim and biked at the front on a hilly and technical course before executing a blistering 29min 43sec 10km run to finish just 14seconds behind the winner – Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy.
Speaking after the race, White was clearly delighted with his efforts:
“I am buzzing to have finally made my first World Cup podium finishing second today at Karlovy Vary. I have had a massive racing block with eight races in seven weeks but I am so glad that I have managed to get better with every race.”
“I’ve had an up and down season this year with being in very good shape for Commonwealth Games, not using that fitness and then getting sick shortly after. It has been hard to turn it around but I can’t believe that I have not only turned it around but managed achieved a career-best result today.”
White acknowledged that the result will have a huge effect on his Olympic qualifying and World Triathlon points and on his state of mind heading into the World Triathlon Grand Final in Australia:
“I now turn my focus to the Grand final in Gold Coast in two weeks and then round of the season with three further World cups next month. Thank you for all the support from home and it is great to get the Irish trisuit back up onto a World Cup podium,” White concluded.
