Sport Ireland has published the 11th annual Sport Ireland Strategic, Planning, Evaluation and Knowledge (SPEAK) Report on the national network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs).
The publication was preceded by meetings in Athlone and Portlaoise this week where representatives of the Local Sports partnerships and Local Authorities were gathered for Q and A sessions with Sport Ireland’s team.
The SPEAK report provides an overview of the work of the 29 LSPs across the country, and highlights the innovative good practice projects and programmes that are being operated locally.
Almost €20 million was invested in the LSP network, including benefit in kind funding.
Commenting on the Report, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD said: “The Local Sports Partnership Network carries out vital work in increasing participation, particularly among those sectors of society which are underrepresented in sport. This work is making a substantial contribution to the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the nation. Today’s report puts a spotlight on the many innovative local projects which are being undertaken by the Local Sports Partnerships across the country which provide an opportunity for all members of society, young and old, to take part in a wide range of sport and physical activities.”
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy, said: “One of Sport Ireland’s key priorities for the LSP network is the sustainable development within the local sports infrastructure; this report shows that LSPs are doing vital work with clubs and groups ensuring that structures are in place to allow people across the LSP target groups to participate in sport. I would like to thank all of the agencies, groups and individuals who have contributed to this report, and to those who were involved in the delivery of the programmes and projects at local level.”
Sport Ireland Director of Participation and Ethics, Dr. Una May, added: “Increasing participation across every age group and from all social backgrounds throughout Ireland is one of the key aims of Sport Ireland. The SPEAK report highlights the great work by the LSPs in removing barriers that hinder participation in sport and physical activity. Sport Ireland, through the Local Sports Partnership network, will continue to take a strategic approach with regard to programme delivery, continuing to place a strong emphasis on monitoring and evaluation of the programmes delivered.”
It is great to see our member organisations not only putting on great events but also sharing them for others to see.
Gymnastics Ireland’s headline participation event – ‘The Floor’, took place for the third consecutive year on Sunday 3rd June in the National Indoor Arena.
The flagship display event comprised of 22 teams from 15 Clubs with over 400 gymnasts participating and a great crowd of spectators out in force to support.
For this event, Gymnastics Ireland brought the X-Factor to ‘The Floor’ and created a show with increased investment in stage lighting, video recording, sound production and a fantastic MC in the shape of Shay Byrne from RTE.
Four main Merit Awards were presented on the day by Gymnastics Ireland Chairman Ger Rellis. The awards showed special appreciation for some performances that stood out and celebrate participation, personal achievement, fun, friendship and teamwork. The awarded display teams were as follows…
Best Costume: Gymstars GC
Best Theme/Concept: Finesse GC & Carrigaline GC
Best Choreography/Content: Douglas GC & the Display Squad from Arabian GC
Best Entertainment: Cork Acro GC
Gymnastics Ireland has a resident media company Hello Deer Media who capture the events in memorable fashion without having to rely on parenbts iPhones.
The Floor was a proper show in every way and saw a wide variety of performances from some of the best display teams in the country.
A video playlist of all the individual team performances from this year will be released in the coming days in the Gymnastics Ireland website and YouTube Channel.
Attention now shifts to the flagship competitive event the ‘National Series Super Championships’ that will be held on 30th June & 1st July in the National Indoor Arena.
As part of the 2018 Federation of Irish Sport Conference in Trinity College Dublin, CEO Mary O’Connor gave a presentation concerning a substantial survey of our members, the full detail of which we will be unveiling over the coming months.
In terms of what information the survey will deliver and what we can drive as a result of greater knowledge here is a review of what was shown to the audience of 300 leaders within the sports sector.
Over 300 leaders in sport gathered at the Edmund Burke Theatre in Trinity College yesterday for the 6th Annual Federation of Irish Sport Conference.
We were drawn by the prospect of hearing how New Zealand, with similar size, population and sporting culture, has stepped up through the gears to win 14 medals at the Rio Olympic Games.
The CEO of Sport New Zealand Peter Miskimmin and Geoff Barry who heads up the Community Sport element both delivered straightforward, common sense but in many ways inspiring appraisals of how they have created a sporting environment which has been widely praised and held up as a model to be followed.
We learned how they decided in 2007 to change and streamline the structure of sports administration and to adopt a much more targetted approach to funding.
The ‘tough love’ basis of podium potential was used to identify six Olympic and three non-Olympic sports that could produce athletes that would stand a much better chance of fulfilling their potential if greater funding and support could be pushed their way.
The funding, in a country with similar population size and resource to ours, was finite could not stretch to be all things to all sport.
The new approach produced almost instant results with a record haul of thirteen medals at London 2012 rising to 18 in Rio four years later.
Success bred greater funding from Government and the extension of the number of sports being targetted to 12. There is also scope for funding individual athletes who come to prominence during an Olympic Cycle and while the main review takes place every four years straight after each Olympic Games, there is a review two years out where tweaks can be made to funding and support.
It was notable too that the High-Performance arm was treated as a stand alone entity with specialists employed in strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and sports psychology which could then be deployed to individual sport on the basis of need and impact.
A removal of the Command and Control form of management has also resulted in a significant change at local or community sport level. Detailed research was conducted to identify which areas of the population could gain the greatest impact from funding and programmes and programme submissions sought in order to make this happen.
Again while nobody was willing to end all funding to the least effective programmes straight away, the story of success in specific target groups ranging from 0-5 year olds, teenage girls, indigenous community sports and on occasion groups who were most active, generated real results and a change in culture.
It is not perfect, the two speakers were very quick to identify that they themselves have concerns in many areas and that the underlying threat of a less playful childhood experience is storing up problems but part of the way to beat a problem is to recognise it and they do that admirably.
Their presentations followed on from an introduction by Minister of State for Sport and Tourism Brendan Griffin in which he told us that the new National Sports Policy was to be published in July and that the 2018 version of the Sports Capital programme was also imminent.
He praised the recent Irish Sports Monitor as providing real insight on what Communities need and want from sport and activity and expressed the Government’s continued strong belief in what Irish sport was doing and was capable of doing for the wellbeing of the nation.
The Federation would like to thank the supporters who made yesterday’s event possible including Sport Ireland, Teamwear, OSK, Dublin City Council Sports and Wellbeing Partnership, JLT, Leman Solicitors, 2Into3, Clann Credo, Teamer, Olive Learning, Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown and Print Depot.
Federation CEO Mary O’Connor was interviewed on Sport for Business ahead of Thursday’s Annual Conference.
Here is what she had to say about the opportunity to learn from those who will be speaking…
This Thursday at Trinity College, Irish sport will come face to face with its potential to increase national participation, and its ability to deliver medals at the highest level of world sport.
The Federation of Irish Sport has brought the two key architects of New Zealand’s success in both areas to Dublin for what CEO Mary O’Connor describes as a “once in a lifetime chance to learn from the best”
Peter Miskimmin is the CEO of Sport New Zealand and he, together with Geoff Barry, General Manager for Community Sport at the same body will address up to 300 sporting and societal leaders at the Conference.
They will also meet with members of the Oireachtas Committee on Sport, officials from Sport Ireland, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Olympic Council of Ireland on their whistle-stop tour.
“After the Rio Olympic Games, New Zealand was the country held up as a prime example of what was possible for a country of small population and finite resource,” said O’Connor speaking yesterday to Sport for Business.
“We within the sports sector were asked to go and learn how they delivered a high of 13 medals at the London 2012 Olympics and then rose that to 18 in Rio.”
“There is a genuine enthusiasm among sports and political leaders that putting the right structures in place, backing them with the right investment can deliver so much, for sport, for the health and the mood of the nation.”
The fact that Minister Brendan Griffin will also address the Conference is an indication of that commitment and that making time with the different groups that will have a part to play in mapping a long-term future for sport at participation and performance levels can only be of real benefit.
The Government will shortly publish a new National Sports Policy and it is to be hoped that many of the lessons seen from afar in New Zealand and elsewhere will be incorporated. Sense checking the assumptions with the people who have delivered is a great next step and the Federation is to be applauded for making it happen.
“Sport has always been willing to share knowledge, added O’Connor. “The similarities between our two countries are obvious with a real and genuine love of sport, one particular sport which dominates but which also creates an environment where volunteer and physical activity are ingrained not only as part of communities but also as part of both our national DNA.
“We are in the midst of an incredibly active and successful sports capital programme and we want to learn how we can best look to increase investment now in the people and the programmes that will leverage the greatest return from our facilities.”
“What we learn from Peter and Geoff will help us all to be as informed as we can be way on the way to an overall brighter sporting future.”
O’Connor will also speak to Thursday’s conference, on The Value of Sport, alongside President of the Olympic Council of Ireland and CEO of Swim Ireland Sarah Keane.
Sport for Business will be there on Thursday and will be reporting on what we hear from among a roomful of leaders. It would be worthwhile also from a business perspective to see what can be done with the right investment in the right places.
There are a limited number of tickets still available, at a price of only €35, and it would be well worth dropping by if you are in the area.
This interview first appeared on Tuesday, May 29th on Sport for Business
Team Ireland enjoyed a winning weekend at the European Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Championships in Albena, Bulgaria.The Irish squad claimed a record-breaking 14 medals – four of which were gold – at the 16th edition of the tournament which concluded concluded on May 29th.
This meant a second place finish in the overall medal table behind Russia and ahead of England in third.
The 2018 Championships marks the first occasion that the competition was hosted as a joint male and female event.
Ireland’s female boxers impressed at the first time of asking after claiming three gold, two silver and four bronze in Bulgaria.
“The entire squad were absolutely magnificent from the start of the tournament to today’s finals. They can all be proud of their performances as we are certainly proud of the performances of this amazing young team” said Irish coach Liam Brereton.
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