Budget 2013 sees a reduction in €1.3 million in Irish Sport Council funding for next year. The 2.9% reduction on the Irish sport council’s €44.5 million allocation for 2012 is 2.1% less than the anticipated cut of 5%. Speaking about the impact of Budget 2013 on sport, Minister Varadkar said:
“The boxers, paralympians, individual athletes, our national teams and local and county sportspeople lifted the nation’s spirits throughout the year. We are immensely grateful for that as a nation. Moreover, rising levels of participation in sport suggest that our policies are working and investment in sport is producing a real return. In recognition of this, I am reducing the planned cut in funding to the Sports Council from 5% to 2.9% for 2013.”
The estimates for 2013 outline that a further €57 million in expenditure savings will need to be found across the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in 2014. With €2.6 million of those savings earmarked to come from sport it remains important for Irish Sport to continue to press home the message of the varied contribution sport makes to Ireland whilst at the same time looking at diversifying the income streams available to it. Much work remains to be done in this regard particularly when it comes to incentivising the private sector to invest in Irish Sport.
Read the Federation of Irish Sport’s pre-budget letter to Ministers Varadkar & Ring