Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD, will represent Ireland at the EU Sports Council meeting in Brussels today (Tuesday, 14 May 2024).
Topics on the agenda for the EU Sports Council include the approval of a new high-level EU Work Plan for Sport. The EU Work Plan for Sport plan proposes a renewed priority and focus to be given to the integrity and values in sport, the socio-economic and sustainable dimensions of sport, and to encouraging greater participation in sport and health-enhancing physical activity, across the European Union.
Other items to be discussed at the EU Sports Council include the key role that self-organised sport plays in developing a physically active culture in the European population as well as the vital role of volunteers in delivering sport to all sections in society.
In addition to the formal elements of the Council, an informal debate is planned to consider how EU Member States can support women to achieve leadership positions in sport.
Speaking ahead of the EU Sports Council meeting, Minister Byrne said:
“I welcome the new EU Work Plan for Sport which is focused on many of Ireland’s policy priorities for sport, including the need to increase participation in sport and physical activity, the need to protect and strengthen the integrity and values in sport, and to recognise the socio-economic and sustainable dimensions of sport.
In response to the need to increase participation levels amongst young girls and women, a number of new policies have been introduced, in addition to significant funding provided under our Women in Sport Programme. At grassroots level in sport, I have introduced a new Similar Access Requirement which ensures that public funding will not go towards the development of sports facilities, which do not provide similar access to women and men. At sport leadership level, I have also introduced a new rule to ensure 40% gender representation on the boards of National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships is both achieved and maintained, with 50% of state funding to be withheld from National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships, until such a time as 40% gender representation is achieved. We are now seeing a consistent increase in female representation at sport leadership level year on year, with the overall percentage of women on boards standing at 45% today, compared to just 24% in 2019.
In relation to our discussion on the vital role of volunteers, I fully recognise that the Irish sporting community simply would not function, without our volunteers. In January, I joined Sport Ireland to launch a new ‘Volunteering in Sport Policy’ which advances a vision for a sports sector in Ireland that has the best volunteering culture in the world. I look forward to exchanging insights with my European colleagues on these areas of focus.”