Estimates

Sparks

From the Dept. of Sport:

Highlights: Estimates 2006

"While many sporting organisations have endeavoured to have an equality approach, the fact remains that women are at a disadvantage in relation to sports participation."

Sports Funding exceeds €154million in 2006

* The budget for the Irish Sports Council has increased by 19% from €34.4m to €40.9m to include :
* An additional €1.5m - on top of the €750,000 provided last year - for programmes to attract more women into sport.
* Additional €1m - on top of the current €2m - to the FAI towards the implementation of its Technical Development Plan
* Funding to enable the extension of the network of Local Sports Partnerships
* The implementation of the recommendations contained in the Athens Olympics Review including the establishment of an Irish Institute of Sport

*Funding of €81.7m for the Local Authority Swimming Pool and Sport Capital Programmes to ensure the continued improvement of sports facilities nationwide

*Sports Capital & Swimming Pool Programmes (Subhead C1&C2) €81.7m

The capital allocation for grants for sports facilities, including swimming pools is €81.7m.*. This will be used to meet payments in respect of commitments already made as well as those to be made in 2006 under the Sports Capital and Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme.

Between 1998 and 2005, a total of almost €386m has been allocated to over 4,900 projects throughout the country under the Sport Capital Programme.

Under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme eighteen swimming pool projects have been completed since 2000 and a further eight are currently under construction at locations throughout the country.

I can't stress enough how much clubs should be applying under this scheme for grants - it covers everything we use bar targets and ammunition.

Irish Sports Council (Subheads C3 and C4) - €40.914m

The budget of the Irish Sports Council has risen consistently since its establishment, from €13.2m in its first full year of operation in 2000 to €40.914m in 2006 (over 210%).

The additional funding being provided to the Irish Sports Council will enable

the Council to invest further in the following initiatives :

* Continued support and enhancement of new initiatives introduced in 2005 to assist the development of Hurling and Camogie on a nationwide basis (€1.5m) and the development of Gaelic Games in Dublin (€1m).

* The recently published ESRI research entitled "School Children and Sport in Ireland" reaffirms the low participation levels among women. In 2005 Minister O'Donoghue set aside a special budget of €750,000 to introduce programmes specifically targetted at women. This funding, which is being repeated for 2006, is also being supplemented by an additional €1.5m.
* To widen the appeal of soccer the FAI is implementing its Technical Development Plan. An additional amount of €1m will be provided towards the costs of its implementation with a particular focus on attracting more women to participate in the sport.
* Currently, there are 16 Local Sports Partnership in existence through which programmes at local level are developed. An independent review of the Partnerships has been carried out by Fitzpatrick and Associates and the network of Partnerships will now be extended.
* One of the key recommendations from the Athens Olympics Review is the establishment of structures for an Irish Institute of Sport, to deliver optimal support services for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and sports, and to form the basis of a long-term and sustainable high performance infrastructure - taking into account the experiences of and the expertise within the NCTC. The proposals for the establishment of the Institute are currently being framed by the Sports Council for submission to the Minister.

Minister O'Donoghue said: "This consistent and increasing level of funding to the Irish Sports Council means that the Council can continue to implement its strategic plan to increase participation in sport, raise standards in competitive sport and help Ireland's leading sportsmen and women achieve and maintain world class performance.

"Historically, the promotion and development of sport has primarily been in the context of our male population. While many sporting organisations have endeavoured to have an equality approach, the fact remains that women are at a disadvantage in relation to sports participation. Last year I set aside an amount of €750,000 to commence a programme geared towards the greater involvement of women in sport This funding will be continued in 2006 and will be supplemented by a further €1.5m.

So good news all round and we can now reasonably expect that the NRPAI (and thus the various NGBs) can get more funding for the coming year. Perhaps the various NGBs would like to tell us what they're going to use the finances for? What new programmes will we be seeing?

Sparks

From the Irish Sports Council:

Irish Sports Council Welcomes Allocation of Extra Funding in the 2006 Estimates
17November 2005

The Irish Sports Council today (Nov 17th 2005) welcomed a 19% increase in its funding allocation to €40.9 million in 2006.

Mr. Ossie Kilkenny, Chairperson of the Irish Sports Council commented: “The Council sincerely appreciates the significant support offered by this Government to our work and to the further development of sport in Ireland. On behalf of the Council, our stakeholders, and the wider sporting public I would like to thank Minister O’Donoghue for the unprecedented levels of investment in, and his continued commitment to, Irish sport.”

A key objective of the Irish Sports Council’s strategic plan is the roll out of a nationwide network of Local Sports Partnerships, of which there are currently 16. The funding announced today will enable the extension of the network of partnerships.

Funding is also being directed towards the establishment of structures for an Irish Institute of Sport which will form the basis of a long-term and sustainable high performance structure in this country.

In the 2005 Budget Minister O’Donoghue indicated to the Council that he wanted the issue of women’s participation in sport addressed as a priority, and allocated €750,000 to do so. In response the Council developed a ‘Women in Sport Initiative’, and is pleased this increased Estimate recognises the importance of that Initiative by repeating that funding, and significantly supplementing it by a further €1.5m, bringing its allocation to €2.25m for the coming year.

John Treacy, Chief Executive of Irish Sports Council said: “The support of the Government for the Council, once again practically demonstrated by a significant increase in financial resources for 2006, is essential if we are to complete our important work. The increased funding will enable us to continue to implement our strategic objectives, further our participation strategy, and enhance our supports to high performance sport including the development of an Irish Institute of Sport.”

Since the introduction of the special budget measure in 2001 the Irish Sports Council has worked with the GAA, FAI and IRFU in rolling out innovative national plans aimed at increasing participation in sport by young people. 2006 will see an additional €1m made available to the FAI to support the implementation of their technical development plan, and focus on attracting more women participants into the sport.

The welcome increase will also cater for the continued support and enhancement of new initiatives introduced last year to assist the development of hurling and camogie on a nationwide basis (€1.5m), and the development of Gaelic Games in Dublin (€1m).

The Estimate for 2006 is an increase on €34.4 million for 2005. The Irish Sports Council was established in 1999 and had a budget of €13.4 million in 2000, its first full year in existence.