ISC Chairman Addresses the AAI Congress 2012
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Our Mutual Agenda It is a great privilege for me to have been invited to address your Annual Congress. Since my appointment as Chairman of the Irish Sports Council, I have been on a sharp learning curve on the myriad of issues associated with sport, its funding requirements, its personalities and its participants and volunteers. I am truly impressed by the wealth of commitment dedication and talent in our NGB's, the range of the activities of sport organisations and the levels of their success both nationally and internationally. I would like to think that my presence here today reaffirms the strong working relationship between our respective organisations and the mutual commitment to positive engagement which undoubtedly will be to both our benefits and that of the participants, athletes and volunteers we endeavour to support and encourage. I wish to thank you for your positive words of appreciation for our financial and professional support. I endorse the view expressed in your Annual Report that it is resources well spent, appropriately accounted for, and the evident success displayed in your national and international activities bears adequate testimony to these observations. The achievements of your organisation continue to be a source of national acclamation with the truly remarkable podium finishes in a wide range of track and field disciplines over recent years.
The Olympics This year being an Olympic and Paralympic year there is a major focus on the sport of athletics. This is an opportunity to promote the wide ranging disciplines of track & field. It also presents challenges as your organisation bears the weight of scrutiny and the hopes of an expectant national public and media. Succeeding in global events is, by definition, extremely difficult and rare. That notwithstanding, the AAI is enjoying a remarkably successful period in winning medals at a variety of events and discipline for different age groups. Fionnuala Britton's marvellous gold medal at the European Cross Country Championships last December was the ultimate achievement in a year that produced much success. She provides a shining example to the many talented young athletes emerging through the AAI ranks and is somebody every person can seek to emulate. Happily Ireland will be sending a strong team to London 2012 and the country will be represented with distinction by many outstanding athletes. It is the nature of the Olympic Games that the public turn their gaze every four years to this sport. All we can ask is that everyone performs to the standard that meets their own expectations, that they enjoy representing Ireland at the Olympics and that they feel enhanced by the whole experience. It was signalled 2 years ago that funding for High Performance Sport would not be touched in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. No doubt everyone in this room understands the essential logic of that decision. There is a national imperative in ensuring that our athletes are given the maximum support in the preparation and performances at London 2012. The Council points to the real return on that investment to the taxpayer. Over recent years high performance sport in Ireland has produced a serious of outstanding displays across a number of sports. A system has emerged that produces sustained and repeatable success. Athletics has produced its share of that success and has achieved podium places at many championships in recent years. We make the case, based on the success achieved, for continued investment in high performance sport in Ireland.
Where do we go from here? The Council had received an outline of the budget until 2014. As you are aware the budget has decreased by 5% in each of these years. I hope this position is not altered for the future years. Any further reduction beyond these figures would lead to diminished activities and consequential loss of involvement and participation. I thank our Ministers for Sport and the Government for keeping these reductions to a manageable level and urge them to find new resources for the current and capital sports programmes.
ISC Strategy The Council itself has published its "Strategy Statement" last month. It is important to highlight that in our new strategy that there is a very significant emphasis on good governance and return on investment. Our new three-year strategy is aligned with Government policy. The Programme for Government made specific references to the needs for good governance and dispute resolution mechanisms within Irish sport. We must take note of those priorities and will work with everyone in Irish sport to meet those requirements. During the strategic planning process we sought the view of our colleagues throughout the sports sector. One of the clear messages coming back was that National Governing Bodies enjoy excellent reworking relationships with the Council and value its role in Irish sport. I know that AAI works very well with the Council in all areas and excellent outcomes are being produced through that collaboration. Three areas are highlighted for development in our Statement of Strategy:
The Council has published also its grant allocation for High Performance and the grants under the Carding System. The Irish Sports Council has provided significant investment in high performance athletics over the past number of years. In 2012, €350,000 is provided to athletes through the International Carding Scheme. Almost €850,000 is provided for the AAI Performance Plan and there are a wide range of services provided by the Institute of Sport based at the National Sport Campus at Abbotstown. In addition this month we have published the 2012 grants for each NGB. I believe in full transparency in regard to our Sports Council budget and full accountability for the monies allocated and the rationale for those grant and expenditure decisions. The taxpayer who funds these activities deserves such an open window policy. I believe it assists also in ensuring that all sporting organisations can be informed fully of the funding, policy and strategy approaches of the Council.
Building Capacity/Enterprise I want to say a few words specifically about the collaboration between The Institute of Sport and Athletics Ireland. The Institute works closely with Athletics Ireland in a number of areas:
The Challenges Times of crisis can bring out the best in this nation and we are a resilient people in the face of adversity. It is in the DNA of each of us. I hope we can seize the current opportunities of less "bling" with less frenetic activity of little substance, to build a greater sense of national and local community solidarity. Sports can be the glue that binds us together in shared leisure and sporting events. The Council believes that we must develop and encourage initiatives that increase participation in sports at all levels and in non-competitive active leisure activities at all age levels. The work of Local Sports Partnerships, the National Trails Office, the An Post/ISC family cycling events are important calendar events. There is a noticeable increase in recreational running in Ireland. It is important for AAI to be centrally involved with that. Previous booms did not leave a lasting legacy. Now there is ample evidence of the excellent work of AAI in promoting and sustaining this new level of participation in running and other forms of physical activity. For example I am aware that 15,000 young people will take part in the Schools' Track & Field programme which is ongoing around the country. That is a fantastic number and well done to everyone involved. There is huge voluntary effort required in sustaining such a level of participation and I want pay tribute to all involved in that work. For 2012 AAI plan an expansion of the Fit4Life programme with a target of that 15,000 women participating. Currently there are 92 Fit4Life clubs around Ireland and hopefully that number will grow. The programme is funded by the Women in Sport programme and is run in partnership Local Sports Partnerships. I want to highlight the work of the Sports Partnerships in growing sport in communities, especially for people normally excluded from sport. The Fit4Life programme is a model of working with the Sports Partnerships to produce results that benefit everyone. It is great to see AAI working so closely with them. I want to call also on Schools and Third-Level Institutions to open their facilities in out of study periods to local sporting organisations.
Sport is an Investment Our Society is broken and needs to be rebuilt. An essential pillar and foundation in that process of restructuring is participation in sports. The value of such participation economically, socially and in terms of personal health has been well documented by research undertaken by the Sports Council. We should not have to repeat it, time and time again to the Government or their advisors. The preservation of the Sports Council budget is a vital National interest effecting as it does our national wellbeing in matters of health, social and physical inclusion, the development of talent and participation and our international sporting reputation. Investment in sport, simply put, is an investment in the future of this country, in its young people, in its amateur and professional sportspersons and in the recovery of the sense of National achievement and pride. London and summer 2012 is around the corner. Our track and field athletes have done us proud by their accomplishments in European and World events, by achieving increasingly both personally best time and qualifications standards. Recently our boxers, despite some eccentric voting, have met our expectations and our Ladies' and Men's Hockey teams were only a game and a few seconds away from qualifying. We will collectively build on these achievements towards other international events. We all wish them well in their endeavours. I believe collectively we have supported them to the best in the services and resources available to us in the last numbers of years. I congratulate everyone who has qualified and we can ask of them is to represent us with integrity, dignity and honesty. Any medals will be a bonus. (No pressure, folks!) Post the Olympics, the Council will oversee the delivery of a comprehensive set of debriefs with the NGBS in order to commence the appropriate planning and arrangements for the next international cycle and the funding for our involvement. I look forward to working with your Association in this review and in the context that all big achievements start in a small club, community or townland on this island, with the encouragement and mentoring of unsung heroes.
Finally, May I wish you every success in your proceedings today and tomorrow, and that we strengthen our positive working relationship with your Officers and Executive into the future. Again, I thank you for your attention and your kind invitation to your Congress.
Kieran Mulvey |