Reporting Compliance

All organisations funded by Sport Ireland were required to comply with the Governance Code for Sport by YE2021 in line with the Government's National Sports Policy. Organisations will indicate their compliance through the submission of the Public Statement of Compliance and the Comply or Explain Form to Sport Ireland. These forms indicate that the Board of the funded body have reviewed the practices and is satisfied that they comply with the Code.

Additionally, from 2022 onwards, under Sport Ireland's Terms and Conditions of Grant Investment, we will require the bodies we fund to

Maintain a Compliance Record Form
Submit an annual Board Assurance Statement
Report on material non-compliance

Compliance Record Form

Sport Ireland requires all funded sports organisations to complete and maintain a Compliance Record Form.

This Form is considered a LIVE document and should record the compliance status against each recommended practice within the Code and the evidence (preferably via linked documents) for that attestation during each annual reporting period.
The Compliance Record Form should be reviewed/approved by the Board of the organisation annually at a Board meeting, with it being recommended that this review takes place in the first quarter of the year, reviewing the previous year (i.e. review in Q1 2024 for the previous 2023 year).
Following the Review, the Compliance Record Form and any linked evidence should be saved for the particular reporting period in question (e.g. 2023 year) and a new version maintained to track any changes for the current year.
Please note, that there is no requirement to submit this Form to Sport Ireland. However, sporting organisations will be expected to keep each annual version of this Compliance Record Form on file, which Sport Ireland may request to see at any time. In the case of an organisation being selected for audit by Sport Ireland, the completed Form would likely be requested by auditors for review and sample testing.
Please see the below sections for Compliance Record Form Templates and completed examples.

Annual Board Assurance Statement

Sport Ireland requires that all funded sports organisations submit (as part of our Mid-Year Review requirements) a Board Assurance Statement signed by the Chairperson on behalf of the Board that attests to compliance with key provisions contained within the Code. These areas have been identified as key questions that will indicate stability and structure to an organisation’s governance arrangements. There will be a requirement for Boards to bring to Sport Ireland’s attention any significant or emergent risks likely to affect compliance with the Governance Code for Sport.

The Board Assurance Statement is an annual requirement which must take place each year, confirming your organisations compliance with the Governance Code for Sport during the previous calendar year. (i.e. for the 2024 Mid-Year Review process, your Annual Board Assurance Statement relating to 2023 is required.)
This Assurance Statement will take the same format as previous years depending on whether you are a Type A, B or C organisation but must include the date of the Board meeting where your Board confirmed its assurance of compliance with the Code for all the previous year.
For the full 2023 year to have been considered, we expect that this Board meeting could only have taken place at the end of 2023 (Dec) or during the first half of 2024 (as per the sample included below – Point F).
Additionally, the date and signature from the Chair on this Statement would likely be at a date close to the Board meeting date in which the confirmed assurance took place (as per the sample included below – Point H).
The “Exception Report” and/or “The Comply or Explain Form”, should highlight any areas of contention/non-compliance during the previous year (as per the sample included below – Point C, D & E).
Please see below for Board Assurance Statement Templates and the completed sample/guidance as linked here.

Sample Completed Assurance Statement

https://www.sportireland.ie/sites/default/files/media/document/2024-07/Sample%20Annual%20Board%20Assurance%20Statement_1.pdf

Material Non-Compliance

It is also a requirement to notify Sport Ireland in writing without delay in the event of any material non-compliance with the Governance Code for Sport that may arise from time to time. If organisations are unsure of what items should give rise to this type of report, please contact your respective Unit or the Governance team in Sport Ireland at governance@sportireland.ie.