Overview

Background

Sport Ireland Institute was set up by government in 2006 and based at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown. Our remit is to deliver world class support services to high performance athletes mandated by Sport Ireland.

In 2009 the Institute successfully transitioned and took over responsibility for the science and medicine player athlete services from the Coaching Ireland (formerly the NCTC). In December 2009, we moved into the Institute HQ building and in late 2010 with a grant from the Department of Arts Sport and Tourism began commissioning the clinics and labs out of which we deliver services. The science, medicine and lifestyle support services from our HQ became operational in April 2011.

Our focus

We focus on three key components to positively impact the performance of Irish athletes. These are: Systems, Services and People

Informed by the analysis of the wider sport system the Institute is working with the sports to deliver:

• System Development: high performance planning, review and debrief, development of process and protocols.
• Service Development: integrated and focused support services across science, medicine and lifestyle management.
• People Development: high performance coach development, accreditation of service providers, professional development for coaches, performance directors and service providers.

For the Institute to deliver on its remit to provide world class support it needs to have a holistic engagement with sports with regard to their thinking and approach to building a system relevant to the demands of the competitive environments they face. Only in this way can the Institute design and deliver positive performance impact support that is integrated and informed by the sports own needs.