Sport Ireland announces €36 million investment

Sport Ireland announces €36 million investment in Tokyo 2020 Preparations, National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships

• €13.8 million for core activity of 58 National Governing Bodies
• €8.3 million to support work of 29 Local Sports Partnerships
• €9.4 million to support High Performance programmes & Tokyo 2020
• €2.43 million in International Carding Scheme – a 26% increase

 Sport Ireland today announced a significant €36 million investment package for National Governing Bodies of Sport, High Performance sport and Local Sports Partnerships for 2020.

In 2020, Sport Ireland will invest an additional €1 million in the core operations of National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), bringing the total funding to €13.85 million in 2020.

The €9.4 million being invested in High Performance programmes and Tokyo 2020 support, along with €820,000 allocated to the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics to support operations and administration ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is the highest amount ever invested in High Performance sport in Ireland.

This investment in High Performance sport is bolstered by a 26% increase investment in the International Carding Scheme, with €2.43 million being allocated in 2020. €220,000 will be allocated to the Team Ireland Golf Scheme.

The Sport Ireland Local Sports Partnership Network will receive €8.3 million to support operations and programmes at a local level.

There was continued success for Irish athletes and teams in 2019, with at total of 80 medals won at major competitions.  At a local level, NGBs and LSPs saw sustained participation and engagement with their programmes and introduced many new initiatives nationwide. 

Speaking at the announcement at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena today, Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, said: “It is encouraging to see this significant uplift in funding for sport in Ireland; 2020 will see Sport Ireland allocate the highest amount ever in grant funding across the board. I would like to thank Minister Ross and Minister Griffin, and their colleagues in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, for their continued commitment to the National Sports Policy and the vision to transform the Irish sporting landscape in the coming decade. 2019 saw further development of the Sport Ireland Campus with the opening of Phase 2 of the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena and a state of the art hockey pitch. These infrastructural developments underpin our athlete’s success on the playing field and further augment the Sport Ireland Campus as the epicentre of high performance sport.”

Sport Ireland has in place partnership agreements with both the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland, which outlines the roles and responsibilities in the preparation of athletes in advance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and their in-competition support.

Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy welcomed the increased funding, adding, “Sport Ireland is delighted to be in a position to provide the majority of performing National Governing Bodies for Sport and Local Sports Partnerships with another increase in funding in 2020. The continued investment in high performance sport will be enhanced by a 14% increase in investment in the facilities and expertise available at the Sport Ireland Institute which is vitally important as we start move towards Tokyo 2020. The strengthened relationship between the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Paralympics Ireland and Sport Ireland means we are starting the Olympic and Paralympic countdown in a very strong and positive position and look forward to another good year for Irish sport at all levels.”

This year Sport Ireland will invest €871,010 in programme funding to the LSP network, an increase of 53% from the €568,650 invested in 2019.  Programme funding is at the core of the LSPs engagement with participants and allows for the delivery of a range of community, club and school based initiatives, programmes and events.

Speaking at the investment announcement, Sport Ireland Director of Participation and Ethics, Dr. Una May, commented: “At a local level, the increased investment in Local Sports Partnerships, and in particular the funding for additional LSP Development Officers will continue to build capacity across the network and effectively support the delivery of the actions outlined in the National Sports Policy. In 2020 Sport Ireland will also support Local Authorities to develop Local Sports Plans to increase participation locally, in a manner consistent with the vision and objectives set down in the National Sports Policy. As per the policy, a locally-led, nationally supported approach will be a key feature of our participation strategy and the funding announced today will support this key work.”