Sport Ireland announced an increased spending package of €6.4m in Dormant Accounts Funding allocated by the Government for 2023.

Sport Ireland has today announced an increased spending package of €6.4m in Dormant Accounts Funding allocated by the Government for 2023.

The Dormant Accounts Funding enables unclaimed funds from accounts in credit institutions in Ireland to be utilised to support the delivery of projects focused on overcoming the barriers and challenges to participation for those in diverse communities, regardless of socio-economic background, gender, disability, sexual orientation or ethnicity.  

This is the second round of Dormant Accounts Funding allocated to sport by the Government this year, following anearlier investment package of €4.86 million, allocated for Local Sports Partnerships and Active Disability Ireland.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and the Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD, have welcomed the additional investment which will support a wide range of sport and physical activity areas, in particularDiversity, Inclusion & Equality activities and Disability Sport measures.

The funding allocated by the Government will impact positively on communities across Ireland through grants to National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs). The investment builds on Sport Ireland’s work in this area to date and aims to expand and enhance the delivery of the Government’s ‘Sport for All’ initiatives along with Sport Ireland’s Diversity & Inclusion, Disability and Women in Sport Policies. A total of €6,416,500 will support 40 National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) through seven Dormant Accounts FundSchemes.

A €1.7m Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Fund will continue to allow NGBs to deliver suitable projects and initiatives which support the five pillars of Sport Ireland’s Policy on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport; change, communication, access, capacity and leadership.

Speaking about the new round of Dormant Account Funding,Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD said: 
“This latest round of funding shows the Government's continuing commitment to bringing the benefits of sport and physical activity to those experiencing disadvantage or with disabilities. A particular highlight is the allocation of €1.7mto The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Fund, to support initiatives such as the IRFU’s Spirit Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion projects aimed at making their grounds more accessible, formats of the game more socially engaging and growing participation rates of women and girls, ethnic minorities, and members of the LGBTQI+ community. These will help increase participation in sport and physical activity in local communities.”

Building on 2022’s ‘Sport for All’ Fund, a dedicated €2.2mLocal Disability Sports Fund has been put in place to initiate, advance or accelerate local disability initiatives within NGB Club Networks and Affiliates. This fund will enable clubs to deliver disability specific activities, providing inclusive opportunities for participation for people with a disability.

Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD, added: “I strongly welcome the announcement of this increased spending package that will support projects which aim to make sport more accessible for all. The €2.2m awarded to the Local Disability Sports Fund will support disability-specific training to local clubs and volunteers, disability-specific participation programmes and projects, and the provision of small-scale sports equipment to individual clubs. This provides a great funding opportunity for sports clubs, in every part of the country, to improve their sports offering for people with disabilities. I know from visiting many clubs countrywide that there is a strong commitment to welcome people with disabilities into their clubs and I urge them to make their applications for this dedicated scheme.”

Reflecting the priorities of the National Sports Policy a total of €575,000 has been provided to support initiatives to increase walking, running, swimming and cycling across Ireland. The 2023 Funding will also see continued investment into the development of NGB Led Community Sports Hubs in Dublin, Galway and Limerick.

Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, Dr. Úna May, commented: “Dormant Accounts Funding enables Sport Ireland to further support the sports sector through our National Governing Bodies, funded bodies and our network of Local Sports Partnerships to deliver equal opportunities for everyone to avail of the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity.

A full breakdown of the funding is included below:

Funding Allocations 2023

*Sport Ireland will provide consolidated funding to advance a number of individual and collaborative projects within the GAA, LGFA, Camogie Association and GAA Handball. All funding will be released to the GAA for further allocation and distribution. This approach seeks to advance Action 3.6 of the Governments 2021 -2023 Sports Action Plan: Develop a common funding framework to guide the allocation of State funding for Gaelic Games across all codes.

ENDS-

For more information please contact:

Eamon Donoghue

edonoghue@sportireland.ie

087 3187 194