A Sport for Business analysis of the 2014 Sports Capital Grants published earlier this month has revealed that Bowls, Tennis, Martial Arts and Diving proved to be the real comparative winners in the search for Government funding to upgrade facilities.
Leaving aside the big three sports of GAA, Rugby and Soccer, we compared the amount of money distributed in total capital grants with the amount given by the Irish Sports Council in core funding to run the sports over the current 12 months.
Different filters and balances will have been applied in each distribution and it must be noted that the capital funds have gone in the main to individual clubs as opposed to the sport but it is still instructive to look at how the two compare.
The Bowling League of Ireland drew core funding for this year of €23,261 from the Irish Sports Council. It trumped this by a factor of almost 1000% in the Capital outlay though with ten projects drawing in €223,659 in funding.
€87,900 will go to Blackrock Bowls Club for playing surface development and €60,000 to Bray Bowls Club for refurbishment of dressing rooms and toilet facilities.
Tennis was the fourth most successful sport in total with over €2 million in grants going to 39 projects around the country. This sum represents 5.8 times the amount given in current spending for the year from the Sports Council to Tennis Ireland.
Ten of the projects are worth more than €100,000 each, spread across Louth, Carlow, Tipperary, Mayo, Kildare, Wexford and four in Dublin. That single six figure sum is greater than the amount which all bar 22 sports got in total.
Martial Arts’ total Capital grants of €146,108 and almost all of the €250,000 being distributed to diving and snorkelling clubs will go on the purchase on non-personal equipment.
The submission process around the grants was crystal clear and transparent so fair play to the sports and the clubs that made the most of the opportunity as was presented to them.
It should serve as a spur to others to be ready if, as is the hope of Junior Minister for Sport Michael Ring TD that there is a third round of Capital Grants brought forward in the lifetime of the current government.
| Sport Type (Organisation) | Capital Grants 2014 € | Irish Sports Council Funding 2014 € | Differential |
| Bowls | 223,659 | 23,261 | 9.62 |
| Tennis | 2,032,779 | 350,497 | 5.80 |
| Martial Arts | 146,108 | 31,442 | 4.65 |
| Diving/Snorkelling | 250,207 | 57,078 | 4.38 |
| Archery | 46,339 | 11,875 | 3.90 |
| Rowing | 830,750 | 228,995 | 3.63 |
| Hockey | 681,775 | 253,313 | 2.69 |
| Gymnastics | 606,464 | 276,765 | 2.19 |
| Sailing | 561,917 | 316,400 | 1.78 |
| Weightlifting | 32,716 | 18,818 | 1.74 |
| Boxing | 575,795 | 366,713 | 1.57 |
| Wrestling | 22,000 | 14,319 | 1.54 |
| Triathlon | 185,716 | 121,038 | 1.53 |
| Pitch and Putt | 91,941 | 61,178 | 1.50 |
| American Football | 27,606 | 26,020 | 1.06 |
| Wheelchair Sport | 253,000 | 239,834 | 1.05 |
| Orienteering | 44,000 | 44,670 | 0.99 |
| Motorcycling | 63,101 | 65,484 | 0.96 |
| Swimming | 774,606 | 870,720 | 0.89 |
| Taekwondo | 9,500 | 11,215 | 0.85 |
| Raquetball | 12,000 | 14,495 | 0.83 |
| Tug of War | 17,250 | 21,304 | 0.81 |
| Athletics | 752,336 | 932,202 | 0.81 |
| Golf | 147,775 | 221,779 | 0.67 |
| Badminton | 219,050 | 331,983 | 0.66 |
| Canoeing / Kayaking | 139,384 | 227,992 | 0.61 |
| Cricket | 213,001 | 362,394 | 0.59 |
| Olympic Handball | 20,000 | 34,641 | 0.58 |
| Clay Pigeon Shooting | 14,000 | 32,419 | 0.43 |
| Billiards & Snooker | 20,000 | 62,570 | 0.32 |
| Volleyball | 62,000 | 237,258 | 0.26 |
| Table Tennis | 24,600 | 134,357 | 0.18 |
| Equestrian Sports | 131,600 | 781,191 | 0.17 |
| Basketball | 103,296 | 682,049 | 0.15 |
| Cycling | 45,914 | 305,824 | 0.15 |
| Fencing | 3,723 | 25,011 | 0.15 |
| Tenpin bowling | 3,000 | 24,625 | 0.12 |
| Surfing | 7,000 | 75,500 | 0.09 |
