A major new national campaign has been launched to get as many people as possible out exercising and participating in physical activity this year.

The Sport Ireland ‘Winter Initiative’ calls on women, men, children, grandparents, cousins, neighbours, friends, work colleagues, aspiring sports stars and those who haven’t yet ‘got going’ in 2022 to get out walking, running, cycling or participating in some form of physical activity.

A key focus of the initiative is to help clubs, organisations, gyms and sport and leisure centres bounce back from the challenges placed on them by the covid pandemic by ensuring people renew and reactivate their memberships and get back playing, training and exercising.

There will be more than 750 events ranging from Women’s Social Soccer Programmes to the Ireland Lights Up walking initiative with the GAA, and from collaborations between Swim Ireland and Vision Ireland to the opening up of the Sport Ireland Campus up for ‘give it a try’ events.

“As we settle into the New Year and as we move beyond the Omicron wave, there has never been a better time to get out exercising with family, friends, neighbours or work colleagues,” said Minister of State Jack Chambers.

Impact of the Pandemic

“We know the impact the pandemic has placed on the sports system, with grassroots clubs and organisations among the most impacted. A key aim of the Winter Initiative is to support clubs, gyms and sports centres up and down the country by giving more people the extra incentive to renew their club membership or pay that gym fee. Or even just go for a walk in your local community to get out and get active again this January.”

“The Winter Initiative is a reminder to try and make sport and physical activity a healthy habit in our lives and part of our daily routine,” added newly appointed Sport Ireland CEO Una May.

“Each year the National Governing Bodies and Network of Local Sports Partnerships host hundreds of events, locally and nationally. I encourage everyone to try at least one event, either virtually or in-person in accordance with the current guidelines.”

A full list of all the events and activities planned all-around the country that people can get involved in is available on the Sport Ireland website.

Sports Action Plan

The Winter Initiative is a key commitment in the recently launched Sports Action Plan which outlines 40 separate action points to increase physical participation rates to 60 per cent of the total population by 2027.

The latest figures from the Irish Sports Monitor show that participation levels fell to 35 per cent during the pandemic before bouncing back partially to 43 per cent.

The Winter Initiative will include a major social media campaign by Sport Ireland to encourage and promote exercise and participation in physical activity for the coming weeks and months.

Local clubs and groups are also encouraged to post and advertise their events and activities online to spread the word about the Winter Initiative and encourage new people to try out different sports which they may have felt were outside their comfort zone before now.

Sport for Business Perspective

The benefits of exercise are manifold and the responsibility of sporting bodies to encourage participation as much as to focus on performance is likely to be a significant focus of the new era at Sport Ireland in a post-pandemic society. This is a good start and we will be following the campaign with regular updates.