Dublin City Council marked ten years of SportsFest in fitting fashion at the weekend, bringing together an extraordinary variety of sports, activities, communities and ages for the biggest celebration of the initiative to date.

For the first time, the programme included a major free family sports day at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Sports Campus, creating a five-hour showcase of just how broad the opportunity to be active in Dublin has become.

GAA, soccer, rugby, basketball and athletics were there alongside boxing, NFL football, rock climbing, parkour, ultimate frisbee and tug-of-war.

There was dance, fitness and yoga, together with dedicated neurodiverse activities, age-friendly sport and a Sensory Bus.

Being active does not have to mean joining a traditional sports club or committing immediately to a competitive pathway. It can mean trying something new, returning to an activity after years away or simply finding a form of movement that works for you.

SportsFest provided plenty of each.

It was a significant milestone for a programme that has developed over a decade from a series of activities into a citywide celebration of sport, physical activity, health and community.

The event also formed part of the European Week of Sport and the #BeActive campaign, with the European Commission Representation in Ireland partnering with Dublin City Council for the day.

The Dublin programme continued into Saturday evening with #BeActive StepFest, bringing communities together for a mass participation dance and step-aerobics session.

It formed part of Ireland’s EU Presidency activity and also included a European Flag Cycle involving EU embassies.

 

A Campus Open to the City

The TU Dublin campus has become a significant part of the physical and community landscape of the north inner city, and opening its sporting facilities for SportsFest demonstrated the potential for major educational campuses to play a wider role in community participation.

Olympic champion and Dublin City Council Sports Ambassador Kellie Harrington had helped launch this year’s SportsFest alongside Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron and TU Dublin President Dr Deirdre Lillis.

Lillis highlighted that for some of the children and families taking part, SportsFest represented not only an introduction to a new sport but also a first visit to a university campus.

 

Something for Everyone

Perhaps the strongest feature of Saturday was the absence of a single definition of what sport should look like.

A child could try boxing and then climbing.  Someone accustomed to Gaelic games could experience American football.  Families could move between competitive sports, recreational activities and fitness.

Older participants and those requiring adapted opportunities were also part of the same celebration rather than separated from it.

One of the great strengths of the Irish sporting system is its network of clubs and volunteers, but the route into physical activity does not have to be the same for everybody.

Events such as SportsFest provide a welcoming first step.

There is no season-long commitment required, no expectation that somebody already understands the rules and no need to arrive with previous experience.

You can simply have a go.

 

Ten Years of Building Participation

The tenth anniversary also provided an opportunity to recognise the work that sits behind the event.

Dublin City Council’s sport and wellbeing teams work throughout the year within communities across the city, alongside clubs, National Governing Bodies, schools, community organisations and other partners.

SportsFest brings much of that work together and makes it visible.

It gives participating sports the chance to introduce themselves to new audiences and gives communities the chance to discover activities that may already be taking place close to where they live.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

Saturday at Grangegorman celebrated participation in its broadest sense.

Traditional sports stood alongside newer activities. Competitive pathways shared space with recreational participation. Olympic achievement was represented through Kellie Harrington, while the emphasis throughout the day was on giving everyone else the opportunity to take part.

The day also highlighted a strong partnership lesson with Dublin City Council, TU Dublin, Sport Ireland, and the European Commission, along with individual sports and organisations all combining to produce something special.

After ten years, SportsFest has established itself as a celebration of what participation can look like when the doors are opened as widely as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Dublin City Council, TUD, Sport Ireland and all of the sports mentioned in this story are full members of Sport for Business. Dublin City Council are our Partner in Participation and Community Sport.

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