One of the benefits of being a sporting nation is that the importance of sport reaches up to the highest levels of Government. It’s not only for the big games in the shiny stadia either.
Earlier this week An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, both of whom have been our last two Ministers with responsibility for Sport were out and about in North East Inner City Dublin to check in on the progress of a Government funded campaign to help build community strength in challenged areas.
It also provided an opportunity for prominent local businesses to dial up their own connection to sport and to be seen engaging at this highest level.
AIG Ireland General Manager Declan O’Rourke and JLT Director Amanda Harton were both on hand with the political leaders to recognise an important contribution they had made to helping Sherriff Youth Club get back into sporting action.
The club had been facing challenges in getting insurance and so were unable to field teams. That is the ultimate blow to a sporting organisation but a solution was found by talking about it.
“We were delighted to step in and insure our neighbors in Sheriff Youth Club who can now field teams again,” said O’Rourke speaking to Sport for Business.
Sport for Business will host a special half day event in May 2018 looking at the ways in which Sport can contrinute to wider society through innovative programmes and partnerships. Find out more here.
“Insurance affordability has become a real issue for all clubs. If a club has just one claim every year for someone slipping in a bathroom and a court awards €30,000, with €10,000 legal fees, the insurance premium will be close to €50,000 annually.”
“This is unsustainable for most clubs. Many injuries on the field are far more serious and are rehabilitated with physiotherapists without compensation.”
AIG Insurance, together with other NEIC (North East Inner City) businesses, are supporting Minister Pascal Donohue’s initiative in the North East inner city to encourage social and economic regeneration of of the area via a range of community-based programmes with sporting programs being a key pillar of the plan.
Dublin City Council’s Sport and Wellbeing Patrnership, with which Sport for Business is closely involved, has also been a significant contributor in terms of planning and determining where interventions can have the greatest impact.
O’Donoghue also paid tribute to fellow Sport for Business member PwC for their work in the local area.
“We have seen a real response back from IFSC firms at the moment, and a key action called out in the report is that we will continue with this work across 2018, with companies like PWC and AIG leading the way in investing and employing people here in the local community who are going to thrive in those kind of environments,” said the Minister.
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Image credit: Ryan Byrne, Inpho Photography
