The Government has been called upon to create a specific €4.58 million fund which will create jobs within sport and increase participation in physical activity across all elements of society.
The figure represents €1 for every member of the Irish population and is contained in the annual pre-budget submission from the Federation of Irish Sport.
Research among sporting bodies has indicated that 150 jobs could be created immediately and help to stop the drain of talent and resource that is currently being lost to emigration.
2,000 young people graduate each year with a sports related qualification but despite the rapid growth of sport as a business driver, most are currently forced to leave the country to further their ambitions.
Sport already sustains over 40,000 jobs throughout the country and delivers a return on investment within Government spending of €149 for every €100 put in. Currently the rate of central investment in sport is at a level of €9.42 per head of population. This figure is less than one tenth the amount directly attributable in health spending on conditions that are caused by physical inactivity.
Sport for Business will host a Seminar on The Economics of Sports Tourism at the Croke Park Museum in Dublin on November 7th. Click here for more details.
In pure economic terms everything points to the sense of greater Government involvement in public health through smarter investment in public sport. The problem lies in perception with sport being seen as a major business in its own right and therefore somehow less deserving of Government support than other areas such as the arts or indeed other areas of business.
Employment in sport over recent years has grown at more than 50% higher than in accountancy and the submission focus on employment is cleverly targeted to highlight the economic value, never mind the physical value of creating a fitter and healthier nation.
Everyone in Ireland has an opinion and an appreciation of sport not only at the elite level but at grassroots through a network of more than 12,000 clubs. They spend over €800 million each year on goods and services and are a major contributor to sport being responsible for 1.4% of the national economy.
When compared alongside the amount of money spent within agriculture and enterprise, sport barely features yet through a relatively small investment as proposed the case can be made and clearly proven in a short time frame that sport delivers.
The longer term benefits of fitness and health exist beyond the life cycle of a Government in a democracy but jobs within local communities are an immediate concern which sport can help address.
