The Arthur Guinness Projects have announced three winners from the Sports category who will share part of €500,000 in grant funding and benefit from business mentoring over the next year.
They were chosen by a combination of public vote and the recommendation of an expert panel of judges including Donegal Football manager Jim McGuinness, Broadcaster Matt Cooper, Sarah O’Connor of the Federation of Irish Sport and Rob Hartnett of Sport for Business.
In total 672 projects were submitted for the first of what will be an initial three year cycle of awards with an overall budget aimed at raising the ability of social entrepreneur based projects to get up and running.
The three sports based projects are Accessing the Ocean, a project which provides free individual surfing access to people with special needs; Club Colours, a Kerry based venture providing sports clubs from all codes with the ability to offer branded merchandise to members and supporters; and the Plurabelle Paddlers a group set up to provide fitness motivation and ideas to women recovering from Breast Cancer.
Sport for Business will host a Round Table discussion on Philanthropy and Sport on November 28th 2013. Click here for more details.
Over the next week we will be looking in depth at each of the three projects as well as a selection of those that came very close to winning an award but which will hopefully benefit nonetheless from the process and the exposure they will have gained.
The Arthur Guinness projects will run again in 2014 and it is never too early to start thinking if a project you are involved in, that has sport at its heart and which can show a clear benefit for communities and society, might be suitable for submission.
“We have been really struck by the quality of the entries with no shortage of amazing ideas right across the four categories,” said Stephen O’ Kelly, marketing director of Guinness. “Passion, flair and creative spirit were clearly evident and we are delighted to be able to help the winning projects.”
“It was heartening to see the drive and professionalism these project owners have to succeed,” added Jim McGuinness. “What’s deep routed in all of them is the desire to implement projects that will benefit others.”
Projects are also being funded in Music, the Arts and Food.
Click below for details of the Sport for Business Events Programme
Sports Sponsorship Showcase
Sports Analytics Round Table
Sports Tourism Seminar
Irish Sponsorship Awards
Sports Philanthropy Round Table
Youth Sports Conference
