Everything is local, and never more so than in the past year, as is evidenced by the latest annual report from Sport Ireland into the work of Local Sports Partnerships.
The report highlights the work of the network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs), and the impact they have on participation levels by engaging key target populations across Ireland.
The Report shows that 340,674 people participated in 1,132 locally delivered participation initiatives in 2020 and that 3,646 Clubs or Groups were provided with funding supports by LSPs. This is almost seven times higher than the number of participants when the network was first brought to life in 2007.
As Chair of the Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership, perhaps the largest LSP in the country, I am struck by the amount of work that goes into the planning and delivery of programmes and the focus on physical activity for those who would otherwise not be included in the benefits of being active.
One key area is in providing access to people with a disability, of whom 16,243 took part in LSP initiatives with an additional 2,037 people trained across Cara’s Disability Awareness, Autism in Sport and Disability Inclusion Training and Education programmes
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Sport Ireland and the LSPs continued to provide national and local initiatives to ensure that everyone in society has the opportunity to share in the enjoyment as well as the mental and physical health benefits of sport and physical activity.
Coaching the coaches or teaching the teachers is an important element as well with 31,369 participants in 276 different courses delivered largely online, despite the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns.
There was a 20 per cent increase in the number of social media followers over the past 12 months, showing that digital delivery was being acted upon.
Funding
In terms of funding, this rose in 2020 to €8.9 million in core funding from Sport Ireland, up from €7.3 million the previous year.
Dormant Account Funding also rose from €2.3 million to €4.0 million with €1.5 million of this devoted to Community Sports Hubs.
In 2020, Sport Ireland allocated over €870,000 in Programme Funding to the LSP Network, an increase of 53% from the 2019 investment. Programme funding is at the core of the LSPs engagement with participants and allows for the delivery of a range of community, club and school-based initiatives, programmes and events.
Beyond the Sport Ireland funding, the largest single source of funds and benefit in kind with an average 44 per cent of that extra money is from Local Authorities.
“The National Sports Policy recognises the key role played by the Local Sports Partnerships in sports participation and how they can assist in the delivery of the ambitious participation actions set out in the Policy,” said Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD.
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the LSP network worked hard to develop new and innovative initiatives to target cohorts of the population who were most likely to be less active during the restrictions. This work will continue into 2021 as we see the gradual return to sport and physical activity. Together we will work to increase access to sport and physical activity opportunities for all cohorts of the population.”
“By collaborating closely with organisations within and outside the sporting sector, the LSPs delivered a staggering range and variety of programmes and initiatives in communities throughout Ireland,” added Minister of State Jack Chambers.
“2020 was a very difficult year for the LSPs and sports participation in general,” reflected John Treacy CEO of Sport Ireland.
“I must commend the staff and volunteers in the LSPs who adapted quickly and with agility to continue to support people to stay active during the pandemic. They embraced new ways of reaching the various groups in their community and worked together to deliver initiatives and resources at a national level.”
“Many LSP staff also answered the Community Call and provided direct community assistance where it was needed the most. Although participation numbers reduced in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we believe that the LSP network is well prepared and primed to promote a safe return to sport, in line with Government regulations.”
“We are confident that as Government restrictions are gradually lifted LSPs will quickly return to, and even exceed, the high levels of engagement seen in 2019”.
“Through their local expertise and connections within the sports infrastructure, LSPs are able to identify specific needs and plan accordingly,” added Dr Una May, Director of Participation and Ethics at Sport Ireland.
“This work continued throughout 2020 despite the challenges faced during the pandemic and I am confident that it will grow even stronger as we gradually return to sport. Over 7,000 participants took part in initiatives targeting older adults and 51% of all participants in locally delivered initiatives were women. We look forward to working with the network to continue to increase these numbers and expand the work further with other groups so that ultimately everyone can benefit from being involved in sport and physical activity.”
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