Today, Friday, September 18, is National Collection Day for Special Olympics Ireland, with volunteers taking to the streets, shopping centres and communities across the Republic of Ireland to raise funds for the organisation’s year-round work.

The corresponding collection across Northern Ireland will take place next Friday, September 25.

Special Olympics Ireland supports more than 7,000 athletes across the island, providing opportunities to train, compete, build confidence, and form lasting friendships through sport.

Its programme is open to people with an intellectual disability from age four, with no upper age limit. Alongside sporting competition, the organisation delivers health and athlete-leadership programmes through a network of clubs, coaches and volunteers.

National Collection Day is one of the most visible public fundraising moments in the Special Olympics calendar. The money raised helps sustain weekly sporting activity and enables athletes to compete at regional, national and international levels.

The 2026 appeal follows the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games, which brought athletes and volunteers from across the island together earlier this year.

Members of the public can support the campaign by donating to official collectors today or through the Special Olympics Ireland online donation page.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

As a Board member of Special Olympics Ireland, I find it one of the most uplifting and inspiring things I do.

National Collection Day demonstrates the scale of community and volunteer support required to deliver inclusive sport throughout the year.

Major events provide the moments of greatest visibility, but weekly training, coach education, health programmes and club administration all require sustainable funding. The collection turns public awareness of Special Olympics into direct support for that underlying infrastructure.

Businesses also have a clear opportunity to participate through employee volunteering, matched giving, and support for workplace and retail collections.

For companies seeking to make an impact through sport, Special Olympics Ireland combines participation, health, volunteering and social inclusion. National Collection Day gives those organisations a straightforward way to mobilise staff and customers behind that work.

The presence of collectors in communities across the country also reminds us that Special Olympics’ greatest impact is delivered every week through local clubs, athletes, families, coaches and volunteers.

 

 

 

Special Olympics Ireland is a full member of Sport for Business. Allianz are the official partners of our Sport for Social Good coverage and this year’s Annual Sport for Social Good Conference in November.

If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.

Image Credit: Special Olympics Ireland

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