Sport Ireland has launched a new Statement of Strategy which will set the tone for the next four years and bring its own planning up to the conclusion of the ten-year National Sports Policy which has been a consistent guide since it was first launched in 2018.
We are looking at a number of key elements within the Statement of Strategy, diving into the 28 High-Level Strategic Objectives across three Core Focus Areas of Sport Development Services; Leadership and Governance; and Social Responsibility.
Technology and the phones that govern our lives are in equal part enablers and preventers of being physically active. What cannot be disputed is they are here to stay and we need to harness their strengths in order to make a better future.
Sport Ireland Strategy – Innovation and Digital Transformation
Drive a culture of innovation, openness to learning, and embracing of digital technologies internally and across the sport sector
There are two elements to this, the first being to produce and implement an innovation plan, something that should be a living, breathing part of any organisation.
The second is the piloting of innovative programmes.
I have always been a believer in the power of a pilot and the ability to try, fail, learn and go again. If you can avoid failure then so much the better but in many ways a life with no wrong turns is either incredibly lucky or not being one where many chances were taken.
Innovation can be complex or it can come in the simplest of changes, things that are practical, that feel as though they were obvious and which makes something better.
When they come about in one area and are applicable to others then so much the better.
We are looking forward to the Innovation Summit where some of these pilots will be held us as case studies and where others might burst to life.
Sport Ireland will further embrace the use of digital technology and prioritise the digitisation of services, processes and operations with a view to improving effectiveness and efficiency for the sport sector.
Technology is at its best where it frees up time to be imaginative and does tasks well that save time and mental energy.
One of the initiatives listed in this section is the creation of a national Geodatabase of recreation amenities.
This is something that is crucial to not only the optimal use of what we have but also the planning of what we need to provide next for a growing population.
The most important part of getting directions for any journey is to know where you are starting from and once delivered this will be a boost not only to the public but also to those charged with delivering sport.
That alone fits the bill of what innovation is that we outlined above.
Sport Ireland Strategy – Volunteering and Workforce Development
Sport Ireland Strategy – Structures, Programmes and Project Development
Sport Ireland Strategy – Coaching and Officiating
