The grant funding of Irish Sport announced last week showed a less than might have been feared cut in overall funding but it was very much of a mixed bag for women’s sport.
The Irish Rugby Seven’s team secured a commitment of funding through to hopeful competition at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but elsewhere gaps have appeared in the Women in Sport programme that had shown such success since its inception in 2005.
40% of women in Ireland are now actively participating in sport and 170,000 women volunteered in sporting clubs and organisations in the last 12 months.
The specific funding directed towards Women’s sports initiatives has fallen again though.  The amount dedicated to Women’s initiatives reached a peak in 2008 of over €2 million.
In 2011 the figure attributed to National Governing Bodies outside of GAA, Rugby and Soccer had dropped to a little over half that.  In 2012 the figure was 619,000 and in 2013 it has fallen again to €574,220.
19 sports from Basketball to Swimming that received specific Women in Sport funding in 2012 will do so again but with a general drop of 5% across the board.
There are a few bright spots including renewed or first time funding for Taekwondo, Martial Arts and Irish Wheelchair Sport.  In total though these grants only add up to €6,500 and represent half of the €12,000 Women in Sport funding that has been removed from Squash alone.
Commercial partnerships within Women’s Sport fall well behind the equivalent value in Men’s games.  This is not just an Irish issue.  It applies around the world.
Sport for Business will host a special conference in May on how this imbalance, one of the most glaring in a world where gender equality has ironed out many previously difficult situations, can be addressed.
Katie Taylor‘s prominence at last year’s Olympics saw her attain a special place in the irish sporting landscape and Fiona Coghlan this month became only the third ever Irish captain to lead a Grand Slam winning team in Rugby.
40,000 Women wil participate again in this year’s Flora Mini Marathon and the Women’s National League in soccer is growing in numbers and strength.
There are many opportunities in Women’s Sport to associate with world class competitors at an elite level and committed participants at grass roots, often at a fraction of the cost than would be the case in Men’s sport.
We need to identify the reasons why Women’s sport is not crossing the path to commercial support as it might and work to address how things can be improved.
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