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In putting together the submission we have been fully conscious of the unprecedented difficult economic times our country is going through at present. We are equally conscious that there is a finite amount of money available to the government to invest in sport.
There are many competing and undoubtedly deserving claims for any funds that are available. It is our considered view, however, that sport is not being treated fairly and that it is seen as an easy target when it comes to budgetary cuts.
The fact is that sport has already taken a disproportionate hit when it comes to funding. The capital budget for sports facilities has been reduced with any new round of the Sports Capital Programme suspended until further notice whilst the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme has been closed to new applications since July 2000. And now, as recommended by the McCarthy Report, the funding provided for sport through the Irish Sports Council is under further threat having already been reduced in 2009 by 11% from 2008 levels.
Sadly, it can only lead to the conclusion that in a country that prides itself on its passion for sport and that celebrates its many successes that there is a lack of real understanding as to what sport can and does deliver – on a daily basis – for this small nation of ours.
We are absolutely clear in what we want for Irish sport going forward:
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No further cuts in the budget allocated to sport through the Irish Sports Council |
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Sport to remain as a separate Government Department |
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Reinstatement of the Sports Capital Budget |
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Develop the National Sports Campus |
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We will be asking everyone in sport to back the submission.
Signed
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