There's a change of focus in the pipeline at the Community Games, writes Ronan McGreevy.
The Community Games is set for a major reorganisation with a new emphasis on participation in sport rather than competition.
Children who do not normally take part in sport will be encouraged to do so as part of a new strategic plan agreed by the games organisers and its major sponsor, the Health Service Executive (HSE), which is spending €300,000 a year on sponsorship.
This year's games will also emphasise the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise.
Since the Community Games began in 1967, they have been a huge success in rewarding children who participate in competitive sport, but both the organisers and the HSE now believe that the challenge of childhood obesity and more sedentary lifestyles is such that they need to have a wider remit.
Recent research conducted by the National Health & Lifestyles Surveys (Slan) showed that 22 per cent of young people get no weekly exercise with a particularly alarming drop off of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17. Only one-third of girls in that age group take regular exercise.
The Community Games is hoping to encourage participation in sport among those who traditionally shy away from physical activity.
This year it has pioneered an introduction to sports programme for groups of children who have not qualified for the finals that have been taking place in Mosney over last weekend and this weekend. This year they have also offered 200 places on the programme to children in deprived urban areas.
Six thousand people, ranging in age from six to 16, have been taking part in the finals themselves.
Next year, more emphasis will be put on mixed games with boys and girls taking part together. It is hoped that mixed games will encourage more girls to participate in sport and they will not see sport as merely a pursuit for boys.
There will be smaller sided games of team sports such as soccer, rugby and volleyball. Teams will be drawn from areas rather than from clubs to encourage children who are not members of a sporting club to join in.
Together with the HSE, the Community Games will be promoting healthy eating and warning of the dangers of smoking and excessive drinking. "We are looking at refocusing it [the Community Games] as not just a sporting organisation, but as an organisation that promotes healthy living," says Donal Buggy, the games' chief executive.
"We want to emphasise the role of the family in encouraging a healthy lifestyle, better diet and the benefits of taking exercise such as walking to school."
Buggy says the county and national finals format, which has served the organisation well, will also be retained.
"A gold medal in the community games has become a very prestigious thing over the years. If we didn't have the competition, we wouldn't attract so many kids.
"Once you take away the competition, it takes away some of the essence of it, but we are also trying to focus back towards the founding ethos which was based on participation rather than competition. It's a balancing act," he admits.
"We're particularly trying to break down the barriers that stop girls participating in sport and leave them with a negative experience."
The HSE is spending €300,000 a year on its sponsorship of the Community Games which started last year and runs for three years.
The HSE's input began last year when it was involved in ensuring that more healthy food options were offered through the catering facilities on site at Mosney.
This year the HSE will have a greater presence with stands promoting health eating and physical activity while the Irish Cancer Society will be warning of the dangers of smoking as will the Irish Heart Foundation.
Marie Lordan Dunphy, the development manager of the HSE's Health Promotion unit, says the level of sponsorship involved reflects the importance that the HSE attaches to the Community Games.
"It is a substantial part of our sponsorship budget, but how else can we reach 500,000 participants, 1.3 million supporters and 20,000 volunteers? We were approached by the Community Games two years ago for sponsorship and we think this is one of the best ways of reaching our target audience."