More balanced levels of participation and a large research initiative are among the main elements of the Irish Sports Council (ISC) strategy for the next three years, the details of which were announced yesterday. A special objective is to influence Government policy on the critical need for physical education in the Irish curriculum.
Under the title "Sport for Life", the council's chief executive, John Treacy, outlined the contents to representatives of most sports' National Governing Bodies (NGBs) at Croke Park. There were, he said, slight adjustments from the previous three years, with a greater emphasis on programmes that balance participation at local and school level with that of competitive sport.
"Over the next three years we want to build on what was our first strategy," he said, "but also continue to improve the planning, promotion and delivery of sport. And it's no accident that this strategy is termed 'Sport for Life'. Much of it is about getting more young people involved and excited by sport.
"And there is growing concern about the long-term effects of lifestyles that don't include sport and physical activity. Though I wouldn't be hell bent on making physical education compulsory in primary school, it has been squeezed out and that is a serious issue."
The ISC has an annual budget of €28.3 million, with a staff of 24. The new venture into research will be carried out in association with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which will establish a centre for research into sport and physical activity with a budget of €300,000 for the rest of this year, and around €1 million up to 2005.
The three main areas of research will be into participation rates, the levels at which volunteers operate and the socio-economic value and impact of sport in Ireland. All three results, said Treacy, can help form the future policy of sport, health and education.
Most other areas of the 2003-05 strategy will focus on building the supporting framework that exists within the ISC, and particularly in the area of Local Sports Partnerships (12 already exist, and the remaining 24 are to be rolled out over the next three years).
The strategic planning for NGBs will also remain a priority. So far 64 of the 67 governing bodies in Ireland have completed or almost completed their strategic plan. Five sports had previously been targeted as main Olympic sports for 2004 (athletics, sailing, rowing, boxing and equestrian), and three more (clay-pigeon shooting, cycling and canoeing) will be added for 2008.
The programme for elite athletes, which includes the International Carding Scheme and training and competition funding for NGBs, is well established. Since the Sydney Olympic Review of 2000, the ISC has worked closely with the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) to ensure a smooth running of the Athens Enhancement Programme in the build-up to the games.
World rowing champion Sam Lynch, who attended yesterday's presentation, was especially positive about the relationship between the ISC, the OCI and the NGBs ahead of the Athens Olympics.
"I think the communication lines are excellent now," he said. "Rowing have put their high-performance director in place as well, so I think the support around us now is amazing. And I can tell you now exactly where I'm going to be for every month in the countdown to Athens. I'm just handed the tickets and told go. There are definitely no problems there. Before Sydney we were doing a lot of that work ourselves. So at this moment in time I can't ask for anything more."
In addressing the three-year plan, the ISC's chairman, Pat O'Neill, also highlighted the need to create a lifelong relationship between the individual and sport.
"Our vision is to create a society whereby the young person is given a quality introduction to sport," he said, "and to inspire them to maintain an active life, with opportunities into old age."
The role of volunteers in sport was sure to change, "but we need to find ways of establishing what exact supports they want", said O'Neill, "and also what recognition they want".
