SPORT Ireland has announced €347,216 for sports in Clare as part of a €40 million investment in National Governing Bodies for Sport (NGBs), High Performance athlete support and the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) for 2021. This includes funding of €9.5 million for the network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland, representing an increase of 15% on 2020 funding. This increase in investment provides an opportunity for Sport Ireland to support a locally led, safe return to sport and to further build the capacity of LSPs, increasing their reach and impact across Ireland.
Welcoming the investment in Clare Sport, Inagh Senator Róisín Garvey said, “The pandemic has highlighted how important sport is in supporting our physical, mental, emotional and social health and providing us all with enjoyment and it is good news to see this funding coming to Clare”
This funding will work alongside the Covid-19 Grant Scheme announced in December 2020. Under Covid-19 restrictions, many sports at the local and national level have faced unprecedented financial and administrative challenges. These funding pathways will provide stability and certainty across the breadth of sporting organisations throughout 2021.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, said, “The past year has shown us yet again the important role that sport and physical activity plays in our lives and the vital contribution it makes to our physical and mental wellbeing. I am delighted to announce today’s funding to the sport sector to further assist the work of National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships to encourage people to be more active and to support their ongoing development. In Budget 2021, the Government made a commitment to support the sector and we are engaging closely with the sector to ensure their needs are met and that sport will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis in a strong position.”
Along with funding for Local Sports Partnerships, the funding will include €13.8 million for core activity of 59 National Governing Bodies, €8.5 million to support High Performance programmes, and €2.68 million for the International Carding scheme.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.