Federation of Irish Sport AGM, July 27th 2016 Activities Report 2015 – 2016

The Federation of Irish Sport is the representative body for Ireland’s sporting organisations, representing over 100 National Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Sports Partnerships nationwide Federation of Irish Sport Board of Directors:

Chairperson: David Williams Company Secretary: Sarah Keane, CEO, Swim Ireland Ciarán Gallagher, CEO, Gymnastics Ireland Hamish Adams, CEO, Rowing Ireland Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing Association John Holian, Finance Director, Athletics Ireland Liam Harbison, CEO, Paralympics Ireland Roddy Guiney, Chairman, Wilson Hartnell Sarah O’Shea, Football Association of Ireland Aideen O’Connor, City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership (Aideen has tendered her resignation to the Board, which will take effect following the AGM)

Federation of Irish Sport Staff:

Chief Executive Officer: James Galvin Business Services Manager: Emira O’Neill Office Manager:Elaine Mooney Communications Executive: Cian Murray

Federation of Irish Sport Partners:

Federation of Irish Sport Preferred Suppliers:

2 Our Vision:

“To provide a dynamic and effective voice for Irish sport, promoting the value of sport to Ireland while providing outstanding representation and services to members”

3 Introduction from Chairperson David Williams

The result of the 2016 General Election has undoubtedly had a profound effect on the Irish political landscape. For the first time, we see a & Independents minority government lead the country, and only time will tell what effect, if any, this will have on Irish sport. The early signs, however, have been positive, as the interaction between the Federation and the new Ministers and their staff has already been plentiful. We are confident that it will continue in this manner. David Williams, Chairperson

Earlier this year we saw a €3 million boost to sport funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport. This increase, combined with the €1 million increase from the 2015 Budget, sees the Federation take a further step towards its objective of seeing current funding for sport return to the 2008 peak of €57 million by 2021. Since being elected, the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, TD, has also committed to developing a 10-year National Sports Policy Framework. There is no doubting we still have a long way to go but, nonetheless, these are welcome developments.

Strides have also been made in the area of physical activity, with the Department working towards implementing at least two hours of mandatory sport and/or physical activity per week in schools through the National Physical Activity Plan. The Federation is also continuing to lobby on behalf of our members for tax reliefs for Irish sporting bodies.

The 2016 Annual Conference – the Federation’s flagship event - took place on the 26th May at Croke Park. This year’s theme was ‘Building Leadership Capabilities in Sport’, and the keynote address was delivered by the fantastic John Steele, Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University and Chairman of the English Institute of Sport. Minister Ross also spoke at the conference, addressing his plans for Irish sport in what was his first address to NGBs and

But this wasn’t our only event since the last AGM, as the Federation has hosted several others. The inaugural Sport Industry Awards took place in November at Smock Alley Theatre, and the feedback we received has confirmed that it was a rousing success. Just Sport Ireland (JSI) hosted its first conference in February, which was aimed at educating members on JSI procedures. Our partners Fáilte

4 Ireland hosted a Media & Marketing Workshop at Irish Sport HQ in March, which was well attended by our members.

In our Pre-Budget Submission – A Manifesto for Irish Sport –the Federation, having listened to the concerns of our members, outlined the key objectives to ensure Ireland’s sporting future. We represented these objectives at the party Ard Fheiseanna prior to the election, where we highlighted the many positives that sport can bring to Irish society. Following the election of the new Cabinet, we acted fast in reaching out to both Minister Ross and Patrick O’Donovan TD, Minister of State for Tourism & Sport, both of whom accepted our invitations to attend our Annual Conference despite being only just in the door. We followed that up with further meetings with both Ministers, who were keen to get a good grasp on Irish sporting issues.

On behalf of the Federation, I would like to congratulate both Minister Ross and Minister O’Donovan on their new roles. We look forward to working with both in the coming months.

The Federation also took part in a number of initiatives, all of which are aimed at promoting sport and physical activity amongst the general population. One such initiative was the Active Schools Flag, which is run with the support of the Department of Education. We are also still involved with the Coca Cola Thank You Fund, who in the past has provided huge cash grants to outstanding sporting organisations.

Our services to members have also continued to develop over the past year. We launched our new website in May and we continue to issue our monthly newsletter to members, Government departments, media and other key stakeholders. There are now 64 NGBs who have inserted JSI into their governing rules, and our group insurance scheme now has almost 30 different sports on board. Finally, a total of 354 vets have been processed to date through the Federation’s Garda Vetting Facility.

Since the last AGM, there have been some changes to the make-up of our Board. Both Warren Deutrom and Aideen O’Connor have made the decision to step down from the Board. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Warren and Aideen for their contribution to the Federation and wish them all the best for the future.

The Board also made the decision to co-opt Roddy Guiney, Chairman of Wilson Hartnell, on to the Board for his expertise in public relations and communications.

5 Roddy’s appointment will be ratified by members at the AGM. I would like to thank Roddy for accepting our invitation to join the Board and I look forward to working alongside him in the future.

The Federation has also had a number of changes to staff since our last AGM. James Galvin has replaced Sarah O’Connor as Chief Executive Officer. Sarah left towards the end of last year after eight years in the role. I would like to thank Sarah for her commitment to the Federation and I wish her well in the future. Likewise, I would like to thank James for accepting our offer to take over from Sarah, as he leads the Federation into a new and exciting era.

Conn McCluskey also decided to leave his post as Business Services Manager, so I would also like to thank him for his work with the Federation and wish him well in his new role as CEO of Ireland Active. Emira O’Neill has come in to replace him, and I wish her all the best in this new role.

And finally, having consulted the 2015-2016 Communications Plan, the Board agreed to create a new ‘Communications Executive’ role within the Federation. Cian Murray was brought in to fill this position in February.

Further details of the nature and scale of our activities are set out in the pages that follow. So I would like to wrap-up by thanking my fellow Board Members and the Federation staff for their continued commitment. With significant changes to the Federation presenting a challenge to our new staff, I would like everyone to recognise the efforts of James, Emira, Elaine and Cian in delivering so much for us.

Thanks are also due to the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and Sport Ireland for their continued support, along with our commercial partners and, of course, our members. The Federation of Irish Sport is hugely dependent on your respective contributions, so we are forever grateful for your backing.

Yours in sport, David Williams Chairperson

6 Sport Matters

Pre-Budget Submission – A Manifesto for Irish Sport

In October, the Federation released our 2015 Pre-Budget Submission. The document, called ‘A Manifesto for Irish Sport’, outlined five key building blocks to ensure Ireland’s sporting future. These were:

1. The development and implementation of a National Sports Policy

2. To restore sport funding to 2008 levels by 2021

3. The introduction of a tax relief on donations made to sporting bodies

4. A commitment to making at least two hours of sport and physical activity per week mandatory in schools

5. The development of a dedicated sports-bidding entity to assist sporting organisations in bringing international events to Ireland

A Manifesto for Irish Sport launch at Leinster House

Annual Review of Irish Sport 2015

The Federation’s Annual Review of Irish Sport was published on the 16th December, 2015. The review highlighted the wide and varied contribution of sport to Irish society in areas such as health, the economy and enhancing Ireland’s reputation worldwide.

The review also outlined the achievements and hopes for the future for each of our member organisations. It also showcased the contribution our members have

7 made to the promotion of sport, physical activity, personal health and wellbeing, social inclusion and the economy over the course of 2015.

The Federation issued the review to all of the key stakeholders for sport, including the , the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Senators and TDs with an interest in sport, our members, the media and a number of commercial supporters and sponsors.

The launch of the Federation’s 2015 Annual Review of Irish Sport

National Physical Activity Plan

The National Physical Activity Plan was launched in January by the then Minister for Health , Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport and Minister of State for Tourism & Sport .

The key target is to increase the number of people taking regular exercise by 1% a year over ten years – that’s around 50,000 people per year or half a million in total. The plan aims to make exercise a normal part of everyday life by giving people more opportunities to be active.

Ard Fheiseanna

The Federation attended both the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Ard Fheiseanna on behalf of our members prior to the 2016 General Election, which took place in February. At the events, the Federation sought to:

• Highlight the role sport plays in Irish life

8 • Ensure a provision for sport policy is promised in their respective election manifestos • Network and develop relationships within the parties

RTÉ Six One News

Our CEO James Galvin was interviewed by RTÉ’s Evanne Ní Chuilinn for the Six One News on the 22nd February. The piece revolved around the references to sport in the party manifestos as the 2016 General Election approached, and James used the opportunity to call on the new, yet-to-be elected Government to address the needs of sport in their Programme for Government.

Programme for Government

Progress has been made in the Federation’s lobbying efforts by securing a provision for sport in the Programme for Government. The document confirmed that it will support “the implementation of the national physical activity plan for all ages”, as well as the introduction of “a new Leaving Certificate P.E. syllabus, as a full optional subject”.

The Programme for Government will also “aim to allocate sports capital grants on an annualised basis” and they will “draw up and implement a National Sports Policy”. Although this is a welcome development, we will continue to strive for further Government commitment to the progression of sport and physical activity in Ireland.

Friends of Sport Group

February’s General Election saw a significant change in the make-up of TDs and Senators in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. It is now our intention to engage with both the new faces and the old, so that we have a core group of cross-party relationships with those in the Dáil and in the Seanad who have a genuine interest in sport.

9 Tax Relief for Sport

The Federation is still working on behalf of our members to secure tax reliefs for sport. We are currently engaging with key stakeholders and interested parties within both the Dáil and the Seanad so that tax reliefs are extended to sporting bodies.

Introductory Meeting with Minister Patrick O’Donovan TD

On the 23rd June, CEO James Galvin met with the newly elected Minister of State for Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, at Leinster House. Having attended our Annual Conference in May, the Minister was keen to follow it up by meeting with James personally. The meeting proved to be a valuable opportunity to explain the benefits of sport to Irish society to the new Minister, and to outline the needs of Irish sporting organisations moving into the future.

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, chats with James Galvin, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport

10 Events

Manifesto for Irish Sport Launch

The Federation launched its Manifesto for Irish Sport on the 8th October at a breakfast event at the Royal Irish Academy. Our MC on the day was Caroline Murphy, and the speakers included CEO of Hockey Ireland Mike Heskin, CEO of Paralympics Ireland Liam Harbison, President of the Physical Education Association of Ireland Fergal Lyons and Director of Sports at Think Tank Mark Balcar, along with our own CEO James Galvin and our President Bernard Brogan.

Sport Industry Awards 2015

The inaugural Sport Industry Awards took place on the 5th November at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin 8. The event was hosted by Broadcaster Matt Cooper, and speakers on the day included the then Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohoe, author Donald McRae, sport industry guru Professor Chris Brady and international sports lawyer Ian Lynam.

Matt Cooper (left) and CEO James Galvin speaking at the inaugural Sport Industry Awards at Smock Alley Theatre

The winning entries and their categories were as follows:

• Best Activation of a Sport Sponsorship: AIG & PSG Sponsorship - Dublin GAA • Best Innovation in Sport: Jumping in the City - Horse Sport Ireland • Best International Sports Event: ICC World Twenty 20 Qualifier - Cricket Ireland • Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative in Sport: - Special Olympics Ireland

11 • Best Mass Participation Event: Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps • Best Sports Facility: National Sports Campus • Best Use of Social Media: IRFU #shouldertoshoulder • Emerging Sport Business: Nutritics • Established Sport Business: STATSports • Excellence in Media Coverage: Business of Sport - Sunday Business Post • Best Sports Club: Castleblaney Faughs GFC • Best Global Sports Campaign: #thisgirlcan

Annual Review Launch and Christmas Get Together Once again, the Federation took advantage of the publication of our 2015 Annual Review in December to hold a Christmas get together in the city centre. In excess of 40 representatives from members, commercial partners and the wider stakeholders from the sporting community were at the event, which took place at The Ginger Man. Many thanks to Leman for their support of the event.

The Inaugural Just Sport Ireland Conference Over 70 delegates from NGBs attended the inaugural Just Sport Ireland (JSI) conference, which took place at the Law Library in Dublin on the morning of Saturday, 6th February. The day sought to educate those NGBs who have already adopted JSI, while also encouraging those NGBs who have not to join up.

JSI Mediator David Casserly explained to the delegates how the mediation process works, before Jack Anderson did likewise with the arbitration process. Other speakers on the day included JSI Chairperson Declan McPhillips, Chairperson of the Bar Council David Barniville, CEO of Sport Ireland John Treacy, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Leman Solicitors Larry Fenelon, Complaints and Disciplinary Officer at Swim Ireland Brian Murray and Head of Mediation at the Court of Arbitration for Sport Louise Reilly.

Fáilte Ireland Media & Marketing Workshop

Delegates at the inaugural Just Sport Ireland Conference, held at the Law Library

12 The inaugural Just Sport Ireland Conference

13 Fáilte Ireland Media & Marketing Workshop On the 8th March, our partners Fáilte Ireland hosted a unique workshop for our members at Irish Sport HQ. The workshop began with a tutorial on attracting and planning for international sporting events, before moving on to building a successful digital media and marketing strategy.

Event Ireland’s Jennifer Churchward and Catriona Walsh delivered the workshop, and over 50 representatives from our member bodies were in attendance. Fáilte Ireland is keen to work with sporting organisations looking to attract international events to Ireland, and they are offering a wide range of supports to assist NGBs in doing so.

Jennifer Churchward, Fáilte Ireland

14 GameDay Club Finder App Launch

On the 9th March, the Federation, in collaboration with Vodafone Ireland, launched ‘GameDay Club Finder’, a new app that allows the public locate their nearest sport club for over 30 member organisations.

The app was launched at Vodafone’s head office in Leopardstown, and included a photocall and Q&A session with our CEO James Galvin, our President Bernard Brogan and Dublin footballer Sinead Goldrick, who came up with the idea for the app. Triathlete Carolyn Hayes, diver Oliver Dingley, pentathlete Tom O’Brien and hurdler Gerard O’Donnell also took part in the photoshoot.

GameDay Club Finder app launch at Vodafone HQ in Leopardstown

Annual Conference 2016

The Federation hosted its fourth Annual Conference, which took place at Croke Park in the spectacular Hogan Mezzanine Suite, on the 26th May. The theme this year was ‘Building Leadership Capabilities in Sport’, and our keynote speaker was John Steele, Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University and Chairman of the English Institute of Sport. The event was attended by over 160 delegates from a variety of sporting organisations, as well as a large number of representatives from business and government. The event also provided the newly elected Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Shane Ross TD, with his first opportunity to address the Irish sporting community. The Minister of State for Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, was also in attendance.

Feedback has been really positive, with 76% of delegates stating that it was better than they had expected, with the remainder stating it was exactly what they had

15 expected. As part of his address, Minister Ross recognised the importance of sport to society, and he invited sport stakeholders to share the opinions, views and ideas that will help shape the future of Irish sport policy.

Also speaking at the conference was President of the Olympic Council of Ireland Pat Hickey, Director of Human Resources at the Irish Defence Forces Training Camp Lt. Col. Mark Prendergast, CEO of Swim Ireland Sarah Keane, Director of the Institute of Sport Gary Keegan and Dublin Senior Football Manager Jim Gavin.

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Shane Ross TD, speaking to NGBs and LSPs for the first time at our Annual Conference 2016 in Croke Park

16 Partnerships

Coca Cola Thank You Fund

The Federation still actively participates and supports Coca Cola’s Thank You Fund, with our CEO James Galvin currently a judge on their panel. Last year, three of our members, The Camogie Association, Canoeing Ireland and Tennis Ireland, were awarded €25,000 each by the Coca Cola Thank You Fund.

This year, the Coca Cola Thank You Fund has shifted their focus to community- based initiatives. However, they kindly decided to continue their support of the Federation through their sponsorship of our Annual Conference in May.

Active Schools Week

The Federation assisted Active School Flag with their annual Active Schools Week, which took place in May. This year, a total of 11 NGBs took part in the event. The appetite for having more sports available in schools is undoubtedly getting bigger, and, in partnership with Active Schools Flag, the Federation is confident it can bring a wider variety of sports to schools around the country in the coming years.

GameDay

Last year, the Federation worked with Atomic Sport to develop a brand which had the potential to attract commercial support. The reason behind this was to facilitate the promotion of sporting opportunities and the work of our members in local communities across Ireland. The GameDay initiative emerged from this, with highlighting the ‘fun’ element of sport being the prime objective in order to increase the volume of participation for the Federation’s members.

Sinead Goldrick of Vodafone Ireland at the launch of the GameDay Club Finder app

17 The first element of this campaign was rolled out on the 9th March when we launched the GameDay Club Finder app. The app was developed courtesy of the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, and allows the public to locate their nearest sports club for over 30 NGBs. The app uses location-based services and GPS technologies to create a grassroots network of sports clubs across every county in Ireland. It works by allowing users to search by sport, county and local clubs. Each club involved has a profile with their contact details, website, social media links and directions to their grounds using a combination of GPS and Google Maps. The app currently holds the details of well over 2,000 sports clubs and their associated NGBs. It is available to download from both the App Store and the Play Store.

LawOnline

Earlier this month, the Federation brought LawOnline on board as a Partner in the ‘Preferred Supplier’ bracket. LawOnline is a legal service that can assist Irish sports clubs who are in receipt of gifts or inheritance. They will either draft a Will or, if it has already been drafted, they will amend a Will so that individuals can make a tax-free legacy gift to amateur sports clubs. Inheritances left to sports clubs are exempt from tax as they are considered to be ‘public’ or ‘charitable’ legacy gifts. LawOnline will come on board on an initial six-month trial period, after which the arrangement will be reviewed.

18 Services

New Website

On the 9th May, the Federation launched their brand new website. Using the WordPress content management system, the new website has brought the Federation into the 21st century. It is 100% mobile friendly, and will bring visitors information on the Federation’s campaigns, events, public affairs activities and services. There is also a dedicated ‘Members’ section where we have listed each of our members alongside their logo and a link to their website. As before, the website will also share the latest job vacancies in sport as they arise. Take a look at www.irishsport.ie

Newsletter

The Federation issues a monthly newsletter, which provides a wide range of information and updates on the Federation and its members. Topics covered in the newsletters include public affairs updates, information on upcoming Federation events, jobs in sport and the details of member events. The newsletter is issued to members, Government departments, media and other key stakeholders.

Just Sport Ireland

The number of NGBs with provision for our dispute resolution service, Just Sport Ireland (JSI), has grown further in the last year. We now have 64 NGBs who have included JSI in their governing rules. This has grown from 20 NGBs in 2010 and 33 in 2012 with the support of Sport Ireland. A total of eight arbitration cases and no mediation cases have taken place since the Federation’s last AGM. Sarah O’Shea, who has a legal background and is also a member of the Federation’s Board, has been added to the Board of JSI. The AGM for JSI was held on the 7th July, and resulting from that AGM, the Memorandum & Articles were updated in light of the 2014 Companies Act. Finally, the JSI Company Secretary James Galvin and the Board are currently looking into developing a service for NGBs whereby a representative from the JSI Board will meet with those who are looking to further their knowledge of JSI.

19 Group Insurance Facility

In partnership with the Federation, JLT Ireland manages our group insurance scheme for Irish sport. Since the launch of the scheme in 2012, the average saving to members on insurance premiums has been over 20%. 27 different sports are now involved in the scheme, and it makes a significant financial contribution to the Federation. We would encourage all of our members to meet with JLT and, where possible, support the scheme by availing of what is a great deal for Irish sport. Amanda Harton, JLT Ireland

Supplier Discounts

Over the past few years, the Federation has accumulated a number of other partnerships and preferred suppliers. These organisations are Fáilte Ireland, Leman Solicitors, OSK Accountants, Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership, Print Depot and Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown. Many of these businesses offer significant discounts to our members. We would encourage members to meet with them and see the range of products and services they provide.

Garda Vetting Facility

The Federation set up the Garda Vetting facility in November 2013 to provide access to vetting for smaller NGBs and sports bodies that do not have an authorised signatory. To date, we have processed 354 vets on behalf of our members.

In April 2016, the Garda Central Vetting Unit became known as the National Vetting Bureau, in accordance with the National Vetting Bureau (Children & Vulnerable Persons) Act2012. The National Vetting Bureau then proceeded to pilot an e-vetting system amongst a select group. Roll out of the e-vetting system to the remaining organisations will be done on a phased basis. The Federation attended a number of training days on the new e-vetting system, and is therefore ready to go once it reaches Irish sport.

20 Representation

Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and Sport Ireland

The Federation continues to communicate the needs and concerns of its members to the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and Sport Ireland. As the two primary stakeholders in the development and progression of sport in Ireland, having a voice in the workings of both the Department and Sport Ireland is paramount so that our members’ issues are heard. We plan to continue working closely with both.

National Physical Activity Plan Implementation Group

The Federation represents its members on the National Physical Activity Plan Implementation Group. The function of the group is to ensure that a strategic, national approach is taken to promoting physical activity, and that new reporting and accountability mechanisms are established to ensure that resources are used to the best effect. The Group will oversee the implementation of the National Physical Activity Plan.

Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership Advisory Board

Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership is the body tasked with promoting sport and physical activity in the Dublin city area. Our CEO James Galvin is a Director on their Board.

National Economic Dialogue

The National Economic Dialogue took place on the 27th & 28th June at Dublin Castle. CEO James Galvin attended the event and met with Ministers, TDs and Senators with an interest in sport, with whom he discussed the burning issue of investment in Irish sport.

Amongst the many public representatives present were An Taoiseach , Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell-O’Connor.

21 Education In and Through Sport

The Federation was invited to attend a conference entitled ‘Education In and Through Sport’, which took place on the18th & 19th July in Bratislava, within the framework of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The conference served as a discussion platform for governmental and non- governmental authorities and experts from around the world, and as a forum to share ideas, knowledge and experience on the Slovak Presidency’s priority theme of developing of “sports diplomacy and education in and through sport.”

Healthy Cities and Counties Network

The Healthy Cities and Counties Network’s main objective is to promote healthy lifestyles throughout Ireland. The Federation is involved in this Working Group, which is currently exploring ways to make the country a healthier place in which to live.

22 Governance

2014 Companies Act

As per the Companies Act 2014, a number of mandatory changes have been made to the Federation’s Memorandum & Articles (M&A). Therefore, a revised M&A will be presented at the AGM for approval. The revised M&A will thereafter be known as the ‘Constitution’ as per the Companies Act 2014.

Board Changes

Shortly after last year’s AGM, Warren Deutrom stepped down from the Board of Directors, as did Aideen O’Connor earlier this month. The decision was also made to co-opt Roddy Guiney, Chairman of Wilson Hartnell, on to the Board for his expertise in public relations and communications. Roddy’s appointment will be ratified at the AGM. A replacement for Aideen will also be elected at the AGM.

Staff Changes

Since the last AGM, the Federation has welcomed three new members of staff. James Galvin replaced Sarah O’Connor as Chief Executive Officer. Emira O’Neill replaced Conn McCluskey in the role of Business Services Manager. And finally, Cian Murray has been brought on board to take the position of Communications Executive.

The Governance Code

The Governance Code consists of five key principles. These are: 1. Leading your organisation 2. Exercising control over your organisation 3. Being transparent and accountable 4. Working effectively 5. Behaving with integrity

The Federation has commenced the process of adopting the Governance Code, and we plan to progress it further in 2016/2017.

23 Federation of Irish Sport Irish Sport HQ National Sports Campus Blanchardstown Dublin 15, Ireland

T +353 1 625 1155 F +353 1 625 1198 E [email protected] www.irishsport.ie

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