The Federation of Irish Sport has today celebrated the winners of the 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards proudly supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships. The special guest speaker at the awards Thomas Byrne, Minister of State with responsibility for Sport & Physical Education, presented the recipients from each county with a custom-made medal recognising their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports.

In addition to the 32 county award winners, the overall Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Aislinn Nugent of Valleymount LGFA from Co. Wicklow in special recognition of her promotion of inclusivity, community spirit, health and well-being through Sport in the community for over 20 years.

The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year. This equates to approximately 37.3 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 13,000 registered sports clubs and associations and, according to Sport Ireland's 2021 'Researching the Value of Sport in Ireland' report, is worth an estimated €1.5bn to the exchequer.

clara

Clara Clark from Cycling without Age, Dun Laoghaire, receives her award from Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD, during the Volunteers in Sport Awards at The Crowne Plaza in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

#DedicatedToTheDedicated

For more information on the awards, visit http://www.volunteersinsport.ie/

FB 15 03We are holding a free Information Evening for DLR Clubs with the main topic ‘Disability Inclusion within Sports Clubs’. The event will take place from 7.00pm - 8.30pm on Tuesday 28th March in The Lexicon, Dun Laoghaire. We will bring together a panel of experienced people from a variety of different sporting backgrounds to discuss their experience on the topic of ‘Disability Inclusion within Sports Clubs’.  

 The panel will discuss the options local clubs have to positively and meaningfully provide opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in sport and physical activity. How to help develop and improve their structures & environmental barriers to embed a positive ethos of inclusion within their club. Also, being discussed are the supports and grants that are available. 

The Federation of Irish Sport has today announced the winners of the 2023 Volunteers in Sport Awards proudly supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships.
The Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Co. Council award for 2022 has been awarded to Clara Clark of The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year.
 
Winner
 
 
Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne TD is the special guest speaker at the awards, which will take place next week on March 22nd at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown and hosted by sports broadcaster Gráinne McElwain.
 
The event will see volunteers from all 32 counties honoured for their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports. Guests will also include key stakeholders from the sector. The overall Outstanding Achievement Award will be revealed on the day.
 
The recipient of the award for Dublin Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Co. Council area is Clara Clark of Cycling Without Age, who is the founder of the initiative.
Clara has spent countless hours promoting and developing the organisation so that it can provide senior citizens and those with disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy and freedom of cycling. Clara has helped to train volunteers, take people out on the trishaws and advocate for all to be able to access cycling.
Clara is a true asset to the community and has been able to expand the initiative with the help of DLR Sports Partnership, the County Council and the Bike Hub.
It has been Clara’s dream from the outset to bring the same opportunities to people all across the country and thanks to her commitment and perseverance this dream is becoming a reality.
Throughout December and January members of the public, sports clubs and governing bodies were invited by the Federation of Irish Sport in partnership with the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport and physical activity in Ireland has made a real difference to their community, club or county. Following a shortlisting process by the Selection Committee, the judging panel consisting of 9 individuals drawn from sports administration, academia, the volunteer community and media, and included former Director General of the GAA, Paraic Duffy, RTÉ broadcaster, Marie Crowe and Declan Jordan, Senior Lecturer in Economics at UCC.
 
Commenting on the awards, Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD said:
 
“The volunteers being recognised today deserve enormous credit. Their work, often unseen and undertaken without any fuss or fanfare, makes sport a reality for hundreds if not thousands of people in their communities. In particular, the work of volunteers enables young people to play the sport that they love, to meet their friends and form lasting friendships. In so many ways, volunteers are the lifeblood of sport in this country and I am privileged to have this opportunity to publicly acknowledge their vital contribution to Irish sport.”
 
Speaking about the importance of the awards, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor said:
 
“In every county throughout the country, clubs and sporting organisations facilitate multi-generational opportunities for people to be involved in sport and physical activity. The work and goodwill of sport volunteers across the country cannot be taken for granted... Every week in Ireland more than 450,000 volunteers bring sport and physical activity to life for our communities and it’s time we afford their hard work the recognition it deserves. It is therefore important that we showcase the size and scale of this contribution by bringing such volunteers together today at the Volunteers in Sport Awards with attendees from every county in the country to shine a spotlight on the positive work they do for sport and physical activity.”
 
Head of Louth Sports Partnership, Graham Russell said:
 
”As the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships, we are each individually committed to supporting volunteers in our local Clubs, sporting organisations and other non-sporting groups that assist in making opportunities available within their own communities for people to enjoy all forms of physical activity. We are privileged to see, first hand, the amazing work these people do, and we are all delighted to see these local volunteers getting recognition at National level.”

Women in Sport (WIS) week is taking place March 6th– 12th.

The aim of Women in Sport Week is to:

  • Celebrate every women and girl who plays, coaches, officiates, volunteers, works in and leads out on Women in Sport.
  • Promote and highlight the ongoing work of Sport Ireland, NGBs, LSPs and other stakeholders and clubs under the topic of Women in Sport.
  • Highlight some of the programmes/initiatives funded by Sport Ireland Women in Sport Programme.

Sport Ireland’s vision for women in sport is one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential, while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport.

Check out the schedule of Sport Ireland events. You can also check out the websites and social media channels of the various National Governing Bodies to see what they have planned for the action packed week!

Below is what we have going on at DúnLaoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership, hope there's something there for you?

Women in Sport week events

On 24th January 2023, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys and Minister of State Joe O’Brien, announced details of a €50 million Community Recognition Fund. The allocation for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is €707,864.
This major initiative, the first of its kind, is designed to specifically support communities across the country that have welcomed and are hosting families and citizens from Ukraine and other countries.
Untitled design 51The scheme details set out that only areas which have high levels of new arrivals will be deemed eligible for this scheme. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, areas with the highest numbers of new arrivals are Ballyogan, Dundrum, Leopardstown and Sandyford.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is seeking expressions of interest for project proposals from community groups in the areas listed above or areas where there are large numbers of citizens from other countries living. The possible types of projects that can be funded under the scheme include:
• The refurbishment of local sports clubs and facilities
• The upgrade of community facilities such as play areas, walkways, parks and community gardens
• The purchase of equipment to benefit local clubs, festivals, music and arts organisations
• The enhancement of school or parish facilities that are open to the wider community after hours or on weekends. This could include the provision of sensory/accessible equipment and/or IT equipment/wi-fi
• Transport infrastructure such as community vehicles and bus shelters
Proposed project details within the identified areas should be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by close of business on Monday 6th March 2023.
The full outline of the scheme can be read at the link here
  1. Local Sports Partnerships Highlights 2022 Newsletter Launch
  2. NATIONAL NETWORK OF 29 LOCAL SPORTS PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORT THE 2022 VOLUNTEERS IN SPORT AWARDS
  3. FEDERATION OF IRISH SPORT LAUNCH THE 2022 VOLUNTEERS IN SPORT AWARDS
  4. Active Cities Engages Internationally!

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