From the team here at South Dublin Sports Partnership, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas 🎄 and a wonderful New year 🎉.

The Federation of Irish Sport today announced the launch of the 2022
Volunteers in Sports Awards. The county awards will return to an in-person awards ceremony,
recognising the army of volunteers who make sport happen in communities, in every county
across the country. Nominations are now open at www.volunteersinsport.ie. The awards are
#DedicatedtotheDedicated.

The 2022 awards will be celebrated in the Greater Dublin Area at the beginning of March
2023. Nominations are open from Monday 12th December via the dedicated awards website.
Entries will close on the 25th of January 2023. Nominations received will be shortlisted and put
forward for consideration by the Judging Panel. Winners are chosen on a county basis, with
32 award recipients and one overall Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Volunteers are the cornerstone of sporting activities in clubs and communities nationwide.
Unpaid, they give freely of their time, and energy and are dedicated to the development of their
chosen sport. Over 450,000 volunteers are needed on a weekly basis to run club activities,
giving on average 3½ hours per week. The estimated economic value of volunteering in sport
and physical activity is worth €1.5bn. Without them, sports clubs would not exist.
Also present at the launch of the awards was the 2020 Co. Kildare recipient Tom Egan of
Salmon Leap Canoe Club and his daughter Irish Canoeist Jenny Egan a multiple World
Championship and European Medallist and Multiple World Cup Medallist and currently
ranked World No. 1.

Commenting on the announcement Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack
Chambers, TD said, “It’s an honour to be part of the launch of these national awards,
recognising the many volunteers who are the backbone of local sports clubs in every
community across the country. They are responsible for making sure weekly training sessions
take place, managing teams, organising inter-club matches, ensuring pitches, courts and
clubhouses are kept operational most importantly bringing communities together through
sport. Last year’s winners represented a wide variety of sports and all ages of volunteers. I
would encourage all club members to reflect on who they know in their club that has made a
difference and had a positive impact in their community through their dedication to their
sport.”

Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “I am delighted to launch the return
of the Volunteers in Sport Industry Awards. While the awards were successfully hosted online
for the last two years due to the pandemic, nothing beats the warmth and connectivity of
gathering in person to recognise the selfless work being done by volunteers behind the scenes
at clubs and sporting organisations.

There is a strong sense of volunteerism in sport in Ireland. We had been on track to reach the
2027 target of 55% for social participation, club membership or attendance at a sporting
event. However, Covid has impacted this and we need to encourage more participation and
volunteering to get back on track to reach this target. Shining a light on our volunteers in sport
is a way to recognize and remind people of the invaluable role they play in society.”
To keep up to date with all the latest announcements visit www.volunteersinsport.ie and follow @iresport on Twitter and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/federationof-irish-sport/
#DedicatedtoheDedicated

12 December 2022; The Federation of Irish Sport today launched the Volunteers in Sport Awards at Irish Sports HQ in Dublin with Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD alongside Federation CEO, Mary O’Connor. Nominations are now open for the nationwide awards at www.volunteersinsport.ie. Also present were Irish Canoeist and World No. 1 Jenny Egan and her father Tom Egan, past recipient of the Volunteers in Sport Award for County Kildare. Pictured are, from left, Jenny Egan, Jack Chambers and Mary O’Connor. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***

President of Evaleo, Gabriel Messmer and National Active Cities Officer, Mary Corry at the International House of Sport, Lausanne.

Through Sport Ireland’s Active Cities project, the 5 cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford are focused on getting those who are least active in our society active. To enable this, the 8 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs), who are facilitating the project, are seeking to take a multi-sectoral approach to reducing the barriers to participation in physical activity, increasing access for everyone, and enhancing the choice and opportunities available for all to take part.

This will require significant collaboration, partnership and planning. At a local level, the local Active Cities Officers are looking to engage all relevant organisations who directly and indirectly impact on physical activity levels, to broaden the conversation and create a greater awareness of the need for all stakeholders to be involved. With only 42% of adults and 13% of children in Ireland meeting the recommended levels of physical activity, (ISM 2021), and the negative impact this has on the health, environment, economy and community of our cities, there is a clear need to work together to address the issue.

At a national level, the 8 LSPs are working as a collective under the guidance of National Active Cities Officer, Mary Corry. She noted that “learning from each other is key to both understanding the challenges, and identifying practical solutions to increase physical activity levels, but it’s also important to connect internationally and explore the networks and resources available and learn from best practice”.

On a two day visit to Geneva & Lausanne, a representation from the Active Cities project met with President of Evaleo, Gabriel Messmer, and Global Active City Manager, Michael Gross to discuss the challenges and opportunities.

Evaleo is an international non-profit organisation with a goal to inspire and enable people to adopt an active, healthy, and fulfilling lifestyle. To achieve this, they carry out a mission of education, development, and active promotion. They are a worldwide alliance of experts, professionals, and partners, federated around the common vision of sustainable health and well-being for everyone, and acting together through the implementation of programmes and interventions aimed at generating positive, long-term impacts.

The Global Active City initiative has been developed under their guidance, and provides the Active Cities project in Ireland with a vision for the future. There are cities around the world who have received Global Active City certification, and through this on going process, these cities have become a place where everyone can be active.

Over the coming years, the focus for the Active Cities project is to build a greater understanding among all stakeholders on the need for increased physical activity levels but also the collective responsibility on us all to address the challenge.

For more information on Active Cities, contact mcorry@limericksports.ie or check out www.sportireland.ie/activecities #ActiveCities