More cuts will have huge impact, warns sports body

The successes of Katie Taylor, Rory McIlroy, Sycerika McMahon and Cian O’Connor could become a distant memory, and sport’s potential to breathe new life into the Irish economy will be unrealised, if there are any further cuts to funding after the upcoming budget.

That is the stark claim of the Federation of Sports’ annual review, which also warns that any ban on sponsorship by alcohol companies will cause “serious damage” in terms of grassroots coaching and subsequent international success.

These points are emphasised in the Federation’s pre-budget submission, which also seeks changes to tax relief on donations to approved sports development programmes, which would encourage increased philanthropic contributions. Government funding of sport is due to be cut by 5% next month but that needs to be the last reduction if sport is to flourish, says the report.

“A lack of investment today will have its most damaging impact, not today or tomorrow, but eight to 10 years down the road. It has to be remembered that funding for sport has already gone down by 22% since 2008 while overall funding, including investment in facilities, has decreased by 72% in the same period.”

The strongest language is used when discussing the possibility of a ban on sponsorship by alcohol companies.

“The proposal currently being considered by the government to phase out sponsorship by alcohol brands will have the potential to cause serious damage — quickly. There would appear to be a completely fallacious logic that suggests if there was no alcohol sponsorship tomorrow there would be a queue of sponsors lining up to take up this slack. This is not true and it is dangerous thinking.

“There is a choice. Currently it is about funding. The choice and the consequences are very firmly in the hands of the decision makers. They need to choose wisely.”

The government has set a target for sport to reduce the health bill by €1bn but its contribution to the economy would be even greater if the Danish template of attracting major international sporting events was copied.

The report suggests the American Football match between US Navy and Notre Dame at the Aviva Stadium was worth in excess of a staggering €100m nationally, with the 36,000 American visitors for the event said to be greater even than any US migration for the Olympics.

Meanwhile events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, Great Limerick Run, World Handball Championships, Men’s Olympic Qualifiers and Youth Sailing World Championships provided vital injections to local economies.