03/11/2020 09:49
Volleyball Ireland secures 71k in funding for club supports and outdoor posts
News from the National Federations
Dublin, Ireland, November 3, 2020. Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD and Minister of State for Sport and Gaeltacht Affairs, Jack Chambers TD, today announced an unprecedented €85 million funding package for the Irish sport sector, which has been suffering because of the various COVID-19 restrictions imposed since March 2020. Of the funding support provided, € 71,500 will go to Volleyball Ireland, across two schemes.
The funding allocated by Sport Ireland will address the existential threat to National Governing Bodies and their club networks, allowing sports organisations to off-set significant losses incurred in recent months and add a semblance of certainty to planning for 2021.
The significant investment will reach all levels of the sport sector with National Governing Bodies, local sports partnerships and thousands of grassroots clubs across Ireland set to benefit.
Innovation Funding Scheme
As much as € 50,000 will be available to deliver a nationwide outdoor Volleyball posts project that will see at least fifteen permanent, free-to-use courts established on beaches and in public parks across Ireland.
Commenting on the announcement, Volleyball Ireland President Grainne Culliton said, “We are delighted with the funding allocation that will help us deliver a really ambitious project. Volleyball is a sport for all and by providing free-to-use courts across Ireland, we can remove some of the traditional barriers to participation and allow the whole community to just turn up and play our wonderful sport. We think this could be a game changer for promoting, developing and growing Volleyball here in Ireland.”
The Innovation Funding Scheme had strict criteria with applicants expecting to show how projects could deliver sport and physical activity in a COVID-19 environment. Volleyball Ireland’s project facilitates outdoor, socially distanced activity involving families and social bubbles.
Each set of posts will display QR codes linked to Volleyball Ireland’s find-a-club webpage, which will help raise awareness of Volleyball clubs and their activities. Installing posts on the sand will help promote the beach format of the game and allow for additional social activity. Having access to a net system and the time to dig holes and put portable nets is a key barrier to participation - which this project will overcome.
Working collaboratively with local sports partnerships, Volleyball Ireland will provide Social Volley Activator Training for Volleyball enthusiasts to organise fun sessions in parks and on the sand. Grainne Culliton added, “We are really grateful to our partners in local authorities who have supported this ambition and shared our vision from the outset, and we cannot wait to see the impact this will have.”
Club Resilience Support Scheme
Moreover, € 21,500 will go to support Volleyball Ireland’s member clubs re-start Volleyball activity. The successful application was evidence-based with Volleyball clubs submitting financial and impact statements related to COVID-19. Volleyball Ireland Development Coordinator and lead COVID-19 Officer Norma McIntyre added, “The information provided by our clubs was vital in helping us build this application and demonstrate the need for supporting our club network. Since the pandemic began clubs and volunteers have gone above and beyond to deliver safe Volleyball activity and we expect this funding will really help our clubs re-start activities in the New Year.”
Volleyball Ireland would like to put on record its thanks to Minister Catherine Martin TD and Minister Jack Chambers TD, as well as the teams at Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport for their continued support.
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