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About Longford Sports Partnership

Background

In the Irish Sports Council's (ISC) strategy "A New Era for Sport 2000-2002", the Council proposed to establish a nationwide network of Local Sports Partnerships to create a national structure to co-ordinate and promote the development of sport at local level.

The ISC identified that the effective development of sport and recreation at local level would be best delivered through the adoption of a partnership approach between all bodies and organisations involved in the delivery of sport and recreation locally.

Longford Sports Partnership was established in 2008 under the auspices of Longford County Development Board.

Aims and Expected Outcomes

The key aim of the local sports partnerships is to

Increase participation in sport and physical recreation and ensure that local resources are used to best effect.

The outcomes that the ISC seek from local sports partnerships are:

Enhanced planning of sport at local level
Increased levels of local participation, especially amongst specific target groups - older people, girls and women, people with disabilities, unemployed people and those who live in identified disadvantaged communities
Enhanced local coach deployment
Club development
Volunteer training
Local Directories of sports bodies and facilities
Better use of existing facilities
Clear priorities for local facility provision and improvement
School/club/community and possibly school - National Governing Body link
Local sports events

Board

The board of Longford Sports Partnership consists of 18 representatives from statutory, voluntary and sporting groups.

Longford Sports Partnership Board 2010

Members of the LSP Board:

Frank Sheridan - Longford County Council
Claire McKeon - Longford VEC
Clodagh Armitage - HSE
Mark Noble - Youth Services
Eileen Farrell - Older Adults representative
Mary Killane - Longford Sport & Leisure Centre
Oonagh Flynn - St. Christopher's Services
Cllr. John Duffy - Longford County Council
Cllr. Micháel Carrigy - Longford County Council
Sean Hannon- Longford Community Resources Ltd.
Stephen Coy - Field sports representative
Sean Dempsey - Field sports representative
Rose Kane - Aquatics representative
Fabian Walsh -Minority sports representative
Ursula Hussey - County Development Board
Terry McKenna - Community & Voluntary Forum
Frank Horne - RAPID
Brendan Gilmore - Longford Town Council

Staff

Siobhan McGuinness
Sports Co-ordinator
Address: Aras an Chontae, Great Water Street, Longford
Tel: 034 33 43472
Fax: 043 33 41233

Dympna Reilly
Sports Administrator
Address: Aras an Chontae, Great Water Street, Longford
Tel: 034 33 43
Fax: 043 33 41233

Local Sports Partnership & Their Role

Rationale of the Local Sport Partnerships

The Irish Sports Council (ISC) has recognised that the partnerships are an excellent mechanism for delivering recreational sport to local people. Key tasks that the partnerships are involved in include: -

The creation and implementation of plans for long term local sports development
The establishment of a sustainable structure to assist all those involved in local sports development to face the associated challenges -e.g. recruiting and managing volunteers, quality training, etc
Delivery of projects and programmes particularly for target groups - Establishing networks at local level and liaising with existing initiatives

Functions of the Local Sport Partnerships

The three main functions of the LSPs are: -

Information - establish a consultative forum, initiate research, compile a sports directory and database, and identify needs and resources to form the basis of local planning
Education - provide quality opportunities for education and training at local level, provide training courses targeting volunteers, and provide access to sport specific courses through the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport
Implementation - develop a strategic plan for local sport, appoint a professional administrator, secure related support services, select participation programmes for LSPs modified to suit local needs, increase the impact of national programmes delivered locally, market and promote sport

Role of the Local Sport Partnerships

The key aims of the LSP are to increase participation in sport, and to ensure that local resources are used to best effect. Some of the outcomes we seek are:

Club development
Volunteer training
Enhanced planning of sport at local level
Local directories of sports bodies & facilities
School, club, community and national governing body (NGB) links
Increased levels of local participation, especially amongst specific target groups such as older people, girls & women, people with disabilities, unemployed people, and those who live in identified disadvantaged communities

Membership of the Local Sport Partnerships

All those statutory bodies, organisations and groups operating in local areas with a responsibility for or interest in sports development should be invited to participate in the LSP. The involvement of the Vocational Education Committees (VEC), city and county councils, Health Service Executive (HSE), FÁS, universities, colleges, Institutes of Technology, commercial companies, sports' clubs, national governing bodies (NGBs) and community groups in the partnership will be important.

Structure

The LSP will lead the consultative forum which will represent the views of all local groups. The LSP will be established as a substructure of a local authority with its priorities decided in consultation with its constituent members. This structure will also ensure that all funding made available to the LSP can be dedicated solely to work in the sports sector. The Board of the LSP should be made up of representatives of those agencies regarded as key influencers in local sports development. The LSP will employ the Local Sports Coordinator and will set the priorities for the work of this officer. Thirteen of the initial LSP's are established as companies limited.

Local Sports Coordinator

The Local Sports Coordinator is employed by and reports to the Board of the LSP. The functions ascribed to the LSP will form the basis of the work of this professional, and therefore their work will revolve around the functions described as information, education and implementation. Each LSP will decide on the priorities to be assigned to the Coordinator's work, but in general their role will be the coordination of the planning process for the LSP, and the overseeing of the agreed plan. The Coordinator will also act as secretary to the LSP, facilitate meetings of the LSP Board, and liaise closely with the ISC to act as a conduit for information between national and local developments. The Coordinator will be responsible for the implementation of the local sports strategy, encompassing elements such as education programmes and local participation initiatives.

Assistance to Local Sport Partnerships

The ISC's Participation Unit provide a full support service to the LSP with staff from the Unit facilitating the initial establishment of the LSP. The ISC provide sample job descriptions for posts within the LSP, and assist in the recruitment of these officers. The Unit also provide advice and guidance on the strategic planning process which each LSP will undertake.

The Participation Unit aims to establish a good working relationship with the Coordinators, and to provide them with training and information updates. A Coordinators network is in place so that information on best practice can be made available to all Coordinators. The ISC is also involved in the development and dissemination of specific programmes, course and materials to the LSPs.

Two types of grant aid are offered to the LSPs: -

Core funding - towards the cost of employing LSP staff, developing the partnerships and innovative local initiatives
Programme funding - towards specific, high priority, targeted initiatives identified and promoted by the LSP.

A key recommendation in the Fitzpatrick Report has that from 2009, the LSP must generate 50% of its operating costs locally. Accounting for this funding will be subject to the terms and conditions relating to the allocation of ISC grant aid.