SPORTS
CAPITAL PROGRAMME
1999-2002
In the period under review, funding to the value of
€205 million was approved for 2,658 projects out of a total of 6,383
applications received.
As
funding is paid out as projects progress, at the end of 2002 some €124 million
had yet to be drawn down. Factoring in further approvals made during 2003 and
funds drawn down in that year, the level of commitments outstanding at the end
of 2003 was in the region of €115 million.
Following
a review in 1998, the Sports Capital Programme was restructured and four new
objectives of the Programme were established. The essence of this review is
consideration of these objectives and assessment of the extent to which the
Programme has managed to meet each of the objectives in the period under
review.
Objective 1 to develop an
integrated and planned approach to the development of sport and recreational
facilities;
While a good deal of planning and consultation
takes place in assessing applications for funding under the Programme, given
the absence of a strategic plan outlining clearly stated targets for facility
provision, the Programme has met this objective in a limited way only. With hindsight,
while the sports capital programme should operate within the framework of a
clear strategy† which would include all
the other main funding mechanisms for sports facility provision, the
development of such a strategy might not be regarded as an entirely appropriate
objective for the programme itself.
However, while an overall sports facility strategy has yet to be put in place, the Programme
does have existing facets which help facilitate a planned and integrated
approach :
Ø A level of
consultation with the Irish Sports Council and some of the major National
Governing Bodies of Sport in considering their priorities at national and
regional level.
Ø Interaction
with other Government Departments and local authorities in considering certain
projects.
Ø A high
level of planning and deliberations take place before each year's assessments
to establish the priorities for funding and the application of the scoring
system.
Ø Due
consideration is given to the current level of sports facilities in particular
areas with applications under assessment.
Ø
A minimum proportion of total funding is established for
each county from which grant recommendations are made in respect of eligible
projects.
In seeking
to adopt a strategic and planned approach in the future, it is important that
the Programme connects clearly and harmoniously with other elements of sport
and social policy development, that it is based on sound information and
knowledge about relevant issues such as existing facilities, demographic
trends, facility demand and usage levels. It should also identify clear and
objective targets in terms of outputs and desirable outcomes, and its
performance should be measured through the use of appropriate indicators.
Objective 2 to assist voluntary
and community organisations to develop high quality and sustainable facilities
in appropriate locations that will maximise use in terms of participation in
sport and recreation;
The Programme has performed well in this objective by providing over 2,000 individual voluntary clubs and groups with grants to build a variety of facilities that have helped increase participation in sport.
Ø
The Department has successfully progressed over 1,900 grant aided
projects from initial application through commencement of building work with
1,410 brought to final completion putting in place or
improving the following range of sports facilities funded and built during
1999-2002 :
o
202 facilities combining a mixture of pitch, clubhouse & indoor
hall development
o
265 pitch facilities including some with floodlighting
o
241 clubhouse/dressing rooms
o
140 community halls
o
49 sets of floodlighting
o
212 grants towards equipment such as boxing rings
& punch bags, rowing equipment
o
301 various projects including building works,
security fencing, the provision of boats & equipment
Ø 22% of projects
are subject to monitoring by the Office of Public Works to ensure projects
comply with planning, building, health & safety regulations.
Ø Based on a
survey carried out involving some of these completed projects,
o
49% of these projects would not have been built at all
without public funding under the Programme and
o
most of the remaining projects would have taken much longer
to complete or would have been on a smaller scale without the funding.
o
More than 60% of projects showed increases in participation
and usage since the funded project was completed.
o
Although it is understood that many established sports clubs
operate a system of membership, only 7%
of those who received funding and responded to the surveyed stated that the
facility was open to members only.
o
Over 90% of clubs and groups surveyed indicated that the
grant-supported project has made a difference in helping to attract new
participants and providing improved facilities above a basic level.
Objective 3 to
prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of facilities
The Programme contains specific measures to assist disadvantaged areas including a higher grant percentage ceiling and the availability of additional weighting based on the level of disadvantage. The review finds that even with these measures, applications in respect of projects located in disadvantaged areas have a slightly lower success rate than those for non-disadvantaged areas. This is due to the tendency for these applications to score lower in the other criteria, so while just over half of all grants allocated are from disadvantaged areas, many of these would not have received funding without the higher weighting. Therefore in that respect these projects have been prioritised and the objective is being met as follows
Ø 52% of total grants allocated were in respect of projects located in disadvantaged areas.
Ø 58% of
monies allocated went to such projects.
Ø From the
survey, 35% of clubs indicated an increase in participation by people from
disadvantaged areas.
Objective
4 to encourage and prioritise the
multi-purpose use of facilities at all levels by all groups.
Programme criteria envisage allocating additional scores to a project that will impact on a range of sporting activities. This particularly favours projects where a number of clubs or groups come together with a proposal to develop and share facilities. However given the variation in facility needs and traditions and the limitations of some facilities for high usage, this objective has more relevance for facilities specifically intended for multi-use such as indoor halls & all weather pitches. 27% of total funding has been allocated to projects designated as community and mixed sports.
Ø €56
million has been allocated to community and mixed sports projects
Ø From the
survey
o 57% of the
facilities are directly open to the public and another 30% in use by other
clubs, schools etc while only 7% are restricted for use by members only.
o 43% showed
an increase in the number of other clubs using the facility since the project
was completed
o
36% indicated an increase in the number of sports being
played there since
While it has been
established that all of the objectives have been met to varying degrees, the
fact that the funding of €102m paid out to date has acted as "seed
capital" to secure a total investment so far of €378m in sports
infrastructure is a further measure of its value. This is equivalent to a
corresponding investment of €2.70 by sports clubs, community groups, schools,
colleges and local authorities for every €1 of Exchequer expenditure. Together
with the relatively low administration costs, equivalent to just under 2% of
grants allocated, this points to a programme which has offered the State
significant value for money in terms of putting sports facilities in place as
well as in terms of yield per euro invested.
In looking forward, the role of the Programme within the overall strategy for sports facility provision must be assessed and clearly defined as part of the development of such a strategy to commence as soon as possible.
Consideration should be given to amending the
objectives of the Programme to reflect the current direction of public policy
for sport as determined by the Government and implemented by the relevant State
agencies. In addition to helping voluntary and community organisations, the
Programme should in future also prioritise facilities
Ø providing
opportunities for school-aged children to engage in sport
Ø proven to
be effective in encouraging non-participants to take up recreational sport
Ø meeting
the needs of those developing and competing in sports at all levels
In addition to a reassessment of the objectives, the
Review identified the following important recommendations for the Programme:
Ø There is
an obvious requirement for some mechanism within the Programme to target
identified areas of critical need, rather than depending wholly on applications
& to establish a linkage with existing revenue supports to help with
running costs in the early years of operation for key projects.
Ø The need
for up to date information on sporting participation rates & trends and
impact of investment on these rates.
Ø All grant
allocations should conform in all aspects to the minimum eligibility
requirements to give projects the best chance of completion and ensure the draw
down of grants allocated within a reasonable timescale.
Ø To develop
the level of consultation with the Irish Sports Council including Local Sports
Partnerships, National Governing Bodies of sport, local authorities and the
Department of Education & Science to ensure that decisions in funding
strategic and priority projects are made on the basis of the most accurate and
up to date information.
Ø There is a
need to address the need for large municipal multi-sport facilities in a more
focussed and strategic manner with greater interaction and consultation
required with local authorities in light of the high costs of construction and
operation. Possible funding alternatives such as Public Private Partnerships
should be examined in this regard. The future funding of all projects is of
course dependent on the availability of adequate financial resources.
Ø The need
to devise performance indicators for the Programme to measure the impact of
funding, levels of expenditure & programme efficiencies.
In terms of the operation of a future
Programme, considering the feedback from both successful and unsuccessful
applicants and best practice elsewhere there is a need to address some areas in
the current Programme:
Ø Provide
clear information on basic requirements for applicants in order to qualify for
grants and to draw down payment, where successful, to help improve the quality
of applications and to speed up rate of draw down of grants.
Ø Funding a
higher proportion of eligible costs than at present.
Ø Carry out
a revision of the selection criteria with particular emphasis on distinguishing
between the assessment of local club & community projects and strategic
national, regional & municipal projects.
Ø Expand the
current Inspection process to ensure that a more stringent verification process
is in place in respect of publicly funded projects.
Ø Seek the
development of expertise in sports facility design and construction.
Ø Re-examine
the system governing the withdrawal of grants previously allocated.
Ø
Structured monitoring of funded projects required to assess
impact and obtain feedback.
Given the significantly increased funding in recent years and the very large numbers of existing clubs and organisations which have benefited at least once from the Programme, it has been successful in providing at least a basic level of facilities to many clubs and groups. There are still some clubs and groups with poor facilities but the numbers have diminished, especially in light of the investment over the past four years. It is therefore now opportune to consider how the Programme might target funding more effectively towards the hither-to neglected areas and sports in greatest need. This should be coupled with the need to target funding at facilities serving sports and areas of high growth in addition to providing essential facilities to support the development of sport in Ireland at the highest levels. As a direct consequence of the significant increase in funding since 1999, Ireland has taken a major step forward in providing a broad base of essential facilities across a wide range of sports at local, regional and national level.
Where the Programme goes from here will be one of the main issues to be addressed by the Inter-Agency Group established to oversee the development of a sports facility strategy and national audit of facilities to be set up following this review. It is in the context of an overall sports facility strategy informed by an audit of sports facilities that the Sports Capital Programme will operate most effectively. Close cooperation with other Government Departments, the Irish Sports Council, local sports partnerships, local authorities, sports bodies and other key groups in developing and implementing such a strategy, together with a clear system of performance measurement, is the essential framework which can inform and measure the effective future operation of the Sports Capital Programme.
† There is a commitment to put in place a long term strategic plan for facility development in the Programme for
Government.