#sailing – Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring has approved a grant of €400,000 for sailing, the biggest of all grants awarded today to 22 national sports bodies to buy new equipment and boost participation in sports and improve performance.
The sailing grant which is 15% of the total payout is awarded for "mobile training fleets, transport vans, coach boats, coaching equipment, Olympic sailing equipment and training camp equipment (excluding eyewear)."
The ISA says the funds will be spent on coaching equipment including coach boats, vehicles and training equipment, Olympic sailing equipment including a fleet of 420's, Laser Radials and a 49er with associated spares for training camps and training camp equipment which includes strength and conditioning apparatus to be used on training camps.
The ISA will also fund for four mobile training fleets for use on introductory ISA training programmes. The aim is to provide support for organisations looking to develop junior, schools and introductory adult programmes.
The funding has been awarded to a range of National Governing Bodies including the Athletics Association, the Irish Rugby Football Union, Irish Wheelchair Association Sport, Canoeing Ireland, the GAA, the Irish Sailing Association, the Football Association of Ireland, and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.
The new equipment will include items as diverse as a mobile Olympic Handball arena, scrum machines, a 'cricket factory' where you can try out cricket for fun, and martial arts arenas.
It includes a grant of €160,228 to the Irish Wheelchair Association Sport to provide new equipment for sports like basketball, athletics, hand cycling and rugby, boccia, table tennis, archery, frisbee, tennis, powerlifting and gym equipment.
Minister Ring said: 'The real beneficiaries from this funding will be the thousands of sportspeople across Ireland who head out on weeknights and weekends to train with their local club. Although some of the equipment will be used at national level by the governing bodies, a significant portion will be utilised at local level. I hope it will encourage more people to get involved in sport'.
The equipment aims to help a diverse range of sports to attract more participants, run better competitions, monitor performance and train more effectively, building on the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Applications were invited through the Irish Sports Council. All 22 organisations which applied are being funded under the scheme.
| Organisation | Allocation | Grant purpose |
| Athletics Association of Ireland | €350,000 | club athletic equipment, sports hall indoor competition, track and field competition, speed gates, dartfish analysis, GPS heart rate monitors and lactate machines |
| Badminton Ireland | €90,000 | para badminton chairs, school kits, target cage, posts and nets |
| Canoeing Ireland | €75,000 | boats, racks and gym equipment |
| Community Games | €85,899 | national finals equipment upgrade/replenishment, area equipment packs (165) and county equipment packs (40) |
| Cricket Ireland | €105,921 | performance analysis equipment, cricket factory (to allow people to try cricket), BOLA fielding machine |
| Football Association of Ireland | €220,000 | footballs, training equipment, fitness equipment, goalposts and football for all specialist equipment |
| GAA | €220,000 | footballs, sliotars, bibs, cones and portable goalposts |
| Institute of Sport | €121,489 | performance analysis, strength and conditioning, medical, physiotherapy and physiology |
| Irish Hockey Association | €30,000 | throw down lines, hockey sticks, outdoor and indoor hockey balls, equipment bags, backboards and heart rate monitors |
| Irish Martial Arts Commission | €84,525 | mobile stage, boxing ring and floor mats |
| Irish Olympic Handball Association | €98,000 | balls, iGoals, match equipment, mobile arena |
| Irish Rugby Football Union | €257,517 | equipment for clubs and schools, defibrillators, GPS tracking system, scrum machines, match and training equipment |
| Irish Sailing Association | €400,000 | mobile training fleets, transport vans, coach boats, coaching equipment, Olympic sailing equipment and training camp equipment (excluding eyewear) |
| Irish Table Tennis Association | €7,000 | tables, surrounds, nets, training equipment |
| Irish Wheelchair Association Sport | €160,228 | basketball, athletics, hand cycling, rugby, boccia, table tennis, archery, frisbee, tennis, powerlifting and gym equipment |
| Junior Golf Ireland | €17,500 | golf kits for schools |
| Ladies Gaelic Football Association | €15,000 | tutor packs |
| Motor Cycling Ireland | €16,867 | timing system |
| Special Olympics Ireland | €26,153 | athletics throws, bocce carpets, floorball rink, tennis and table tennis |
| Swim Ireland | €249,586 | UL, National Aquatic Centre and Connacht high performance centres |
| Volleyball Association of Ireland | €11,390 | international standard equipment for suitable sports halls |
| Weightlifting Ireland | €20,430 | weightlifting Equipment |
| Total | €2,662,505 |
