Minorities among the big winners

Irish Sports Council Grants: For all those sports in the constant shadow of soccer, rugby and GAA - and that includes everything from horseshoe pitching to baton twirling - yesterday was payday. This came in the form of the annual Government grants to the 58 national governing bodies, distributed by the Irish Sports Council and which essentially keeps their sport running from one year to the next.

Without such support many of them wouldn't survive, or else exist without much regulation. Together they got €9.18 million (or €9.5 million when everyone is counted), although clearly some cheques would be far fatter than others.

Athletics Ireland topped the list with €1.2 million, well up on last year's grant of €820,000. Their chief executive, Brendan Hackett, had the look of a man who had just won the lottery, and the first question to ask him was what did they do to deserve this. "Well you submit your detailed plans for the year," he explained, "and put figures alongside those plans. Invariably you submit the Rolls Royce. You don't always get that but obviously we'd be very happy with this.

"But we've also worked hard to develop our strategy over the past few years, and get our governing structures right. We've taken on a lot of staff this year . . . We just don't enjoy the funding of the big three, soccer, rugby and GAA, because they're big spectator sports, and have huge gate receipts. We're all reliant on the Government.

"When I started there were only three people working full-time in athletics, and one part-time. We now have 12, including a new head of coaching to be announced next week and a whole new position, a director of athletics, which we offered to a very high-profile name, from overseas, and we're confident will accept in the coming weeks."

The numbers involved in a sport - competitively and recreationally - have the biggest influence on the money it gets. Other big winners were Basketball Ireland (€639,032), Swim Ireland (€591,000), Tennis Ireland (€433,318), the Badminton Union of Ireland (€383,871) and the Irish Cricket Union (€290,000) - all of which surprisingly got more than boxing, cycling, rowing and hockey.

Special Olympics Ireland, which has a staff of almost 60, received €913,627, and the increase in professionalism within the governing bodies accounts for the increase in overall funding across the board (which last year was €8.29 million).

Swim Ireland's allocation was up €128,000 on last year, aimed at supporting the appointment of further staff including development officers and a full-time children's officer. Badminton Ireland received an additional €90,850 to assist them with the modernisation of their administration, including the appointment of their first chief executive. Similarly, the Irish Hockey Association got an extra €68,500 to enable the appointment of additional development staff.

There are 235 full-time and 109 part-time staff employed by the various governing bodies, with some of the other new positions being an executive director for Cycling Ireland and two full-time development officers with the Volleyball Association of Ireland.

For John Treacy, chief executive of the Sports Council, work with each of the governing bodies is ongoing: "We sit down with these sports on a continuing basis . . . we try to do the best for them. Like we've put extra money into cricket this year, giving them something extra for this year's World Cup. Athletics Ireland has gone through major changes now, continuing to put people on the ground, and their increased funding is an endorsement for their work. But of course this is also a key sport for us, always was, and one we can and do very well in."

One of the sports still to be allocated funds is Horse Sport Ireland, newly established for the sports and breeding elements, with €1.85 million earmarked for 2007, not included in the €9.5 million budget.

Finally, the various allocations are also intended to assist with the hosting of sporting events, which this year includes: the EU Boxing Championships in June and senior international bouts against Russia (February), Poland (October), Serbia (November) and Holland (November); the Home International Rowing Regatta; the Northern European Gymnastics Championships, set for Dublin in October; and six major World and European sailing championship events in Dublin and Waterford.