Sports Council announces grants for next 12 months

Boxing was the main winner in this year's Irish Sports Council (ISC) carding scheme allocations. The most successful Irish Olympic sport had five athletes on the maximum €40,000 Podium award with all four medal winners at London 2012, Katie Taylor, John Joe Nevin, Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes picking up the top grant as well as European light heavyweight champion Joe ward.

The overall total for the Carding Scheme was down from €2.34 million in 2012 to €1.7 million this year, which is a decrease of around €600,000 available to be disbursed among the athletes.

In athletics, Derval O’Rourke is placed in the third International category of awards of just €12,000, while Ken Egan, the Beijing Olympic silver medallist also receives €12,000 despite the fact he announced his retirement from competitive boxing when he was beaten by Ward in the Elite national Senior Championships this year.

Overall the budget to sport has slipped by 2.9 per cent from last year, which has been a regular trend over the past number of years as the country struggles with recession. The Carding scheme is also in transition as the ISC seek to empower national Governing Bosies of sport to play a larger role in the disbursement of money.

“”We are pushing more responsibility onto the governing bodies,” said ISC Chief Executive John Treacy. “WE are giving more money to the NGBs.”

Overall an investment package of €33 million was announced with €19.3 million going to the governing bodies, €5.1 million to local sports and €8.6 million to High Performance sports. Of the €19.3 million that goes to the governing bodies, a substantial chunk of €7.6 million will support the participation programmes of the GAA, FAI and IRFU.

Carding Allocations 2013

Athletics Ireland

€40,000 (Podium)

Robert Heffernan

€20,000 (World Class)

Ciaran O'Lionard

Deirdre Ryan

Fionnuala Britton

€12,000 (International)

Brendan Boyce

Victoria Pena

Derval O'Rourke

Linda Byrne

Mark Kenneally

Brian Gregan

Laura Reynolds

Ava Hutchinson

Caitriona Jennings

Jessie Barr

Badminton Ireland

€12,000

Chloe Magee

Scott Evans

Sam Magee

Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland

€12,000

Roberta Connolly

Padraic Moran

Irish Amateur Boxing Association

€40,000

Katie Taylor

Michael Conlan

Paddy Barnes

John Joe Nevin

Joe Ward

€20,000

Adam Nolan

Darren O'Neill

€12,000

Ceire Smith

Ken Egan

Conrad Cummings

Jason Quigley

Ross Hickey

Con Sheehan

David Oliver Joyce

John Joe Joyce

Irish Canoe Union

€20,000

Hannah Craig

Andrzej Jezierski

Ciaran Heurteau

Eoin Rheinisch

€12,000

Barry Watkins

Irish Clay Pigeon Shooting Association

€12,000

Derek Burnett

Cycling Ireland

€40,000

James Brown

Colin Lynch

Mark Rohan

Catherine Walsh

€20,000

Andrew Fitzgerald

Katie George Dunlevy

Martyn Irvine

Enda Smyth

Caroline Ryan

€12,000

Eoin Mullen

Irish Judo Association

€12,000

Lisa Kearney

Paralympic Athletics Ireland

€40,000

Orla Barry

Michael McKillop

Jason Smyth

Catherine O'Neill

€12,000

Heather Jameson

Ailish Dunne

Paralympic Swimming Ireland

€40,000

Darragh McDonald

Bethany Firth

€12,000

Ellen Keane

Jonathan McGrath

Laurence McGivern

James Scully

Pentathlon Ireland

€20,000

Natalya Coyle

€12,000

Arthur Lanigan O'Keeffe

Eanna Bailey

Rowing Ireland

€20,000

Sanita Puspure

€12,000

Claire Lambe

Irish Sailing Association

€40,000

Peter O'Leary

Annalise Murphy

€20,000

Ryan Seaton

Matthew McGovern

€12,000

James Espey

Scott Flanigan

John Twomey

Ian Costelloe

Swim Ireland

€20,000

Sycerika McMahon

€12,000

Barry Murphy

Grainne Murphy

Christopher Bryan

Fiona Doyle

IWA Sport

€12,000

Rena McCarron

Philip Quinlan

Triathlon Ireland

€20,000

Aileen Reid

€12,000

Bryan Keane

Gavin Noble