Get Active this Summer with our new ‘Active Parks Initiative’, kicking off at O’Boyle Park from the 1^st July with ‘Park Fitness’, a fun social adult fitness class using the track and outdoor gym running every Thursday at 11am, followed by ‘Social Tennis’, a community based fun tennis programme for 9-12 year olds every Thursday at 12pm.

Register below: 

Parks Fitness https://oboylepark-parkfitness.eventbrite.ie

Social Tennis: Fitness https://oboylepark-socialtennis.eventbrite.ie

How to find the Park: https://www.google.com/maps/place/O’Boyle+Park/@54.2743897,-8.4693972,15z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x32d57e363fbc7973!2sO’Boyle+Park!8m2!3d54.2744611!4d-8.4693058!3m4!1s0x0:0x32d57e363fbc7973!8m2!3d54.2744611!4d-8.4693058?hl=en

For more information please email diane@sligosportandrecreation.ie.

In 2019, Sport Ireland published their first women in sport policy, setting out their commitment to develop and support this expanding area. In 2020, they added to this with their findings focusing on gender diversity on boards of National Governing Bodies. Highlighting the need for a heterogeneous and diverse board to bring about positive change, improved communication, better decision making, and safe and inclusive environments within sport for all.

As a result, Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership (SSRP) want to take a closer look at the area of women’s involvement in sports clubs in Sligo, particularly those holding positions of leadership, in their many and varied forms including committee, voluntary, judging, officiating and coaching positions. Gaining an insight into the landscape of sport in Sligo will help us to decide how to best support clubs, and women and girls in this area. Generating opportunities for women will help create role models for young girls within their own area, offering them people to look up to and aspire to be like.

We are asking the sports clubs of Sligo to complete our survey to gather this vital information. All clubs that participate will be added to a draw to win one of four opportunities for €250. The information gathered from the survey will inform the creation of a woman in sport leadership programme.

You can find our survey HERE

A survey of this extent has never previously been completed at County level in Ireland. Clubs in Sligo will be a part of this all-important development, demonstrating their commitment to prioritising women’s sport. Their involvement will help create a cutting edge programme for women and girls, allowing them to upskill and expand their knowledge, which they can bring back to their clubs. Through this survey, clubs are given their opportunity to have their say, to influence the change and help develop it for the players, leaders and volunteers of their community.

The programme itself will include core principles including leadership skills, wellbeing, crisis management, resilience, among many others. With input from clubs themselves influencing the remaining topics. The purpose of this programme is to engage women, empower and upskill them in the area of leadership, offer them experiences they wouldn’t already have had. It can be an opportunity for women who were previously involved in sport to get back to their club and sport, and to further develop existing leaders. It is also expected that a network between women involved in sports across Sligo will be established, offering them an area to discuss various topics, to build relationships and offer support.

The SSRP LeadHERs in Sport initiative is being overseen by Community Sports Development Officer Siubhean Crowne who remarked; “women in sport is a hugely important and developing area and we’re delighted to be introducing such an exciting opportunity, we recognise the value of investment in such a key area. Having completed a similar course at a national level I recognise the value and benefits first hand, and I am enthused to offer the same opportunity to the women of Sligo.”

You can find our survey HERE . Be sure to encourage your club representative to fill it out to be in with a change of winning €250, and most importantly to influence the landscape of women in sport in Sligo.

For more information email CSDO Siubhean Crowne at siubhean@sligosportandrecreation.ie

For the past number of years Youth Sport West in association with Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership have produced an Annual Summer Camp Activities Brochure detailing all of the various camps and activities which take place throughout Sligo during the summer months. These camps provide the ideal opportunity for young people of all ages and abilities to participate in a range of sporting activities in a controlled, safe and fun environment.

Summer time is the perfect time for children to take part in various sporting activities and, by getting involved in quality experiences at this stage of their lives, it will increase the likelihood that they will stay involved in sport throughout the year and into later life.

If you are running a sport or multi activity camp in Sligo and your details are not listed here please contact SSRP office on 0719161511 or email theresa@sligosportandrecreation.ie with camp details.

To download a copy of the Annual Summer Camp Activity Brochure Click Here

Sport Ireland today (13th May 2021) released the Local Sports Partnership Annual Report 2020, which highlights the work of Sport Ireland’s network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) and the impact they have on participation levels by engaging key target populations across Ireland.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Sport Ireland and the LSPs continued to provide national and local initiatives to ensure that everyone in society has the opportunity to share in the enjoyment as well as the mental and physical health benefits of sport and physical activity. The Report shows that 340,674 people participated in 1,132 locally delivered participation initiatives in 2020 and 3,646 Clubs/Groups were provided with funding supports by LSPs.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD welcomed the publication of the Report: “The National Sports Policy recognises the key role played by the Local Sports Partnerships in sports participation and how they can assist in the delivery of the ambitious participation actions set out in the Policy. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the LSP network worked hard to develop new and innovative initiatives to target cohorts of the population who were most likely to be less active during the restrictions. This work will continue in to 2021 as we see the gradual return to sport and physical activity. Together we will work to increase access to sport and physical activity opportunities for all cohorts of the population”.

Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport, Jack Chambers TD commented: “I commend the work of the LSPs and community organisations they worked with throughout a difficult year. By collaborating closely with organisations within and outside the sporting sector, the LSPs delivered a staggering range and variety of programmes and initiatives in communities throughout Ireland. As we move in to 2021 and beyond, the LSPs will continue to develop and deliver physical activity opportunities that are accessible and inclusive at a local level. I look forward to seeing the activities in the months and years to come as we move toward the target set out by the National Sports Policy”. 

Sport Ireland, through support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, along with the support of Dormant Accounts and Healthy Ireland funding, increased the provision of sport and physical activity services to harder to reach communities. In 2020, Sport Ireland allocated over €870,000 in Programme Funding to the LSP Network, an increase of 53% from the 2019 investment. Programme funding is at the core of the LSPs engagement with participants and allows for the delivery of a range of community, club and school based initiatives, programmes and events.

The number of people participating in Local Sports Partnerships initiatives has grown from 52,000 people in 2007 to 340,674 people in 2020. This high level measure indicates that the LSP network’s performance is improving and developing year on year.

Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, acknowledged the support provided by Government during the pandemic: “The work of the LSPs to deliver opportunities to be active throughout the pandemic was gratefully supported by the provision of the Government’s Covid-19 Resilience Fund and the Keep Well Funding. This funding supported the invaluable work of the LSPs during the pandemic. The LSP Small Grant Scheme of €1.9M supported 1,600 clubs, through this scheme LSPs supported local clubs and community groups with the costs associated with implementing Covid-19 hygiene and social distancing protocols. I would like to acknowledge Minister Chambers and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their continued support and commitment to increasing sport and physical activity”.

John Treacy, Chief Executive Sport Ireland commented: “2020 was a very difficult year for the LSPs and sports participation in general. I must commend the staff and volunteers in the LSPs who adapted quickly and with agility to continue to support people to stay active during the pandemic. They embraced new ways of reaching the various groups in their community and worked together to deliver initiatives and resources at a national level.  Many LSP staff also answered the Community Call and provided direct community assistance where it was needed the most. Although participation numbers reduced in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we believe that the LSP network is well prepared and primed to promote a safe return to sport, in line with Government regulations. We are confident that as Government restrictions are gradually lifted LSPs will quickly return to, and even exceed, the high levels of engagement seen in 2019”.

Dr. Una May, Director of Participation and Ethics, Sport Ireland added: “The network of Local Sports Partnerships work closely with schools and community based initiatives to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity and to encourage participation. Through their local expertise and connections within the sports infrastructure, LSPs are able to identify specific needs and plan accordingly. This work continued throughout 2020 despite the challenges faced during the pandemic and I am confident that it will grow even stronger as we gradually return to sport. Over 7,000 participants took part in initiatives targeting older adults and 51% of all participants in locally delivered initiatives were women. We look forward to working with the network to continue to increase these numbers and expand the work further with other groups so that ultimately everyone can benefit from being involved in sport and physical activity”.

The full 2020 LSP Annual Report can be viewed HERE 

2020 LSP Annual Report Highlights:

• 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs)
• 340,674 people participated in 1,132 locally delivered participation initiatives
• 51% of participants in LSP programmes were female, 47% were male, 2% other
• 109,302 girls and 64,975 women took part in LSP programmes
• 18,161 females took part in 130 targeted Women in Sport programmes
• 3,646 Clubs/Groups were provided with funding supports by LSPs
• 7,091 participants took part in initiatives targeting Older Adults
• 64,524 participants took part in interventions supported by the LSP network including Daily Mile, parkrun, Playground Markings, Active Homework initiatives, and provision of physical activity resources
• 16,243 people with a disability took part in LSP initiatives with an additional 2,037 people trained across Cara’s Disability Awareness, Autism in Sport & Disability Inclusion Training and Education programmes
• 2,894,209 visits to LSP website in 2020 (138% increase compared to 2019 – 1,214,746)
• 184,493 social media followers across all LSP social platforms(Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) 20% increase on 2019
• Sports Leaders and Volunteers completed 5,102 Safeguarding Courses
• LSPs planned and delivered 276 training and education courses, workshops and seminars with their partner agencies. 31,369 people participated in these courses

Check out the Infograph HERE  which captures the main highlights of the report

The ‘Sligo Stronger for Longer’ 2021 programme is targeting men and women aged 50 years + in County Sligo who would like to engage in a supervised online fitness based physical activity programme. The programme will support and guide older people in Sligo to engage in a quality physical activity opportunity over an eight week period, which can help enhance their overall health, fitness and well being.

The programme will start on Monday 24th May and run twice weekly for 8 weeks ; Mondays & Wednesdays and Mondays & Fridays from 10am -11am. The cost is €15.00 per person and anyone interested can sign up via our online Eventbrite link below.

For all enquiries please contact Shane Hayes at T: 086-6070086 or E: shane@sligosportandrecreation.ie

To register for the programme click HERE