At a recent Mayo Sports Partnership Committee (MSP )meeting, €107,500 was allocated to 88 clubs / organisations in Mayo through the Partnerships 2022 Return to Sport Small grant scheme supported by Sport Ireland and the Dormant Account Board.
One of the largest amounts ever distributed through the Partnership comes through phase three Covid-19 government support funding combined with annual Special Participation Grant and Volunteer Support funding.
A listing of clubs/ organisations supported under this initiative can be found by logging on to the Sports Partnerships website at https://www.mayo.ie/sports-partnership/news.
Announcing the allocations, Chairman of the Partnership Cllr Michael Loftus acknowledged that sports clubs and groups have had a tough couple of years with many small sports clubs not yet back to full operation.
"Sports clubs like many small businesses have struggled to get back to full operation with major challenges such as volunteers, costs etc high on the agenda. We hope through this scheme we can help groups get back on their feet,” Cllr Loftus stated.
"On behalf of Mayo Sports Partnership I would like to thank Sport Ireland for providing the funding for this initiative and also to Mayo County Council for all their support," Cllr Loftus added.
Along with COVID 19 support, some of the initiatives submitted for assistance includes Ukrainian integration sports programmes, Football for All initiatives in GAA/soccer/rugby/youth cycling programmes, swimming programmes for Down Syndrome children & the travelling community, disadvantaged youth sport initiatives, women in sport club development, introduction to fishing, along with volunteer training assistance for sports such as boxing, athletics, martial arts and rugby.
"All of us here in Mayo Sports Partnership recognise that sport like other sectors face many challenges but that we are here to help. We would advise club officers to keep an eye on our website www.mayo.ie/sportspartnership, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mayosport1 for updates and information about supports that are available,” Mayo Sports Partnership Head Charlie Lambert added.
The Mayo Sports Partnership committee comprises of representatives from local agencies, sports organisations and community representatives; it is core funded by Sport Ireland and is hosted locally by Mayo County Council.
Currently, Mayo Sports Partnership is promoting a Sports Ability Week from June 20 to 26. Sports Ability Week is all about including people with a disability in sport / physical activity. If your club is interested in hosting an event, please contact Sports Inclusion Disability Officer Ray Mc Namara at [email protected].
