CCPR : Sports Council for Northern Ireland

SPORTS COUNCIL FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
House of Sport
Upper Malone
Belfast
BT9 5LA
Tel: (02890) 381 222
Fax: (01232) 682 757
Website: www.sportscouncil-ni.org.uk

The Council was formed on 1st January 1974 and is the statutory organisation responsible for promoting and developing sport in Northern Ireland. It operates under provisions in the Recreation and Youth Service (NI) Order 1986, which specifies its executive and advisory functions.

Around 85% of the Council's funding comes from the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, with the rest deriving from course fees, charges for its services, sponsorship, etc. The Council is also responsible for distributing money from the National Lottery to sport in Northern Ireland.

The Chairman, and 14 other members of the Council, are appointed by the Minister for Sport Northern Ireland. The Council has meetings with the Sports Council for the Republic of Ireland.

The Aims:

· Increase and sustain committed participation, especially amongst young people

· Raise the standards of sporting excellence

· Promote the good reputation, and efficient reputation of sport

To achieve its overall aim of developing sport from grass roots to elite standard, the Council works closely with other organisations.

Its main partners include:

· District councils

· Education and library boards

· Governing bodies of sport

· Government departments and statutory agencies

· Voluntary clubs and organisations

· The education sector

· The commercial sector

The Council also has a close relationship with its equivalent organisations in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as UK Sport which has responsibility for matters of a UK-wide nature.

Planning:

Central to the Council's planning work is the Strategy for the Development of Sport in Northern Ireland, entitled Starting Well, Staying Involved and Striving for Excellence.

Sports Development

The key Council activities in this area are:

· The development of modified sports packages

· The development of quality junior clubs

· The development of after-school activity

· The organisation of Youth Sport Northern Ireland

Youth Sport

Following the publication of the Strategy on Young People and Sport, the Sports Council is promoting Youth Sport throughout Northern Ireland.

Participation

The Council's focus regarding participation has changed over recent years and is now concerned more with supporting and empowering others, and less with direct service delivery.

Key activities in this area are:

· Sports Development Officer network

· Development of training programmes

· Establishment of quality standards for sporting participation

Performance

Once talent has been identified, striving to improve standards through coaching, competition and training. Key activities in this area are:

· Sports Search

· Champion Coaching

· Schools for Sport

Each of these programmes involves major input from governing bodies of sport, whose activities in general are financially assisted by the Council.

Tollymore Mountain Centre, County Down

This Centre was opened in 1969 by the CCPR. In 1974 it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust. The centre is situated in a forest park on the northern edge of the Mourne Mountains and is the Northern Ireland centre for outdoor activities.

Lottery Sports Fund

The Council is responsible for distributing money from the Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland.

Development of Talented Individual Programme

Support to assist talented Northern Ireland individuals and teams in improving their individual rankings and placings in international competitions, and win more medals and championships. Applications may only be submitted by governing bodies of sport on behalf of talented individuals or teams.

Northern Ireland Institute of Coaching

The Institute was founded in 1980 to harness and utilise existing physical and human resources for the further development of sports coaching in the Province. It is designated by Sports Coach UK (the National Coaching Foundation) as being one of the national centres in the UK network.

Information Centre:

The House of Sport has an information centre which is stocked with reference material on sport and recreation. The Centre may only be used by individuals concerned with sport and physical recreation, and an appointment is essential.

Irish Sports Council (Eire)
Kildare Street
Dublin 2

For information on joint North/South governing and representative bodies of sport:

Website: www.irlgov.ie/tourism-sport