Sports Partners

The Irish Sports Council
The Irish Sports Council's is the government agency responsible for the overall development of sport in Ireland. It's mandate comes from the Irish Sports Council Act, 1999, giving the Council's six key functions:

•  Encouraging the promotion, development and co-ordination of
   competitive sport

•  Developing strategies for increasing participation in recreational
   sport and co-ordinating their implementation by all Irish bodies
  involved in promoting recreational sport and providing recreational
  sport facilities

•  Facilitating good standards of conduct and fair play in both
   competitive and recreational sport

•  Combating doping in sport

•  Initiating and encouraging research concerning competitive or
   recreational sport

•  Facilitating research and disseminating information concerning
   competitive or recreational sport

www.irishsportscouncil.ie

Sport Northern Ireland
The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has been in business for twenty five years and has three policy objectives with respect to the development of sport in Northern Ireland:

•  to increase and sustain committed participation, especially
   amongst young people

•  to raise the standards of sporting excellence

•  to promote the good reputation and efficient administration of sport

To achieve its overall aim of developing sport from grass-roots to elite standard, the Council works closely with other organisations including district councils, education and library boards, governing bodies of sport, government departments and statutory agencies, voluntary clubs and organisations and the education and commercial sectors. The Sports Council for Northern Ireland is also responsible for distributing Lottery Sports Fund awards. The Council is part of a broad Sport network and has a close relationship with its equivalent organisations in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the UK Sports Council, which has responsibility for UK wide sport.

www.sportni.net

The Olympic Council of Ireland
The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) is the body in Ireland that is responsible for all matters relating to the Olympic Games. Established in 1922, the Council has 33 national sports federations affiliated to it. Namely, the Council's objectives are:

1. To promote games and sports through the Olympic Games and
    foster the development of the Olympic movement and its ideals
    throughout Ireland.

2. To encourage the Olympic spirit amongst the youth of Ireland and
    philosophy of sportsmanship.

3. To administer the rules and regulations as laid down by the
    International Olympic Committee, with regard to eligibility of
    individuals for the Olympic Games.

4. To function as the Olympic Representative Body for all national
    sports federations in Ireland and manage entry of eligible
    competitors in the Olympic Games.

www.olympicsport.ie

Coaching Ireland
The NCTC provides support services to Ireland 's athletes, coaches and National Governing Bodies (NGBs).

These services include:

• coach education
• tutor training
• sports science and medical support
• training camps and facilities
• technical advice

The Centre, which is headquartered at the University of Limerick, works in the context of the Programmes of the Irish Sports Council.

www.nctc.ul.ie