Results 1,501-1,520 of 7,190 for speaker:Ruth Coppinger

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: In terms of sporting bodies, we are not talking about a particularly successful body, certainly in more recent years. We are talking about quite a mediocre national team performance when compared with other sports. Did Sport Ireland think it strange that the CEO was earning that amount of money?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Although Sport Ireland does not have control over the board of the FAI, it does have views on best practice. As has been alluded to previously, best practice holds that people would not serve more than two or possibly three three-year terms on a board. However, even after the recent reforms on the back of a review by independent consultants which Sport Ireland was not told about, the FAI...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Funding provided by Sport Ireland to the FAI amounts to approximately 5% of the organisation's budget. That allows for the funding of 57 staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: It is nearly 30%, in a sense. It is significant, even though the overall funding level is low. Sport Ireland has said that it satisfied that the FAI has spent that funding in the way it should. At the same time, Sport Ireland says that the FAI has been audited by Sport Ireland on more occasions than any other sporting organisation. Why was that the case? Did Sporting Ireland have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: In terms of the level of funding that Sport Ireland gave to the FAI, it amounted to approximately €35 million in a decade. The sum provided in 2017 was just under €3 million. That was the same year in which the organisation had cash flow difficulties and got a loan from the CEO. While €3 million sounds like a lot, it is only 5% of the total budget. Why was it lower...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: In terms of popularity in society, soccer would be higher than the GAA in Sport Ireland's monitor but the FAI gets less money than the GAA. Could the FAI argue that it has been hit with austerity?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Can I just ask-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: The money that Sport Ireland gives to the FAI is for youth grassroots participation. Would Sport Ireland agree that it is totally unsatisfactory that it channels its focus into that when the dogs on the street can see that the CEO is extremely well paid? The CEO's expenses are unknown and we will ask about them next week. Sport Ireland is aware of all this. It is investing money but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Why?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: It should be registered that this shows how tame the Oireachtas is in terms of us having to watch what we are saying here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Yes, but we should let people know that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: We agreed the process but I am just saying that the public should know how limited that process is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: He has three jobs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: I asked earlier how if Sport Ireland does not regulate the FAI, who does regulate it. It probably suits some of the politicians here to blame Sport Ireland when questions could have been asked by politicians over the years along with successive Ministers for sport. The witnesses from Sport Ireland state that it does not impose governance and that it must be bought into but it has not been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: However, the witnesses say Sport Ireland will not use it because staff and the grass roots would suffer. Is it not the case that while they might suffer in the short term, they are already suffering over the long term because of the conduct or governance of the FAI board?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Could Sport Ireland not give the FAI board a warning that if they do not do "X, Y and Z", it would use the ultimate sanction it has?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: We spoke earlier about the CEO of the FAI and what would seem to be an extraordinarily generous wage given the international status or position of the national team plus unknown expenses. What does Mr. Treacy think about the salary of the manager of the national team? That is disproportionately high in comparison with managers of national teams of a similar-size. It was part-funded, as Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: We certainly will but Sport Ireland has a certain role in governance of sporting bodies and these anomalies are obvious to everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: The funding Sport Ireland gives is for young people and grassroots. I am aware that several councils such as Fingal County Council, which is my local council, have introduced pitch fees which are crippling for many local grassroots teams. Sport Ireland is pumping a certain amount of money in but there is a big hole at the other end of the boat. Would Mr. Treacy not have thought of at least...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Ruth Coppinger: Participation and grassroots are the focal point. As Mr. Treacy knows, the women's soccer team had to threaten strike action because of the treatment it was suffering, with shoddy tracksuits, equipment, etc., and lack of status. In 2017, Sport Ireland paid €1.6 million to the Gaelic Players Association, GPA, men and €500,000 to the GPA, women, but it gave only €145,000...