Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. Speaking about sport is up my alley. I welcome the Minister. Sport has been my life; it still is. I enjoyed the thrill of victory but did not enjoy the agony of defeat. I clearly remember going by the Russian 31 years ago. I do not know what age the Minister was at the time, but I remember clenching my fists and looking the Russian in the eye and saying, "Thank God, I got it for you guys." I knew then how important it was that the agony of defeat turned into a moment when I could come back and give thanks to the people who had helped me through my teenage years, into my 20s and to be able to compete at the highest level in the world. I understand the pride, the joy, the emotion and morale attached to sport. I understand athletes who must train in hail, rain or snow and with blood, sweat and tears. We are on first name terms with our Irish athletes: BOD, Sonia, Rory, Pádraig, Katie, Ronnie, the Gooch, Heffo, DJ, Keano and Ooh Aah - we all know who that is. They put significant work into sport, from which they get a lot out of - self-worth and careers - but the people of Ireland also get a lot from their participation in sport through the years. I doubt the people realise the respect Irish sportsmen and women have all over the world. They are an incredible global commodity.

As a coach, I understand what it is like for young kids coming through in my sport, athletics, or in soccer, Gaelic and rugby. I see these sports taking place in my community and elsewhere. I see the coaches, parents, volunteers and fans, with little kids or in Croke Park. At the same time, I see the lost kids - the kids who do not have mentors and do not have parents who will take them to participate in sport after school or at the weekend. I see these kids become a lost generation because of their unfortunate lack of exposure to sport.

We talk about sport and how important it is to Irish society from the perspective of health and well-being and in the context of trying to beat obesity and other ailments such as diabetes. However, we are here again in 2014 trying to address the issues involved. For all the efforts we are making, we are taking one step forward and two steps backward. I understand how difficult it is to move forward continuously. I have experienced this difficulty in the past two years with my Points for Life initiative. Thank God, it has now been accepted in a number of schools in north Wicklow, under the auspices of the Department of Education and Skills, but it is still a struggle to reach out and help this vision and idea to grow.

There are other wonderful initiatives led by the national governing bodies of the various sport such as the Irish Sports Council, the sports partnerships and various other organisations and people such as hill walkers, trekkers and triathletes. There are significant initiatives in place, not just for high performers but also for ordinary people. The same is true for the various Departments involved. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport does a phenomenal job in maintaining its funding of sport through the Irish Sports Council. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs supports initiatives, while the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine supports the Food Dudes programme.

I am sure the Departments of Education and Skills, Health and Social Protection are all involved, but we need change. We have to take risks. As it is too fragmented, we take one step forward and two steps back. We need more interdepartmental co-operation to have more cohesion and streamlining. We also need to think about having just one approach to deliver.

Since 1999 the Irish Sports Council has been a statutory body and progressed enormously. It has gone from shamateurism to professionalism. It has set very high standards which are met by the national governing bodies. High performance programmes and participation supports are well funded and the national governing bodies meet the demands placed on them. Their governance systems are well managed and if they do not achieve, they are not funded. The Irish Institute of Sport has been a phenomenal success not only in athletics but in a multitude of sports.

At the same time as this is happening the grassroots are struggling. These are the people who are taking juvenile athletes through their teenage years into senior competition. They have difficulties with facilities, although we know they are supported by sports capital grants as much as possible. Similar to our approach to health and well-being in society, we need unification in the delivery of sports facilities. We need to think outside the box. Each national governing body competes for a patch of land for dressing rooms or other facilities. Wonderful clubs are building fine facilities with floodlights and astroturf, while down the street another club is struggling to have a 40 ft container removed to install a proper facility. Why are we not calling for the national governing bodies to be brought together to create sports hubs where all sports could come together and where people in the community could practise and work hard?

I welcome the merger of the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority at Abbotstown. It is in the Minister's constituency and will be phenomenal. The Irish Sports Council will continue to deliver services under the auspices of the new Sport Ireland, with Sports Campus Ireland. The National Sports Campus Development Authority will continue to build the campus at Abbotstown into a world-class centre of excellence for sportsmen and women and communities throughout Ireland. We must also think outside the box in this merger. I would like to see Sports Campus Ireland focusing not only on building a wonderful national facility at Abbotstown but also using its expertise to consider potential facilities throughout Ireland. It could give advice to local communities throughout Ireland and help them to manage facilities.

Since its foundation 130 years ago, the GAA has been the lifeblood, cornerstone and pillar of our society. Since it was established by Maurice Davin and Michael Cusack, it is incredible what it has created. The people of Ireland are the GAA. It is unique and its history is amazing. The Gaelic Athletic Association used to look after a multitude of athletics events in Croke Park and throughout the country, but this has changed. What amateur organisation can get 80,000 people into Croke Park five, six or seven times a year for an amateur game, not a rock concert? It is to be found on every street and in every village, town, city in Ireland. The GAA prides itself on its amateur ethos, yet I understand it must go professional to provide what it does for society. The GAA is not Croke Park; it is children, intercounty players, club players and everyone who participates in between, including volunteers, parents, fans and the referees, whom we cannot forget. The country owes it a lot.

Today in Ireland there is consternation because Sky Sports is taking away from rural Ireland its lifeblood. Is this good or bad? It is good because it will bring cash to the organisation, although the GAA states it is bringing in Sky to provide for greater exposure for the Diaspora. It is good because it will help our global tourism efforts. It is good because the GAA is exploding in the United States. It is good because it will bring tens of thousands of visitors to Ireland and the money coming to the GAA will go to the grassroots. However, today people are stating it is a big mistake, that it will break up the GAA and that players will demand more money, as happened in other sports when Sky took over. They state rural Ireland is being sold out. It is stated people will go to pubs, at a time when we are trying to keep children out of pubs, because they will not have access to the 14 games that will not be shown on terrestrial television. A total of 100 games will be streamed, while 14 games will not be shown in Ireland. Taxpayers have put zillions of euro into the GAA and it is fair to say Ireland has received an awful lot back from the GAA. Political intervention at this point might help. If it involves 14 games, why can we not show them in Ireland and allow Sky to show the rest of the world as many games as it likes, if the GAA states this is all about the Diaspora?

I congratulate the Minister on looking after the interests of sports at amateur, voluntary and the highest levels and maintaining funding through difficult times. Sport is in really good shape; it provides the best news stories every day. The only whistle we hear blowing is referee's during a match. Sport is of huge benefit to the country, economy, society and culture and we must be proud of all of those who have helped us, from the amateur game all the way through to the highest ranks.