How Sport Ireland’s Participation Plan drives growth in sport and physical activity across all age groups
Sport Ireland highlights the Sport Ireland Participation Plan for 2025-2027, a critical component in our mission of increasing participation in sport and physical activity across the population.
Sport Ireland will do this by implementing evidence-based strategies, empowering quality coaching, and fostering collaborative partnerships, thereby contributing to the targets of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027.
The plan focuses on targeting underrepresented groups - including women, people with disabilities, and disadvantaged communities - through partnerships with our key partners of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) and National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
Mary van Lieshout, Sport Ireland Director of Participation Ethics Integrity and Research, said: “Every day, in communities across the country, Sport Ireland continues to help people get active by removing barriers to participation in sport and physical activity.
“We couldn’t do this without Government support and our network of LSPs and NGBs, but we really get more people than ever before engaged in sport. This Participation Plan is absolutely crucial in achieving this objective.
“This is really about long-term thinking. We’re committed to empowering individuals to participate in sport and physical activity and that’s from right through from childhood through to adulthood. It’s about promoting long-term commitment and enjoyment for all.
“This Participation Plan guides Sport Ireland and our partners in creating a truly active and inclusive sporting landscape across Ireland for the benefit of people across all age groups.”
As part of the plan outdoor sports and outdoor recreation is given priority, along with ensuring the outdoor sector has a more aligned approach to participation.
Progress against this Participation Plan will be monitored using quantitative data from the Irish Sports Monitor, a long-established survey providing an ongoing measurement of sports participation, and qualitative insights from programme evaluations.
Working with Sport Ireland’s Research and Evaluation team, this plan will utilise robust evidence to understand participation dynamics and barriers, evaluate programme effectiveness, and inform future policy and investment decisions.
Additional information
Sport Ireland’s Participation Plan builds upon the Sport Ireland Statement of Strategy (2023-2027), Sport Ireland Coaching Plan (2020-2025), Sport Ireland Research Strategy (2021-2027), Sport Ireland Diversity and Inclusion Policy, the Irish Government’s National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, the Governance Code for Sport, and the Sports Action Plan (2024-2027).
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