2025 Funded Evaluation Projects

Active Disability Ireland aims to conduct an impact evaluation of the Xcessible programme. The programme aims to support NGBs and LSPs in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities through a staged, structured approach. The researcher will engage with NGBs and LSPs on the programme to ascertain the impact and refine elements of the programme that can be improved. Active Disability Ireland propose to use a combination of surveys, interviews and focus group discussions to conduct the study. Active Disability Ireland will partner with University of Limerick to deliver this project. 

Athletics Ireland delivers a secondary school-based recreational running programme called iRun. The programme reaches over 116 schools and approximately 13,400 students. The proposed mixed method study aims to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the iRun programme in making secondary school students more active. Athletics Ireland will collaborate with University of Limerick to deliver this project.

The Football Association of Ireland proposes to evaluate the barriers faced by minority football coaches in Ireland. This research will identify pragmatic evidence-based development initiatives and strategies that will ensure minority coaches are not only represented, but also acknowledged and empowered to contribute and develop meaningfully. The findings from this formative evaluation will inform future FAI educational initiatives designed to enhance opportunities for minority coaches at all levels in the game. Football Association of Ireland will collaborate with University College Dublin to deliver this project. 

The Gaelic Athletic Association aims to target barriers to participation in physical activity in areas at a socio-economic disadvantage. The proposed study evaluates Gaelic games participation programmes (Go Games, Cúl camps, Super Games) for children and youth in disadvantaged areas. Data collection will be conducted using surveys and in-depth interviews/focus groups. The findings will be disseminated with relevant stakeholders and the community. Ulster University and Sheffield Hallam University will work with the Gaelic Athletic Association to deliver this project. 

Leitrim Sports Partnership aim to address the gap in physical activity participation among pregnant and postpartum individuals. This formative evaluation will focus on Leitrim Sports Partnership and engage other LSPs to access existing programme provision for the pregnant and postpartum population. Findings will inform targeted physical activity programme provision to ensure they are accessible, locally relevant and aligned with international advancements. Leitrim Sports Partnership will partner with Atlantic Technological University to deliver this project.

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association propose to implement a player development programme to equip players with the knowledge skills and attitudes required to foster a vocation for the sport. The programme has been implemented across all counties at the under 13, 15 and 17 levels. The proposed study aims to generate evidence of impact from players’, coaches’ and parents’ perspectives and enable the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and other sports to share future iterations of player development programmes to be fully inclusive of players’ voice. The Ladies Gaelic Football Association will partner with University College Cork to deliver this project. 

The Dare to Believe programme uses Olympic and Paralympic athletes as ambassadors to inspire school children by sharing their personal stories, encouraging sport participation, and promoting healthy lifestyle habits. It also provides educational modules based on Olympic values such as excellence, respect, friendship, well-being, and the role of sport in society. This evaluation aims to assess the accessibility, delivery, and impact of the Dare to Believe programme using a combination of desk review, interviews and focus group discussions. Olympic Federation of Ireland will partner with Technological University of the Shannon, Midlands, Midwest to deliver this project.

Special Olympics Ireland aims to address the issue of health disparities faced by people with intellectual disabilities through their health and wellbeing programmes. The aim of the proposed project is to identify, adapt, and pilot tools that will enable Special Olympics Ireland to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of their health and wellbeing programmes on the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities both on and off the sports field. Special Olympics Ireland will use pre- and post- programme surveys, participant logs and other qualitative tools to evaluate the impact of programmes. Special Olympics Ireland will collaborate with Maynooth University to deliver this project. 

Table Tennis Ireland aims to evaluate the Women in Sport programme implemented over the last 3 years. The evaluation will assess the programme’s impact on female participation, visibility, leadership, and overall success in fostering a sporting culture among women in Ireland. Using a mixed methods approach, the evaluation will include both baseline and current data from key stakeholders. Table Tennis Ireland will partner with Munster Technological University, Cork to deliver this project. 

Laois Sports Partnership aims to develop a 6-week hybrid multimodal exercise programme for people living with early onset of Parkinson’s Disease. The evaluation study aims to assess changes in muscle strength, balance, flexibility, mobility, and aerobic fitness following the 6-week programme. Quantitative tools will be used to measure the impact of the programme. Laois Sports Partnership will partner with EduFit and Dublin City University to deliver this project.

Limerick Sports Partnership aims to conduct a formative evaluation on the design and delivery of future community-based grass-roots physical activity programmes, particularly for adolescent girls who are traditionally hard to engage. Limerick Sports Partnership propose to achieve this by building on their previous research on the ‘Girls get Active’ programme by bringing the perspectives of sport development officers, tutors and community stakeholders involved in the planning, recruitment, and delivery of the programme. Limerick Sports Partnership will partner with Technological University of the Shannon to deliver this project.

The Irish Wheelchair Association (IW) aims to conduct an evaluation of the gaps in para sport across Ireland, systematically evaluating the provision of para sport by LSPs and NGBs. Through this evaluation the Irish Wheelchair Association aim to better understand the challenges and successes of providing para sport initiatives. The Irish Wheelchair Association propose to conduct this study through a combination of desk review, surveys, and stakeholder engagements. 

Vision Sports Ireland aim to evaluate how adults who are blind or vision impaired perceive and experience their participation in sport and physical activity through the concept of physical literacy. Findings from this formative evaluation will contribute to a better understanding of the barriers and supports that influence physical activity levels among this population. Vision Sports Ireland will partner with Dublin City University to deliver this project.