Background to the Local Sports Partnership Initiative
In the Irish Sports Council's strategy "A New Era for Sport 2000-2002", the Council proposed to establish a nationwide network of Local Sports Partnerships to create a national structure to co-ordinate and promote the development of sport at local level.
The ISC identified that the effective development of sport and recreation at local level would be best delivered through the adoption of a partnership approach between all bodies and organisations involved in the delivery of sport and recreation locally.
Aims and Expected Outcomes
The key aims of the local sports partnerships are to increase participation in sport and physical activity especially amongst specific target groups and to ensure that local resources are put to their best possible use.
The outcomes that the ISC seek from local sports partnerships are:
- Enhanced planning of sport at local level
- Increased levels of local participation, especially amongst specific target groups - older people, girls and women, people with disabilities, unemployed people and those who live in identified disadvantaged communities
- Enhanced local coach deployment
- Club development
- Volunteer training
- Local Directories of sports bodies and facilities
- Better use of existing facilities
- Clear priorities for local facility provision and improvement
- School/club/community and possibly school - National Governing Body link
- Local sports events
The three main functions of LSP's are summarised by the ISC as follows:
Information:- To provide information on sport and physical activity
Education:- To provide/support quality opportunities for education and training at local level
Implementation:- To implement a locally developed Strategic Plan which will include the implementation of national programmes at local level
Network of Local Sports Partnerships
The first eight partnerships, in a national network of Local Sports Partnerships, were launched in May 2001. The initial areas selected to pilot the programme were; Clare, Kildare, Donegal, Laois, North Tipperary, Roscommon, Sligo, and Fingal, Co. Dublin.
There is now a network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships around Ireland. The following LSP's are in operation: Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, South County Dublin, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
Development of Tipperary Sports Partnership
Through the merger of North Tipperary Sports Partnership and South Tipperary Sports Partnership, in line with local government reform, Tipperary Sports Partnership became establised in July 2015.
Tipperary Sports Partnership (TSP) is a local sports partnership established by the Irish Sports Council via the Tipperary County Council (the Local Authority) to coordinate, promote and develop recreational sport in Tipperary.
