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Sport Northern Ireland

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Coordinates: 54°33′28″N 5°57′24″W / 54.5578°N 5.9567°W / 54.5578; -5.9567
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Sport Northern Ireland
AbbreviationSport NI
FormationDecember 31, 1973; 50 years ago (1973-12-31)
TypeNGO
PurposeDevelopment of sport in Northern Ireland
HeadquartersHouse of Sport
Location
  • 2a Upper Malone Road, Belfast, County Antrim, BT9 5LA
Coordinates54°33′28″N 5°57′24″W / 54.5578°N 5.9567°W / 54.5578; -5.9567
Region served
Northern Ireland
Key people
Parent organization
Department for Communities[2]
AffiliationsUK Sport, UK Anti-Doping, The National Lottery
Staff (2023)
80 (permanent employees)[1]
Websitewww.sportni.net
Formerly called
Sports Council of Northern Ireland

Sport Northern Ireland (Irish: Spórt Thuaisceart Éireann), officially known as the Sports Council for Northern Ireland,[1] is the regional government sports council (funding body) for Northern Ireland. Its head office is based, near Barnett Demesne, at the "House of Sport" on Upper Malone Road in Belfast. It receives some funding from the taxpayer (receiving £11m from the Exchequer in 2022/2023),[1] with funding also coming from the National Lottery (£8m in 2016/2017).[3]

History

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Sport NI HQ

The organisation was established under the Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1973,[4] with its purpose defined by Article 3 of the Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.[5] Another organisation, the Youth and Sports Council for Northern Ireland, had been established by the Youth Welfare, Physical Training and Recreation Act of 1962.

The organisation, which is also known as Sport NI,[1] was responsible Northern Ireland's involvement in the UK School Games from 2006 onwards.[citation needed] Sport NI was involved in the building of Northern Ireland's first Olympic-size (50m) swimming pool.[6] The Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex opened in 2013.[7]

In 2015, a number of members of the organisation's board resigned, following the publication of a report into issues with the "leadership, management and the overall culture" of Sport NI.[2] The organisation's chairperson and vice-chair also stepped down.[2][8]

In early 2021, Sport NI oversaw the disbursement of over £22m in funding to sports bodies in the region, including the GAA Ulster Council, Irish Football Association, Golf Ireland and IRFU Ulster Branch, to "support sporting bodies through the [COVID19] pandemic".[9] This program was later described as "flawed" with the Northern Ireland Audit Office questioning why over £1.5m (nearly 7% of the total fund) was given to the Royal County Down Golf Club - when the club already had a "very significant bank balance and a high level of reserves".[10]

A BBC news article, dated January 2024, noted that the organisation's CEO was absent from the post, with the former Olympic rower Richard Archibald then acting as "interim CEO".[2]

Facilities

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Sport NI's headquarters - known as the House of Sport

Sport NI operates a national outdoor training centre, the Tollymore National Outdoor Centre, near Tollymore Forest Park at the base of the Mourne Mountains.[11] This facility, used as a training base for mountaineering and canoeing, was built in 1970.[citation needed]

It also operates the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland (SINI) at the Jordanstown campus of Ulster University. The SINI was formed, in 2002, as a partnership between Sport NI and Ulster University.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e The Sports Council For Northern Ireland (known as Sport NI) Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2023 (PDF). sportni.net (Report). Sport Northern Ireland. 2024. p. 10, 44. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Sport Northern Ireland return £1m over last two years after underspend". bbc.com. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  3. ^ Sports Council for Northern Ireland Lottery Distribution Account for the Year Ended 31 March 2017 (PDF). sportni.net (Report). Sport Northern Ireland. 2024. p. 6. Retrieved 20 September 2024. Total proceeds and investment income received from the National Lottery totalled £8,503,321
  4. ^ "Recreation and Youth Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1973". api.parliament.uk.
  5. ^ "Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986". api.parliament.uk.
  6. ^ "New Leisure Centre and Olympic Pool". northdown.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010.
  7. ^ "50m Pool". sportni.net. Sport NI. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Sport NI: Public body receives no confidence vote from its own staff". bbc.com. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024. Last year, a report by the National Audit Office laid bare a turbulent four-year period [..] which had seen the CEO [..] suspended, dismissed and then reinstated - as well as the resignation of the chairman, vice-chairman and nine board members
  9. ^ "Revealed: How much every sport in Northern Ireland will receive as part of the Sports Sustainability Fund". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Covid fund was 'flawed', admits chief of Sport NI". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ^ "About Us - Tollymore National Outdoor Centre". tollymore.com. Sport NI. Retrieved 20 September 2024. Tollymore National Outdoor Centre, situated on the edge of the Mournes, is [..] funded and managed by Sport Northern Ireland
  12. ^ "About Us - Sports Institute of Northern Ireland". SINI. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
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