Governance is the Real Integrity Play
PwC’s latest Global Sports Survey signals a shift: integrity is no longer just the right thing to do — it’s a commercial and reputational imperative. Sheena Horgan explores what that means for sporting bodies.
Tag Archive for: sports
Irish Sport Industry Awards Announce 2026 Nominees
Our partners, The Federation of Irish Sport is thrilled to announce the shortlist of finalists for the much-anticipated 2026 Irish Sport Industry Awards. Set to take place on Tuesday, 19th May at the prestigious College Green Hotel in Dublin, this event promises to be an exciting evening celebrating the power and impact of sport across Ireland. Adding to the anticipation on the night will be the unveiling of three prestigious individual honours: the Outstanding Achievement & Contribution to Sport Award, the KPMG Women in Sport Award, and the Jimmy Magee (ASJI) Sports Coverage of the YearAward.
The Irish Sport Industry Awards 2026 will be a national platform where sport, diplomacy, and business converge — showcasing how Ireland can turn global sporting connections into real economic growth. Special guest speakers on the night include Minister for Sport and Postal Policy, Minister Charlie McConalogue TD and Minister for International Development and Diaspora, Minister Neale Richmond TD.
Now in its 9th year, the Irish Sport Industry Awards continue to recognise excellence across the sector, with 13 award categories shining a spotlight on innovation, collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability. This year sees the introduction of two new categories: Best Initiative to Promote Sustainability in Sport, sponsored by MyWaste.ie, and Best Initiative to Promote Disability in Sport, sponsored by Sport Ireland, reflecting the growing importance of environmental responsibility and accessibility within Irish sport.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said:
“The Federation is delighted to host the 9th annual Irish Sport Industry Awards, recognising and rewarding excellence in the business of sport and entrepreneurship and the immeasurable work being done by our National Governing Bodies in Sport and the National Network of Local Sports Partnerships. The continued growth of these awards, including the addition of new categories focused on sustainability and disability inclusion, reflects the evolving and positive impact of sport on Irish society. From health and education to social inclusion, tourism, and economic development, sport plays a vital role. These awards provide an important opportunity to celebrate the sector’s contribution, including the more than 64,000 people employed across Irish sport.”
Jill Downey, Chief Sponsorship & Sustainability Officer, Core and Chair of the Judging Panel reflected:
“My fellow judges and I were hugely impressed by the continued progression across Irish sport over the past year. The standard of entries reflected an industry embracing innovation, inclusivity, and long-term impact at every level. I’d like to sincerely thank the judging panel for their dedication throughout the process, as competition across many categories was exceptionally strong. It’s an exciting time for Irish sport, with real momentum and ambition driving the industry forward.”
Minister Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Sport and Postal Policy, FIS CEO Mary O’Connor and awards MC Broadcaster Sean O’Rourke, pictured at the 2025 awards
2026 Irish Sport Industry Awards – Finalists
Best Commercial Partnership in Sport sponsored by Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership
- GAA and Irish Life Healthy Clubs Programme
- LGFA and Lidl Ireland #SeriousSupport
- FAI and Sky Bound by Belief
- Athletics Ireland McCabes Pharmacy Fit For Life
Best Use of Communications Platforms in Sport & Physical Activity sponsored by MWX Media Ltd.
- Tennis Ireland Davis Cup & Irish Open
- Badminton Ireland & Sport Narrative AIG VICTOR Irish Open
- Basketball Ireland SpotLight Her
- FAI League of Ireland “It’s a Way of Life”
Best Initiative to Promote Sustainability in Sport sponsored by MyWaste.ie
- Golf Ireland Drive The Green
- GAA Green Club Programme
- Munster Rugby A Different Approach to Impact
- Clare Local Development Company LEADER, SICAP and rural recreation
Best Initiative to Promote Disability in Sport & Physical Activity sponsored by Sport Ireland
- Special Olympics Transforming Lives Through Sport
- Kildare Local Sports Partnership The Kildare Inclusivity Festival
- Swim Ireland Swim Access Project
- Golf Ireland Golf4All
- Liquid therapy Making Waves Project
Best Initiative to Promote Diversity, Equality & Inclusion in Sport & Physical Activity
- Laois Sports Partnership Outdoor Survivalist Camps
- Irish Sailing Watersports Inclusion Games
- Virgin Media, PHD M& Diageo Ireland Audio Description (AD), Irish Sign Language (ISL), and inclusive production
- Wicklow Sports & Recreation Partnership &Trail Criú Building Inclusive Communities Through Trail Running
Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity
- Boxing Ireland LEAP Programme
- Canoeing Ireland Bridging the Gap
- Athletics Ireland Girls Squad Programme
- Tennis Ireland Women in Tennis Programme
- Longford Sports Partnership Roma Women CVICINES & SASTO – Sport & Health Inclusion Pilot
Best New Sports Business of the Year
- Grow Sport
- Anyscor
- Colata
- Sports Impact Technologies
Best Sports Business of the Year
- ForeFront group
- FAI LOITV
- Torpey
- DB Sports
Local Sport Partnership of the Year
- Meath Sports Partnership
- Laois Sports Partnership
- Longford Sports Partnership
- Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership
National Governing Body of the Year sponsored by MarshE
- Football Association of Ireland
- Golf Ireland
- Athletics Ireland
- Special Olympics Ireland
Individual Award Winners Announced on the Night:
- Outstanding Achievement & Contribution to Sport Award, presented by the Federation of Irish Sport
- KPMG Women in Sport Award, sponsored by KPMG Ireland
- Jimmy Magee Sports Coverage of the Year Award, in partnership with the Association of Sports Journalists in Ireland
Behind the Judging: Meet the Experts
- Jill Downey, Chief Sponsorship & Sustainability Officer, Core
- Rob Hartnett, Founder, CEO Sport for Business
- Shane Califf, Head of the Organisational Development & Change Unit, Sport Ireland
- Maeve Buckley, Director, Leading Sport
- Ronan McCormack, Group Marketing Manager, Dalata Group Hotel
- Brenda O’Donnell, CEO, Active Disability Ireland
- Tom Fox, Co-Founder of 53Six
- Catherine Tiernan, Commercial Director, Olympic Federation of Ireland
- Stephen Bradshaw, Head of Marketing, Close Brothers Motor Finance
- Ger McTavish, Disability in Sport Lead, Sport Ireland
- Ronan Donagher, Former Head of Games Systems
- Anne McCormack, General Manager Edmondstown GC, former CEO Hockey Ireland
For more on the Irish Sport Industry awards, contact: Clare Louise O’Donoghue, Head of Commercial and Marketing on 086 0437887 or at clarelouise.odonoghue@irishsport.ie. or visit www.irishsportindustryawards.ie
Irish Sport Industry Awards 2026 Launch
The Federation of Irish Sport proudly launched the 2026 Irish Sport Industry Awards. The awards will take place in Dublin on Tuesday 19th May and be hosted by broadcaster and journalist Sean O’Rourke. This will be the nineth staging of the awards which recognise the invaluable relationship between business and sport in Ireland. The Sport industry in Ireland supports 64,000 jobs, stimulates €3.3 billion in household spending, and generates €3.7 billion (GVA) gross value added to the Irish economy.
This year sees the addition of two new categories:
Best Initiative to Promote Disability in Sport and Physical Activity
This award is to recognise the support of lifelong participation for all in sport and physical activity. It is open to any organisation or enterprise either within the sport industry, or is using sport as a vehicle, which promotes increased inclusion, engagement and participation in sport and physical activity for those with a disability.
Best Initiative to Promote Sustainability in Sport and Physical Activity
This award shall recognise sporting bodies or businesses in the sport or physical activity sector who display a comprehensive strategy to promote sustainability in sport or physical activities to mitigate against environmental impact of their operations or participation of their members.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said:
“The Irish Sport Industry Awards are an important platform for recognising our member National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships valuable contribution to sport through their initiatives, collaborations and commercial activations. While also spotlighting new and emerging sports tech enterprise innovations, many of whom have gone on to excel in international markets.”
Entries are now open for submission, for a full list of categories, event updates and to enter the awards go to: https://irishsportindustryawards.ie/. Closing date for entries is Thursday, 2nd April 2025.
Get in Touch
For more information, visit the Federation of Irish Sport’s website or contact Clare Louise O’Donoghue, Head of Commercial and Marketing on 086 0437887 or clarelouise.odonoghue@irishsport.ie
Building Philanthropy into Your Sport’s Funding Model
Philanthropy has long played a transformative role in sport internationally, enabling investment in athlete development, grassroots participation, and infrastructure that public funding alone cannot sustain. In Ireland, while our community support for sport runs deep, formalised philanthropic giving has been slower to develop. That is now changing. Recent tax incentives are creating the conditions for philanthropy to become a meaningful and sustainable income stream for Irish sport.
Earlier this month marked a significant moment in Irish sport’s pathway to philanthropy. The Irish Sailing Foundation revealed that 2025 saw it support the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway with €500,000 in philanthropic donations – representing 30% of the Pathway’s 2025 budget. The Foundation is now targeting €1 million in 2026, a success that has been a decade in the making. This was followed by the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s launch of the Team Ireland Foundation, with a view to securing philanthropic donations for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. The Football Association of Ireland also announced the establishment of the Global Ireland Football Foundation, complete with an independent Chair and an experienced Director of Development.
Three sporting bodies. Three foundations. A clear focus on philanthropy.
At the Federation of Irish Sport Leaders Forum, 2into3 CEO Dennis O’Connor moderated a panel discussion on ‘Foundations as a Path to Structural Resilience’, exploring the practicalities and learnings from those who have already embarked on this journey.
James O’Callaghan, representing the Irish Sailing Foundation – established ten years ago – was emphatic about the value of independence. “Having a separate entity is best practice,” he explained. An independent entity allows the NGB to focus on its core work while the foundation builds long-term donor relationships. The Foundation initially had private support for specific campaigns, which ended once those campaigns concluded. Recognising this, they invested in a dedicated fundraiser who could nurture ongoing relationships with donors. Through their patron programme – seeking €50,000 per annum over five years – they targeted twelve supporters in year one and secured eight. “Spend the money to hire the right person,” O’Callaghan emphasised. Fundraising requires a particular skillset, and foundation boards are increasingly providing seed funding to invest in this capability, seeing it as essential to achieving returns on their philanthropic ambitions.
Currently, Type B and C NGBs, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and Paralympics Ireland are already eligible for tax incentives that benefit donors. The Federation of Irish Sport is advocating for sport foundations to also be made eligible – a move that would recognise their role as independent entities that improve governance while unlocking new sources of philanthropic support.
Looking Ahead
With €1.82 billion in fundraised income across the Irish nonprofit sector in 2022, and per capita giving of €354, the philanthropic opportunity for sport is significant. The Giving Ireland 2024 research highlights Ireland’s strong culture of generosity – and the potential to channel more of that giving towards sporting development.
If your sport has an ambition to secure ongoing philanthropic donations, we welcome the opportunity to discuss how philanthropy could work for your organisation. Get in touch with Dennis O’Connor at dennis@2into3.com to explore this pathway in detail.
Community Sports Facilities Fund: 2023 in Review
We’ve analysed the outcomes and trends on funds allocation from the 2023 CSFF round, which is a valuable resource as you plan your next application.
Philanthropy as a Catalyst for Inclusion in Sports
Importance of diversifying income streams for NGBs to ensure long-term sustainability and greater inclusion.
Raising the Game: Why Governance Matters in Sport
Effective governance is not just a box-ticking exercise. It is the foundation for trust and, critically, for funding, which ultimately supports long-term success.
5 Lessons NGBs Can Learn from ‘Skortgate’
Key lessons that National Governing Bodies (NGBs) can take from the events surrounding the Camogie shorts versus skorts debate, highlighting the importance of listening, transparency, and adaptability.
4 Ways Your Sports Organisation Could Benefit from a Strategic Plan
The foundation of success for any sports team lies in having a clear game plan. This plan leverages the strengths of players and provides a direction for the team’s efforts on the field. Just as a game plan is an important step in guiding a team towards victory, developing a Strategic Plan helps sports organisations to achieve their goals.
Whether you are volunteer-led local club, a Local Sports Partnership, a National Governing Body, let’s look at 4 ways your organisation could benefit from a Strategic Plan.
1. Prioritisation of resources
Ever find yourself wishing there were more hours in the day, volunteers by the pitch, or funds in the coffers? It is essential that the energy of your staff and volunteers, as well as your finite resources, are directed in the best way. Identifying your top priorities in your Strategic Plan means that all efforts can be orientated in the right direction.
2. Unify your organisation
Developing and implementing a Strategic Plan is a collective endeavour, and an opportunity to bring together everyone in your organisation, to work on your organisation.
By consulting your players, members, volunteers and staff in the strategic planning process – asking them for their feedback, suggestions and inputs – will not only make sure that your Strategic Plan is relevant but will also help to build common ownership when it comes to delivery. And when everyone understands your organisation’s direction and their particular role in contributing towards that, it fosters collaboration and motivation.
3. Being grant-ready
A Strategic Plan ensures you have all your ducks in a row so that when a grant becomes available, you aren’t scrambling to react. It clearly outlines your organisation’s mission, goals, and the specific steps you’ll take to achieve them – which is exactly what grant committees are looking for. Being proactive and prepared makes it easier to stand out in an increasingly competitive world of grants.
It also prevents against your organisation being distracted by or wasting time and effort applying for grants that don’t meet your strategic aims or resource requirements.
4. You never know who’s watching
By laying out the vision and ambitions in your Strategic Plan to all your stakeholders and to external audiences via your website, you open up the opportunity for potential collaborators and funders to recognise potential areas of synergy, innovation and partnership – and to maybe even approach you with an offer that you could never had dreamed of.
From our experience, some of the most exciting collaborations have come from the least likely of places – but they all started with a bolt of inspiration and your Strategic Plan could provide just that.
Find out more
2into3 has deep experience in developing Strategic Plans with sports organisations across Ireland. If you’re interested in learning more about how a Strategic Plan could benefit your sports organisation, please reach out to our Director of Advisory Services, Sheena Horgan at sheena.horgan@2into3.com.
€4 Million Grant Success for Glenamaddy GAA Club
We are thrilled to announce that our client, Glenamaddy GAA Club in Co. Galway, have been allocated €4 million from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. They were successful in receiving 100% of what they applied for, to fund a new multi-use community and enterprise facility in Glenamaddy.
Out of 30 projects, Glenamaddy were the only sports and community based project who received this round of funding. Additionally, this marks a monumental achievement for both Glenamaddy and for us at 2into3 – the largest funding ever awarded to one of our clients.
Glenamaddy Community Arena Development
The €4 million from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will go towards the development of their community arena. Members of Glenamaddy GAA Club came together to formulate a plan to transform the grounds over the next three years, to ensure they are meeting the needs of their community and promoting inclusion.
After years of ambitious planning, they formulated a strategy to bring their dreams to life.
The development plans include:
- 64m X 34m Indoor Astro Turf Arena
- 20m X 15m Public Gym
- Modern Facilities Building with 4 Large Dressing Rooms and Disability Equipment Storage
- Floodlit Public Walking Track Around Site Perimeter
- Second Full Size 4G Astro Playing Pitch
- 300-Seat Spectator Stand with Wheelchair Access
- New Car Park including Disability and Electric Vehicle Spaces and Bicycle Shelter
- Improved lighting and landscaping upgrade
For more information on Glenamaddy GAA Club’s development plan, visit their website here.
About the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund is a commitment of €1 billion by government to be invested in rural Ireland over the period 2019 to 2027.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund funds projects including:
- Infrastructure that may be needed to support town centre housing and/or commercial development
- Measures to address building vacancy including building refurbishment, redevelopment and/or demolition
- The development of community or public facilities infrastructure including improvements to roads, bridges and car parking facilities
- Infrastructure that improves telecommunications connectivity
- Projects that support job creation, entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas (for example: development of Digital Hubs, Enterprise Hubs, Creative Hubs, or training facilities)
- Enhancement of heritage and/or other community assets including the provision/enhancement of recreational or leisure facilities.
To view the Fifth Call under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (May 2024), visit here.
Get in Touch
We are absolutely delighted for our clients at Glenamaddy GAA Club and look forward to seeing the impact of this multi-use community and enterprise facility in the coming years.
If your club requires support in securing funding for your community, contact our Director of Grants & Economic Services, Patricia Keenan, or visit our webpage for more information.