The Government Grant Scheme for Inter County Camogie and Ladies Football adult intercounty teams was launched in February 2017 and has continued in 2018 and 2019. This grant is made available each year for intercounty ladies football and Camogie teams competing in the League and National Championship.
The funding acknowledges that financial support is required in counties to ensure that intercounty players have the opportunity to reach their potential as athletes. Through this grant support, the highest-grade Ladies Football and Camogie teams in each code in each county are eligible for funding to provide an enhanced playing and training environment for the full team.
2019 Grants Overview
In 2019 a grant amount of €9,000 was available to the highest grade adult county teams participating in the All Ireland Championship and the National League, with a further €1,500 awarded to eligible teams that progressed to the finals of the Championships. This was to reflect the additional cost of an extended training period and help mitigate the financial pressures that come with preparing for an All-Ireland final.
23 Camogie squads were eligible for the Government Grant Scheme with a total of €160,493.73 paid out.
*Teams who failed to fulfil a fixture became ineligible for the full amount of the grant.
The grant support has three elements for counties namely:
1. Injury Prevention and Medical Cover,
2. Maximising Player and Team Performance and,
3. Access to Training Facilities.
All supports delivered to teams through the grant scheme had to be performed by accredited personnel. Collaboration and agreement across the County Executive, Player Representatives and Team Management was an imperative element of the grant process, which was initiated at 4 provincial grant workshops delivered in January 2019.
Scheme Evaluation
An independent, external evaluation of the scheme in 2019 was completed by S3 Solutions. The main findings of this include:
95% of respondents reported an increase in the standard of Maximising Player and Team Performance.
67% reported the main benefit is that it enables teams to access services and provisions that they would not have otherwise accessed.
65% of players identified an increase in the extent to which they view themselves as elite athletes.
84 different facilities and 320 service providers were supported by the grant funding.
61% of players have taken part in promotional activities as an Inter County Player with 71% receiving no form of payment or expenses.
72% of County Board Representatives reported enhanced skills as a result of managing and administering the grant.
You can view the full evaluation report now
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Other Updates
The roll out of the National Player Health Check Programme
As part of the government grant scheme in 2019 there was also funding allocated to conduct a National Player Health Check Programme. A pilot of the programme was carried out in the summer with 15 teams, and a full roll out continues across remaining teams in December 2019 / January 2020. The health check aims to identify and inform players about their general health and performance related issues.
Anti-Doping Education
Anti Doping information was provided to the required teams in receipt of the grant funding this year. Workshops were delivered on-site to 45 teams in line with Sport Ireland anti-doping guidelines and follow up online workshops were also available.
Development of Online Grant Management System
The Scheme Implementation Group (SIG) have worked on developing an online grant management system where the grant is fully managed online. Applications, claims and confirmation of the grant governance contract and financial agreements will be included in the online system to ensure easier administration.
Squad Charter
This year a Squad Charter was introduced for the first time, to help with planning the season for inter-county teams. This document helped players, managers & county board officials to sit down together to agree expectations and plan for the season ahead. The squad charter helps teams to complete their government grant application.
2020 Funding
Applications are open for counties to apply for funding for the 2020 season. Details have been sent to county secretaries to begin their online application, with an e-learning training workshop, in conjunction with players and managers. For any queries or issues, contact intercountyfunding@gmail.com.
