Sport Northern Ireland facts for kids
Sport Northern Ireland logo
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| Abbreviation | Sport NI |
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| Formation | December 31, 1973 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | Development of sport in Northern Ireland |
| Headquarters | House of Sport |
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Region served
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Northern Ireland |
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Key people
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Parent organization
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Department for Communities |
| Affiliations | UK Sport, UK Anti-Doping, The National Lottery |
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Staff (2023)
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80 (permanent employees) |
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Formerly called
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Sports Council of Northern Ireland |
Sport Northern Ireland, also known as Sport NI, is a key organization that helps develop sports across Northern Ireland. It acts as a main funding body, providing money and support to various sports groups. Its main office is located in Belfast, at a building called the "House of Sport." Sport NI receives funding from the government and also from the National Lottery, which helps support many sports activities and projects.
History of Sport NI
Sport Northern Ireland was first created in 1973. Its main goal is to help and improve youth services and recreation in Northern Ireland. Before Sport NI, there was another group called the Youth and Sports Council for Northern Ireland, which started in 1962.
Sport NI has been involved in many important sports projects. From 2006 onwards, it helped organize Northern Ireland's participation in the UK School Games. These games are a big event for young athletes across the UK. Sport NI also played a part in building Northern Ireland's first Olympic-size (50-meter) swimming pool. This modern pool, the Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex, opened in 2013.
In 2015, some changes happened within the organization's leadership. A report looked into how Sport NI was managed. Following this, the chairperson and vice-chairperson, along with some board members, decided to step down.
More recently, in early 2021, Sport NI helped distribute over £22 million in funding to sports groups in the region. This money was given to organizations like the GAA Ulster Council, Irish Football Association, Golf Ireland, and IRFU Ulster Branch. The aim was to help these sports bodies continue their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, some questions were raised about how part of this money was given out. For example, a golf club received a large amount, even though it already had a strong financial position.
As of early 2024, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Sport NI was not in the role. Richard Archibald, a former Olympic rower, was serving as the interim CEO during that time.
Sports Facilities and Support
Sport NI works to provide top-level support for athletes. One important part of this is the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland (SINI). SINI was set up in 2002 as a partnership between Sport NI and Ulster University. Its goal is to create a "high performance sporting system" in Northern Ireland. This means helping athletes train and perform at their very best.
SINI's main base is at Ulster University's Jordanstown campus. However, it also has smaller "Performance Development Centres" in other towns like Bangor, Belfast, Cookstown, and Lisburn. These centers offer various services to athletes. These include planning for performance, sports medicine, physiotherapy, and advice to help athletes improve.
Sport NI also manages a special outdoor training center. This is the Tollymore National Outdoor Centre, located near Tollymore Forest Park at the bottom of the Mourne Mountains. This center was built in 1970 and is used as a training base for activities like mountaineering and canoeing. It helps people learn and practice outdoor sports safely.
See also
- Sport Ireland, a similar organization for the Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games
- Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs
