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 |
| Location |
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Region served
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Northern Ireland |
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Chief Executive
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Antoinette McKeown |
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Main organ
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Board of Sport NI (Chairman - Brian Henning) |
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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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Budget
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£31,304,000 (2011-12) |
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Staff
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83 |
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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 group that helps develop and support sports across Northern Ireland. They are the main government sports council for the region. Their goal is to make sure people of all ages can get involved in sports and stay active.
Contents
How Sport NI Started
Sport Northern Ireland was created in 1973. Back then, it was called the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. Its main job was to help with recreation and youth activities. Before that, another group called the Youth and Sports Council for Northern Ireland was set up in 1962.
Sport NI helps organise big sports events. Since 2006, they have helped Northern Ireland take part in the UK School Games. These games are a huge event for young athletes across the UK.
Sport NI also helps fund important sports projects. For example, they gave £7 million to build Northern Ireland's first 50-metre swimming pool. This is a special pool that meets Olympic standards. It was approved in 2009 and built by a company called Farrans.
Where Sport NI Works
The main office for Sport NI is called the House of Sport. It is located in Belfast, near the Malone Roundabout.
How Sport NI Gets Money
Sport NI gets money from two main places. About £7 million each year comes from the National Lottery. The rest of their funding comes from taxpayers. This money helps them support sports clubs, athletes, and facilities across Northern Ireland.
Special Training Centres
Sport NI has some important training centres:
- Tollymore National Outdoor Centre: This centre is located at the bottom of the Mourne Mountains. It was built in 1970 and is a great place for outdoor training. People go there to learn skills like mountaineering and canoeing.
- Sports Institute for Northern Ireland: This institute is at the Jordanstown campus of Ulster University. It was created in 2002. It helps top athletes in Northern Ireland train and improve their performance.
See also
- Sport Ireland, a similar organisation in the Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games
- Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs
