Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 October 2025
74. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will make it a condition for State funding for sporting national governing bodies that there should be an athlete in that sport nominated to the board of those NGBs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57531/25]
View answerSport Ireland, which is funded by this Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards generally. The Sport Ireland-recognised National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) play a key role in helping to deliver on the strategic priorities identified in both the National Sports Policy and the Sport Ireland strategy.
While Sport Ireland does not have a statutory role in relation to the oversight of governance in NGBs, it plays an important role in promoting, supporting, and strengthening good governance practices across the sector, including the adoption and implementation of the Governance Code for Sport. Of the 61 Sport Ireland-recognised NGBs, 55 are currently compliant with the Governance Code for Sport.
The funding delivered via Sport Ireland to NGBs is not tied to the operational or administrative models used by NGBs, nationally or locally. All NGBs are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own governance, including board appointments and neither this Department, nor Sport Ireland, has a role in this regard. While some NGBs do have athlete representation on their boards, doing so is fundamentally a decision for each individual NGB.
