Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Question:68. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps his Department is taking to encourage the over 60s to participate in sport. [64541/25]
View answerThursday, 20 November 2025
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Written answers
This Government is committed to a "Sport for All" approach aimed at ensuring that all persons can partake equally in sport and physical activity regardless of gender, age, disability, or social-economic status, or membership of any minority group.
Age & Opportunity is the?national?organisation that works to empower people to reach their full potential as they age. One of its goals is to facilitate opportunities for sport and physical activity for older people. To support this goal, Sport Ireland, which is the statutory body for the development of sport, allocated Age & Opportunity €630,000 in core funding in 2025.
The Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme provides significant funding for sport and physical activity amongst older persons. More than than €8 million has been distributed though the scheme since its inception and this year it is providing €300,000 to support sport and physical activities run by 988 groups and organisations. The scheme, a combined initiative by Age & Opportunity and Sport Ireland, funds diverse activities nationwide including pickleball, kurling, tai chi and aqua aerobics.
Sport Ireland also allocates funding to its network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) operating across Ireland. These LSPs undertake a wide range of actions with the aim of increasing sport and physical activity participation levels in their local communities.
In particular, the LSPs target vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society, including older adults. In 2025, the LSP network received €11,945,000 in core funding. LSPs deliver a suite of programmes for older adults across the country through walking programmes, exercise classes, dance classes and taster sessions for various sports
LSPs provide funding through club development grants each year to support clubs with a focus on a number of target groups, older adults being one. This funding supports clubs to develop programmes and specific participation and volunteering opportunities to engage older adults.
All 29 LSPs have a dedicated Sports Inclusion Disability Officer supporting people with disabilities to get more active. This role incorporates a lot of work with older adults engaging in programmes such as chair yoga, tea dances, and chair aerobics.