Philip Lee Solicitors have recently published an interesting report on sport in Ireland. The report is based on a survey carried out in May 2014 [nationally representative sample of 1000 using quotas for gender, age and social class] among 16 - 75 year olds and a series of interviews with key sporting personalities and administrators. The report, inevitably in Ireland, is mainly about GAA, Rugby and Soccer, but some of its findings are of general interest and a few pertain specifically to cricket.
The report estimates that 2.8 million adults [16 - 75] are interested in sport or exercise in Ireland, over 2000 people are currently studying sport at third level and, as a country, we spend €2.4 billion per year on a range of sports related activities including club membership, equipment, betting, memorabilia [jerseys etc] and attendance at matches.
Extracting out the information more directly relevant to competitive sport [rather than activities based around exercise] the following findings may be of interest.
On the face of it the figures for participation in cricket would appear to be high, though they could involve a wide range of activities including social, indoor and perhaps even park cricket. Even allowing for some caution with the figures it does suggest that there are many more cricketers than are taking part in the competitions organised by the Cricket Unions.
The main report does not provide details of club memberships beyond the top seven sports, of which cricket isn’t one.The average cost of membership was €330 per person, although as golf is included this no doubt hides significant differences between sports].
The report confirms that sport is big business, something that the government is only beginning to take cognisance of. Spending by government remains relatively small - the main channel for funding for sports facilities is the Sports Capital Programme which has a budget of €40 million, and the overall government spend on sport is estimated to be around €50 million per annum. At the same time we spend €13 billion on public health.
Sports sponsorship in Ireland is estimated at €100 million in fees paid each year, and a lot more in publicity and activation measures around the promotion of the various brands. Needless to say the major sports hoover up most of the money from the big brands.
The most positive contribution to participation in sport by the state is probably through the various Sports Partnerships run by local authorities. There is some funding provided [cricket benefits through the support given to cricket development officers] but a lot is required of volunteers to drive the initiative.
Overall, the report paints a very positive picture of sport in Ireland, with high level of interest and participation. But there are gaps in the sporting infrastructure and a lot more could be done to use sport to improve fitness and health in Ireland.
You can read the full report on the Philip Lee Solicitors website.