SPORT €25m to be invested in Irish sport


The Irish Sports Council has provided an overview of its strategy for 2014 by announcing a €25m (£20.4m) investment programme for the whole year. The core activities of 59


Governing Bodies of Sport will receive €10.6m (£8.7m), while €583,000 (£477,000) will be dedicated to Women in Sport activities across the national governing body (NGB) sector. Te National Network of


Local Sports Partnerships will receive €5m (£4m) to support its work in promoting participating in sport and physical activity. €8.7m (£7.1m) will be invested directly


into high performance sports bodies and will continue to build on the success of high per- formance sport in Ireland which saw a record 67 medals achieved last year at European and world events across a multitude of sports. With the Special Olympic Ireland Games


taking place in Limerick in June, an additional provision of €200,000 (£163,000) has been made available to Special Olympics Ireland.


€25m will be invested by the Irish Sports Council in 2014 In addition to High Performance, Governing


Bodies and Participation, the Council will con- tinue to lead the development in areas such as Anti-Doping Coaching, the Institute of Sport, National Trails and Research. In 2013, more than 200,000 people took


part in local participation programmes while mass participation events such the An Post Cycle Series and Operation Transformation national walks and fun runs attracted more than 35,000 participants. Details: http://lei.sr?a=f8c2q


Major health benefits to growth in cycling


A growth in cycling numbers could lead to huge UK health benefits and a reduction in NHS spending, according to a report conducted by Cambridge University and commissioned by British Cycling. Te report has found that if


cycling made up 10 per cent of all trips, compared to the cur- rent rate of 2 per cent, Britain would benefit from an equiva- lent of more than one million years of healthy living mea- sured over a decade. Tis is in part due to lower


Manchester City’s Etihad expansion will cost £50m


Man City gets green light for Etihad expansion


Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) has secured approval for an extension of the Etihad Stadium, which will see capacity at the ground increase from 48,000 to 62,000. Te expansion is expected to cost £50m


Research says changes in behaviour could bring important health benefits


rates of inactivity-related ill- nesses that can develop in people who do not partake in enough regular exercise. The research suggests that even small


changes in behaviour could bring important health benefits to Britons. Te report suggests that if people took five min-


utes from the average of 36 minutes spent in a car each day and passed this time onto using a bike, the NHS would see a 5 per cent decrease in ill- nesses such as diabetes and heart disease.


© CYBERTREK 2014 As well as large health benefits, the study has


also found that if one in ten journeys in the UK were made by bike, the NHS could make savings of up to £250m each year. Te report was commissioned by British


Cycling as it seeks to campaign to improve everyday cycling in the UK, with the research being used to help launch a 10-point mani- festo labelled Time to Choose Cycling. Details: http://lei.sr?a=A5P5e


Twitter: @leisureopps


and when complete – in time for the 2015- 16 season, will make the Etihad Stadium the second largest in the Premier League, behind rivals Manchester United’s Old Trafford (capacity 75,811). Formerly called the City of Manchester


Stadium, the Etihad was built in 2002 for the Commonwealth Games and had an ini- tial capacity of 38,000. Te club had an average capacity of 99.1


per cent at its Premier League games dur- ing last season. Details: http://lei.sr/?a=t5w3T


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Worcester stadium plans rely on supporter takeover


Non-league football side Worcester City is planning to build a new £2.1m stadium capable of holding 4,130 spectators, should plans for a supporters trust to take over the club come to fruition. Te new ground, which could be ready by


the end of 2015, would include a 500-seater stand and a 3G all-weather floodlit surface. It would be built alongside a proposed


new swimming pool and gym on land next to the existing leisure centre, which is due to be demolished in 2016. The club appears to have been saved


from potential closure by sidestepping its originally planned move to a new home at Nunnery Way. If it had been tied into the deal to build a new stadium, the Conference North outfit could have faced closure aſter the emergence of financial difficulties, including a capital gains tax bill of £400,000. Should the supporters’ trust succeed


in a club takeover, it will be looking to gain funding through a community share scheme, similar to that run by FC United of Manchester, to allow supporters to invest in the project. Details: http://lei.sr?a=h3H5V


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