Council calls for views on getting more people active

Fingal County Council is calling on people to take part in a community consultation exercise which will inform the development of its Local Sports Plan.

The purpose of the Local Sports Plan, which is being developed by the Council’s Sports Office, is to support everything that helps people to be active and the focus will be on increasing the number of people in Fingal that lead active, healthy lifestyles.

The Plan will consider all forms of physical activity, whether the emphasis is on fitness, wellbeing, and social participation through walking, cycling for leisure, exercising in a gym or playing camogie on the local green or whether the emphasis is on structured participation through schools and clubs.

The Council wants to bring together partners across the community, voluntary and statutory sectors to work with residents, clubs, schools, leisure facility providers and others to develop a locally led approach to improving participation in physical activity, recreation, and sport.

As part of the process, it is seeking the views of people across Fingal through a Resident’s Online Survey which is open to all, irrespective of whether they are involved in sport or not. The survey is now live and runs until Monday, March 13.

A series of online workshops has also been organised and these are aimed at Sports Clubs, People with Disabilities, Older Adults, New Communities, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) including ‘Minority Sports’, the Travelling Community, Young People and representatives of their supporting organisations.  

The workshops will take place over three days, beginning on Tuesday February 28 until Thursday March 3 and participants must complete an Online Workshops Registration form prior to the event.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony, said: “The Consultation will bring together stakeholders across the various community, voluntary, statutory and sporting organisations as well as residents of Fingal. The Council is committed to encouraging people to get involved in sport. We all know that sport can play a major role in promoting people’s physical and mental health and general wellbeing. In order to create a Local Sports Plan that addresses the needs on the ground we need to hear from everybody so I would encourage people to participate in the consultation exercise.”

Robert Burns, Fingal County Council’s Director of Housing and Community Development, commented: “The Fingal County Sports Strategy is a vital strategic plan, and we encourage as many citizens as possible to take part in this public consultation process.  We want this countywide strategy to be as reflective as possible of the many varied viewpoint of our citizens right across the county, thereby ensuring Fingal County Council’s Sport Strategy befits our County’s sporting needs into the future”

Principal Sports Officer in the Community and Sport Division of Fingal County Council, Gerard Reardon, commented: “The consultation is open to all and there are two ways to have your say. You take part in our Survey or participate in one of our online workshops or do both. Our aim is to help create opportunities for all our citizens to participate in lifelong patterns of involvement in sport, in a county where sport is at the heart of society and creates a positive impact on individuals and communities. I would urge all members of the public and those involved in sporting organisations and other groups to take part in this consultation and help shape the future of Sport in Fingal”.