In 2017 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Sports Partnership, in an effort to increase participation in sport and physical activity of children and young people in the county, received funding via Sport Ireland and the Dormant Accounts Fund for the development of a Community Sports and Physical Activity Hub to be located in Ballyogan, a designated area of disadvantage in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. The Ballyogan Sports and Physical Activity Hub seeks to build on existing supports and facilities co-ordinating physical and sporting activity locally for the benefit of young people in Ballyogan.
Research was carried out in advance of the Hub’s establishment which sought to understand the issues and barriers preventing disadvantaged young people from engagement and participation in sport and physical activity, and to provide insights for the Hub’s development. This research focussed on children and young people ranging in age between 10 and 17 years.
The outputs of the research highlighted the following:
As part of the research a series of recommendations was provided to allow for implementation of Ballyogan Sports & Physical Activity Hub over the next number of years.
The Ballyogan Sports & Physical Activity Hub was formally launched in June 2018 and since this time has designed and delivered a range of programmes and initiatives for young people. It is operated as a partnership led by the Local Sports Partnership with relevant agencies and organisations located in the Ballyogan area, utilising existing infrastructural and community supports in the area to engage and support the local population in being active. Such supports include: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the HSE, dlr Leisure, the Samuel Beckett Civic Centre, Crosscare, local schools and community groups in Ballyogan.
To find out more about the Ballyogan Sports & Physical Activity Hub and how you can get involved please contact Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership on 01-2719502 or email us at sportspartnership@dlrcoco.ie.