HORSE Sport Ireland has received a €35,000 increase in the Core funding from Sport Ireland, it was announced this week. HSI’s funding has been increased from €1.07 million to €1.105 million for 2025.
At the Sport Ireland Campus on Thursday, the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport and Sport Ireland announced the Government will invest €31.3 million in the sport sector, including National Governing Bodies for Sport (NGBs), the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs), and other funded bodies for 2025.
This is the highest-ever level of Core investment. It has increased by over €1.6 million since 2024 and €13.5 million over the lifecycle of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027. This represents a 76% increase over seven years, with Core investment funding the day-to-day running of NGBs, the network of LSPs and other funded bodies.
Horse Sport Ireland appears in fourth place on the list of funding for NGBs, behind Special Olympics Ireland (€1.65m), Athletics Ireland (€1.27m) and Swim Ireland (€1.21m).
Welcoming the extra allocation, HSI Chief Executive, Denis Duggan, said: “We are delighted to receive this additional funding from Sport Ireland and welcome the announcements from Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan and from Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue, and thank them for their commitment to National Governing Bodies including Horse Sport Ireland.”
Duggan added: “The increase in Core funding for 2025 shows the confidence Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport has in HSI, the work the organisation continues to do with our programmes and initiatives, such as the HSI Coaching Programme, Integrity and Equine Anti-doping Programme, Participation Grants and Safeguarding, which form part of the investment made by Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport today for the year ahead.”
HSI continued that their sport department supported approximately 1,000 athletes and approximately 2,000 equines every year, who participate in international equestrian events run by the FEI. HSI’s High Performance Programme is supported by a network of key staff, who perform tasks, such as entries and registrations. A future announcement is expected on high performance funding in due course.
Gender balance
In concluding his remarks at the Sport Ireland and Department of Arts Media, Communications, Culture and Sport launch event, Duggan added: “Minister O’Donovan has been a very strong advocate for gender balance at board and committee level across sporting bodies, and today, he laid down a further challenge to sporting bodies to increase and include members of the ‘new-Irish’ community in our sports bodies.
“As an organisation that employs staff from nine different countries around the world, we at Horse Sport Ireland welcome the challenge laid down to the sporting bodies by the Minister. I look forward to engaging with our affiliate family and wider stakeholder groups, which includes more than 50 different organisations, on how equestrian sport will positively and constructively rise to this new challenge.”
The Sport Ireland document reiterated its commitment to ensuring that sporting organisations continue to maintain gender balance on boards. The most recent snapshot of gender composition across boards in the sport sector shows the percentage of women on boards now stands at 48% overall. The allocation of core funding is linked to sports organisations demonstrating a minimum of 40% representation on their boards.
Speaking during the announcement at the Sport Ireland Campus, Minister Patrick O’Donovan said: “The introduction of a multi-annual approach to core funding allocations from 2026 will enhance the operational efficiency and planning capability of our sports organisations, by allowing strategic funding decisions to be made every three years.”
HSI Core funding
2021: €930,000
2022: €975,000
2023: €1,000,000
2024: €1,070,000
2025: €1,105,000