Compiled by PHILIP REID

Just like politics, all sport is local

THAT OLD chestnut about politics and sport not mixing is a load of cobblers. Of course the two are indelibly linked, although listening to Bertie Ahern citing his biggest regret on leaving the Dáil as the failure to build the so-called "Bertie Bowl" near the M50 was enough to get the gastric acids working overtime.

This is a time to get real, and the priority (if ever it was one) of building or having the resources to build a national stadium disappeared a long time ago.

Now, with the politicos starting to ring doorbells again, or, it seems, surreptitiously slipping election literature though the letter box rather than spend time actually campaigning on the doorsteps, the economic reality means that sport is in danger of being placed at the back of the queue when it comes to the issues of the day.

In truth, though, sport is an integral part of our society and it shouldn’t be short-changed by any politicians aspiring to form the next government.

Internationally, indeed, it seems that the only good-news stories about Ireland relate to the achievements of our sports men and women – in rugby, golf, boxing, horse racing – and, for that to continue, sport needs to be taken seriously when it comes to funding.

The allocation to sport in the most recent budget amounted to €91.5 million, of which €46.9 million – a five per cent reduction on the previous year – funds Irish Sports Council programmes.

This is the funding which helps the council support national governing bodies and which also assists the country’s high-performance athletes, including those preparing for next year’s Olympic Games in London.

Sport, though, is not just about the elite athlete and the network of sporting clubs right across the country encompassing so many different codes is proof of that.

Just like politics, all sport is local – and while capital funding is much reduced, those politicos who do bother to knock on doors should be reminded, be it at the end of a list that takes in jobs, mortgages and more pressing matters, that the local GAA, soccer, boxing, basketball club or whatever shouldn’t be forgotten.

All of these local clubs contribute immensely to Irish society, most of it done on a voluntary basis that would literally cost millions of euro if put through a bean-counting exercise.

Mary Hanafin, the most recent Minister for Sport, put the figure at “between €322 and €582 million annually” when recognising the contribution of volunteers (numbered in the region of 270,000) in the various sports clubs and bodies across the country.

Economically, it is estimated that more than 38,000 people are employed in the sports sector and recent studies have shown that for every €100 of government expenditure, the government receives approximately €149 back in the form of taxes and other income relating from sports related activities.

More than that, those involved in sport are passionate about their commitment – be it as players, coaches or spectators – and that is something that money cannot buy.

In fact, sport is not – as some would like to see it – the toy department of life.

It is a serious business and, for many, it offers people the opportunity to display their place in society.

I’ve met a large number of Ministers for Sports, going back to meeting current Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Augusta National of all places when he fulfilled that position in government.

Fortunately, most of his successors up to the outgoing Minister Mary Hanafin have also brought their sporting passion to the table and, hopefully, whoever succeeds her – with the most likely contenders being former Kerry All-Ireland winning footballer Jimmy Deenihan or former Galway All-Ireland winning manager John O’Mahony – will fight the corner for sport.

Just as politics needs sport, so too does sport need the politicians.

As the former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once remarked, “England is unrivalled for two things – sport and politics.”

That may no longer be the case across the water, and definitely not the case on this side of the pond either. But, here, you’ve got to feel it is sport rather than politics which currently is in the healthier place.

Stynes delivers good news

AS INSPIRING figures go, one-time Dublin minor footballer Jim Stynes – who has been battling cancer since 2009 – continues to beat the odds and to bring his magnetism to Aussie Rules followers in Melbourne where he has been adopted as one of their own.

During the past week, Stynes – who is president of he Melbourne Demons – was given a standing ovation when he appeared at the AFL club’s annual general meeting.

It was Stynes’s first appearance in public since last September and he had good news on two fronts:

1) his medical condition has stabilised after having another tumour removed; and

2) the Stynes-led board at the club had eradicated a €3.7 million debt.

Woods worth his show me the money

TIGER WOODS reappears on the European Tour next week for the Dubai Desert Classic, although his inclusion in the field – in what has been a popular event for him over the years – comes at a reputed cost of $3 million (€2.2m). It means he will earn comfortably more than the winner and, once again, highlights the issue of appearance money on the tour.

Although “appearance money” has long been officially banned by the European Tour, players are allowed to receive payments for other non-golfing duties which include appearing at cocktail parties. Such appearance money is strictly prohibited on the US Tour.

In fairness to Woods, he has traditionally delivered when making forays into foreign climes even if those trips were primarily incentivised by receiving money up front.

Indeed, Woods, who has travelled around the world much more than other American player after being told some years ago by his friend Mark O’Meara that “golf is a global game and your image is global”, has delivered wins in places such as Germany, Dubai, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand and Australia whilst knowing his appearance money was greater than the winning cheque.

Others haven’t always taken their duty so seriously, with John Daly notorious for banking the money and running up high numbers in the tournaments.

At the Johnnie Walker world championship in 1991, he signed an incorrect scorecard after posting a score in the high 80s while organisers of the Heineken Classic in Australia in 1997 weren’t best pleased when Daly raced around the course in two hours and 10 minutes in the final round.

GAA giants in conversation

TWO GIANTS of Gaelic football will be reacquainted in UCD next Wednesday evening, when Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Colm O’Rourke – the best footballer to ever come out of Leitrim, even if his All-Ireland winning displays came with Meath – revisit their alma mater as part of a series of events called “Characters in Conversion”.

Ó Muircheartaigh, whose broadcasting career with RTÉ finished after last year’s International Rules matches between Ireland and Australia, and O’Rourke are set to reminisce about their times – many years apart – on the Belfield campus and to also revisit many great sporting memories.

O’Rourke wasn’t even born when Ó Muircheartaigh completed his HDip Ed in 1953 and was just a toddler when the Kerryman returned to complete a B Comm in 1960.

Coleman looks set to finally win first Irish cap

ONE OF the most bizarre happenings of a night in November just gone was of Séamus Coleman being stuck to the Republic of Ireland substitutes bench for the entirety of the friendly against Norway at the Aviva Stadium. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Giovanni Trapattoni to upgrade the Donegal-born player to full international status.

Next Tuesday, Coleman should belatedly get his chance to claim that first international cap. The one-time Sligo Rovers player has been one of the few Irish players to make any impact in the English Premier League this season and his displays for David Moyes’ team hint at a talent that is still blossoming. Based on the silly money bandied about in the final days of the English transfer window, Coleman – who has signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with Everton – is an investment that looks wiser and wiser by the day.

It was mind-blowing (and, for the future, quite worrying) that Trapattoni could ignore Coleman for that match against the Norwegians; but there seems to be a shift in attitude – don’t all clap at once – with the rejigged squad for next Tuesday’s game leaning more towards youth and players who are likely to figure in the future. On that front, the inclusion of Coleman and Scottish-born James McCarthy augurs well as the Republic go into an international match as favourites rather than underdogs. Ireland are ranked 35th in the latest Fifa rankings, while Wales, struggling for any respectability these days, – languish in 116th, just above that soccer powerhouse of Surinam.