Under half of Northern Ireland public take part in sport as clubs struggle to survive

• Jordan Moore reports

The amount of people taking part in sport in Northern Ireland has fallen by 14% over the past year.

Figures from the Department of Communities show that between 2021/22 sports participation was only 45%, compared to 59% in 2020/21.

The grassroots charity Sported believes this is due to rising costs and has written a letter to the Prime Minister to demand greater support for local clubs.

There are probably many reasons for why participation in sport is falling but one suggestion is that people simply cannot afford to keep fit.

Rising bills mean households are seeing their incomes squeezed, forcing them to give up on staying active.

Danny Corr has run the ZKJ Dojo MMA gym in north Belfast for the last 25 years. But, the current economic climate has forced him to offer free membership to keep numbers up.

In January Danny put a programme out so as everyone could train free for the whole month.

He said: “That boosted participation and thankfully they have all stayed. It was more to keep the adults and give them a bit of inspiration to go because we all know as adults January is a tough tough month".

However, this is only a short-term fix.

Falling numbers have a knock on effect on clubs who rely on membership payments to stay afloat, and their bills are rising too.

Clubs like Danny’s are dealing with increased bills coupled with less membership fees to cover them.

Danny says: “We’ve been going 25 years now and to be honest with you, I've never seen energy costs like this. It’s almost equating to the rent you are paying.

“It’s just going to be difficult but we will get through, we gotta push forward and probably run some charity events and some stuff to get the fees up”.

Sported is a charity which supports many grassroots organisations across the UK.

The charity was one of 200 signatories on a letter sent to the Prime Minister demanding greater support for local clubs.

Their Northern Ireland manager Juidth Rankin says rising bills coupled with falling numbers is the perfect storm for organisations here.

"We know from our Northern Ireland network, that groups are facing increased facility hire and increased electricity costs, but they are also telling us about the pressure they feel from families who simply cannot afford sport as a luxury and participation in their clubs."

Judith says the risk is that those participants will stop coming along.

To many, sport is as much about getting a sweat on as it is about clearing the head.

It also builds a sense of friendship among those who take part and can do wonders for local communities.

As such, giving it up because of rising bills can be more costly than expected.

Martin Morgan is a member of ZKJ, and says the gym means everything to him.

“When you are in this gym and you're here every night of the week and you're training for a fight, and you didn’t have it, what else are you meant to do?

“Especially when you are here for the last 3 or 4 years every night of the week.

“People of a younger age, what are they gonna do, sit on street corners”.

Danny says the gym fosters “a great sense of community” and he personally socialises with others members outside the gym.

Rising costs have led to falling numbers and this represents a real problem for local clubs across Northern Ireland.

But despite these challenges they do not seem ready to throw in the towel with some are doing all they can to keep going.

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