Ahead of the Ulster versus Gloucester pre-season friendly at the Kingspan Stadium, Grant Officers from Clubs across the Province came together to receive the new Club Funding Model which has been in development for the past 6 months.
The annual event has become a primary focus in the Club volunteer calendar and has been growing from strength to strength.
This year, Sport Northern Ireland also attended to discuss the funding landscape for rugby clubs and the process underpinning the new strategy for sport in Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the event, Clem Boyd, Grants Officer at Instonians RFC said, "The Grants Officer events and funding workshops that have been delivered by the Ulster Branch over the past number of years have been excellent. They have helped Instonians RFC massively in securing funds for rugby projects, highlighted by recent successes in securing grant money from Belfast City Council. Prior to these training opportunities, volunteers at the club would have had little knowledge on what funding existed, or on how to go about applying. David Johnston and Matthew Holmes have been very supportive and have helped guide us through the grant making process, from developing an initial project concept, to the monitoring and evaluation of the grant itself. Without their guidance, we may have missed out on funding available and consequently been unable to run projects which have benefitted both our membership and the local community. We are heartened to see that the Ulster Branch has been investing in staff resources to assist clubs in areas linked to grants and funding, and we could recommend for others to utilise the support available."
David Johnston (Funding Manager) from Ulster Rugby stated, "We have developed the Club Funding Model as a resource for volunteers when thinking about funding for their Clubs. By following the steps, in conjunction with staff support, we hope Clubs will be able to become ‘ready’ for funding when it becomes available. In relation to the event itself, it’s great to see more and more Clubs recruiting the volunteer position of ‘Grants Officer’. We are only too happy to work with these volunteers in securing vital Club funds and recognise their efforts through the delivery of the annual Grants Officer event."
For more information, contact David.Johnston@ulsterrugby.com.
The annual event has become a primary focus in the Club volunteer calendar and has been growing from strength to strength.
This year, Sport Northern Ireland also attended to discuss the funding landscape for rugby clubs and the process underpinning the new strategy for sport in Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the event, Clem Boyd, Grants Officer at Instonians RFC said, "The Grants Officer events and funding workshops that have been delivered by the Ulster Branch over the past number of years have been excellent. They have helped Instonians RFC massively in securing funds for rugby projects, highlighted by recent successes in securing grant money from Belfast City Council. Prior to these training opportunities, volunteers at the club would have had little knowledge on what funding existed, or on how to go about applying. David Johnston and Matthew Holmes have been very supportive and have helped guide us through the grant making process, from developing an initial project concept, to the monitoring and evaluation of the grant itself. Without their guidance, we may have missed out on funding available and consequently been unable to run projects which have benefitted both our membership and the local community. We are heartened to see that the Ulster Branch has been investing in staff resources to assist clubs in areas linked to grants and funding, and we could recommend for others to utilise the support available."
David Johnston (Funding Manager) from Ulster Rugby stated, "We have developed the Club Funding Model as a resource for volunteers when thinking about funding for their Clubs. By following the steps, in conjunction with staff support, we hope Clubs will be able to become ‘ready’ for funding when it becomes available. In relation to the event itself, it’s great to see more and more Clubs recruiting the volunteer position of ‘Grants Officer’. We are only too happy to work with these volunteers in securing vital Club funds and recognise their efforts through the delivery of the annual Grants Officer event."
For more information, contact David.Johnston@ulsterrugby.com.