2022-12-31-annual-report

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IRISH FA FOUNDATION LIMITED

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 December 2022 Company number: NI642595

SHAPING LIVES THROUGH FOOTBALL

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Chairman’s Statement/Public Benefit Objective 1 - Advancing Football Objective 2 - Advancing health and wellbeing Objective 3 - Advancing education Objective 4 - Advancing inclusivity Community Relations Future Developments Governance

Financial Statements

6 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities 46

8 Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of Irish FA Foundation Limited 47 24 Statement of Financial Activities 50 27 Charity Balance Sheet 51 29 Statement of Cash Flow 52 37 Notes to the Financial Statements 53 40

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

THE CHARITY’S OBJECTIVES ARE:

1.

To advance amateur football, youth football, schools’ football and futsal in accordance with the remit of the Irish Football Association, for the benefit of the general public in any part of Northern Ireland.

To advance the health and wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland by leading on the development of a Northern Ireland-wide football and positive mental health campaign for men and women.

To advance education by providing work experience and support to educational establishments and extra-curricular educational groups (targeting young people including those not in education or employment [NEETs] and areas of social need).

To adopt an inclusive approach so that all members of the community have access to our initiatives, regardless of background, gender, religion, politics, race or sexual orientation, in support of the wider charitable objectives of the Irish Football Association.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT/ PUBLIC BENEFIT

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

This document displays a statement on its cover, subtly placed but with a powerful sentiment - shaping lives through football - this is something we do every single day through our work at the Foundation which touches groups and individuals right across the country, in every community.

During 2022 the last of the remaining Irish FA Foundation programmes returned following the Covid-19 pandemic, with many exceeding pre-pandemic activity levels. The appetite to play football was certainly seen throughout Northern Ireland as activity levels increased across the country.

In June the Foundation officially launched the 2022-2025 Schools Strategy, a strategy which confirms the commitment to increasing opportunities for boys and girls to play football in both primary and post-primary schools.

September marked the launch of a new People and Clubs online platform providing online learning materials to volunteers and supporting clubs through the club accreditation process.

Community relations and partnership work thrived at all levels. New engagement landmarks were achieved in many of the programmes, with a major highlight coming through the Fresh Start Through Sport programme, which was recognised by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.

Sincere thanks must be paid to staff and volunteers for their continued hard work. Delivery of the many diverse programmes covered in this report would not be possible without their selfless dedication.

Guided by the Irish FA corporate strategy ‘A Roadmap for Football’ and the Association’s mission to promote, foster and develop football for all in Northern Ireland, it has proved to be another very successful year for the Irish FA Foundation.

David Martin Chairman

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Irish FA Foundation Limited has complied with its duty under the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

The trustees are fully aware of the requirements of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and are operating entirely within the legislation.

It is the opinion of the trustees that this report demonstrates how the Foundation provides public benefit.

...A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT COMING THROUGH THE FRESH START THROUGH SPORT PROGRAMME, WHICH WAS RECOGNISED BY THE NORTHERN IRELAND AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AT WESTMINSTER.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

OBJECTIVE 1 ADVANCING FOOTBALL

OVERVIEW

(ages 6-12) in each of Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas with more than 12,000 children participating every week at five, seven and nine players per side.

The Irish FA Foundation charity continued to serve the community by providing footballing opportunities for people of all ages, gender, ability and ethnicity.

The Foundation also provides support to the Northern Ireland Schools’ FA by delivering primary and post-primary futsal programmes along with cup competitions for 11-a -side schools’ teams from Under 12 and assisting with the Northern Ireland U16 and U18 Schoolboys’ international teams.

After the Covid-19 pandemic there was a realisation of the need to provide digital resources for clubs and volunteers.

In partnership with Northern Ireland Boys’ FA (NIBFA) the Foundation continues to provide boys’ and girls’ football opportunities within the National League and regional leagues from Under 12 to Under 17 age groups via leagues and cup competitions.

The foundation team worked directly with thousands of people across Northern Ireland, promoting football for all and helping players, clubs and volunteers across the country to develop via the People and Clubs online platform.

via leagues and cup competitions. ...PROVIDING

Supported by Department of FOOTBALLING Education funding, Foundation staff

continued to work with dozens of OPPORTUNITIES FOR

primary schools across Northern Ireland each week by delivering a PEOPLE OF ALL AGES,

fundamentals programme for pupils GENDER, ABILITY AND and providing specialist resources to

help teachers. ETHNICITY.

People and Clubs is the Irish FA Foundation’s programme which supports clubs to achieve good governance via the Irish FA Club Accreditation scheme. The platform provides a wide range of free resources, including e-learning modules, podcasts, case studies and webinars that accurately reflect the views and aspirations of clubs.

The Foundation delivered an extensive Employability and Education programme within postprimary schools and colleges which is designed to run alongside school/ college curriculums and the subjects they offer to both GCSE and A-Level/ BTEC students.

Initiatives to develop the amateur game included the launch of a successful recreational programme in partnership with the NHS which provides opportunities for students from Belfast Metropolitan College to gain experience in events organisation and the introduction of a National Coaching Certificate for adults which will provide specific knowledge and skills required by amateur football coaches to enhance the adult game.

The programme is designed to give participants additional qualifications on top of their academic qualifications. It also aims to provide participants with opportunities to use their qualifications and develop new skills by volunteering and/or working on Irish FA programmes and getting involved at local clubs.

Due to the success of the

Youth football is flourishing. The Foundation continues to deliver a small-sided games programme

programme an additional staff member was employed to cope with the demand from schools.

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Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022
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CLUB DEVELOPMENT – PEOPLE AND CLUBS

The big event during the year came in September with the launch of the People and Clubs online platform.

The People and Clubs programme has continued to receive recognition from Sport NI through financial support.

volunteers, supporting club members, chairperson training, developing club culture and positive engagement with parents at clubs. Since their launch alongside the other elements of the online platform in September there have been more than 600 enrolments across the six free courses.

More than 50 clubs representing all 11 district council areas in Northern Ireland were welcomed to the National Football Stadium to hear about the new online platform available to them.

Following on from the Governing Body Support Programme in 2021 to March 2022, the People and Clubs programme was supported by the Club Environment Transition Programme in 2022. The programme looked at building on and implementing initiatives that were set out in the People and Clubs Development Plan in 2019.

People and Clubs accreditation has also been refined following consultations with clubs, leagues and relevant stakeholders. This refinement has made the accreditation more attractive and achievable for clubs and puts them in a greater position of readiness for safety, development and funding opportunities. Currently 40 clubs across Northern Ireland are working through the accreditation process.

The platform currently hosts an accreditation portal, a library of club templates, a link to six free e-learning modules and a library of media resources, which include podcasts, videos and webinar recordings. The platform, which will evolve and develop over time, has boosted the Foundation’s digital support for clubs.

Online webinars were delivered during 2022 in areas such as secretary training, treasurer training, being a parent in a football club, maximising people in clubs and engaging female participation within clubs. The webinars were free of charge for clubs and across 11 topics there were more than 200 participants.

The six e-learning modules have been a real success. The modules include club development planning, attracting and retaining

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAMME

The Young Leaders (YL) programme provides young people with the opportunity to volunteer in various roles and on programmes throughout the Foundation.

potential young leaders of the future and helps the Foundation to gain more insight into what young people want from football.

THE YL PROGRAMME PROVIDES A VOICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN FOOTBALL

The latest cohort had their first meeting in December 2022 after a successful application, interview and recruitment process. Twelve young people aged 18-24 are involved from across Northern Ireland and have various backgrounds and involvement in football.

In 2022 most of the first group of young leaders completed their time in the YL programme.

One of those young leaders is now employed through the Irish FA Foundation, working as a Let Them Play Officer.

Recently through the programme the three sports bodies involved held a joint Youth Forum at Jungle NI allowing the young leaders to work together and hear each other’s hopes and aspirations for their respective sports.

Another success story is a young leader who is co-ordinating the operations of his own football club in Manchester while he completes a degree in Football and Business Management.

This shows the programme has helped young people gain employment. It has also provided networking opportunities and industry-specific skills to help them develop themselves.

The Schools Roadshow within the programme has also gone from strength to strength. It provides individuals with the opportunity to mock interview for their desired roles in sport and to find out what volunteer work will help.

The YL programme provides a voice for young people in football, supports the development of

SPORT – A HOME FOR LIFELONG VOLUNTEERING

MENTALLY HEALTH FOOTBALL FORUM

The new forum has highlighted the wide range of work going on across the UK around mental health and football.

Following on from the Heads Up legacy group, the Mentally Health Football Forum (MHFF) has been formed.

The Department for Communities has provided another two years’ worth of funding for the Sport – A Home for Lifelong Volunteering programme run by the Foundation in collaboration with Ulster Rugby and Ulster GAA.

The MHFF is now looking at key areas of work around research, communication and education.

The Irish Football Association has joined a raft of other football organisations across the UK in the forum to reaffirm a commitment to highlighting the importance of good mental health.

The latest financial support - funding two full-time development officers - has allowed the Clubs Development Officer and Volunteer Development and Policies Officer to plan programmes and to develop programmes in advance.

THE NEW FORUM HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE WIDE RANGE OF WORK GOING ON ACROSS THE UK AROUND MENTAL HEALTH AND FOOTBALL.

Through the new body the Association along with The FA, Scottish FA and Football Association of Wales, plus the likes of England’s Premier League, the English Football League, The National League, The Barclays FA Women’s Super League, The FA Women’s Championship and The FA Women’s National League, have agreed to promote mental health strategies and to make awareness-raising widely available.

During the year more than 40 clubs took part in webinars on subjects such as clubs going green, social media and PR.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

SPORTS INSPIRE AWARDS

The Sports Inspire Awards were launched two years ago to celebrate the positive impact of volunteering.

The awards are part of the Department for Communities programme Sport - A Home for Lifelong Volunteering. They recognise young volunteers aged between 16 and 24 from each of the three sports for 50, 100 or 200 hours of volunteering at their clubs.

The second Sports Inspire Awards ceremony, where clubs have the opportunity to show their appreciation for those volunteers who have helped develop and grow their club at the grassroots level, was due to be staged at Belfast City Hall in March 2023.

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers are an integral part of events and activities run by the Foundation.

The Foundation’s large scale events rely heavily on the input of volunteers, while international match nights would not run without them.

With more and more events being staged post the Covid pandemic, the team of volunteers has grown.

There are now more opportunities to volunteer at international games and at Irish Cup semi-finals and finals (men’s and women’s).

At the beginning of 2023 there was a recruitment drive to make more people around the country aware of the opportunities to volunteer at the Foundation/Irish FA. It highlighted the wide range of bespoke opportunities for volunteers to engage in both football-related and community-based activities.

The Foundation is also looking to develop a new online platform which will host all volunteers, making it easier for them to find out about volunteering opportunities across the Foundation. This platform will also ensure volunteers are recognised for their volunteering efforts.

Later this year a further recruitment drive will begin to attract volunteers for the Men’s Under-19 European Championships being hosted by Northern Ireland in 2024.

THE FOUNDATION’S LARGE SCALE EVENTS RELY HEAVILY ON THE INPUT OF VOLUNTEERS

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

SPORT – AMATEUR GAME DEVELOPMENT

The full-time position of Amateur Football Game Developer within the Foundation is focused on advancing amateur football by engaging and communicating with all stakeholders across the game. During the year the Game Developer continued to work within all aspects of the amateur game across Northern Ireland.

The event partnered with Kingsbridge Private Hospital to pilot health checks for players from the eight participating teams along with spectators. Using the same format engagement has commenced with several leagues and clubs to roll health checks out on a wider scale.

FOUR FREE REFEREEING COURSES HAVE BEEN RUN ACROSS NORTHERN IRELAND WITH A WOMEN’S ONLY COURSE PLANNED IN THE COMING MONTHS.

An alumni membership programme pilot, aimed at retaining members within clubs, continued in 2022 with more than 1400 members from two well established clubs taking part. A review of the pilot is under way to enable the development of a standardised model for further rollout.

A number of programmes were ongoing throughout 2022 along with pilot programmes being developed and refined to meet the needs of the amateur game.

Following a successful pilot in 2021 a Summer Festival again took place at the Jordanstown campus of Ulster University and is now embedded as a regular event in the pre-season calendar.

A pilot recreational programme, targeted at NHS staff, is seeking to provide opportunities for recreational participation in football.

pilot covers 14 leagues, 190 clubs and over 6,000 players.

The programme continued to develop over the year and has established a base at Colin Glen in Belfast as part of the Stadium Community Benefits Initiative.

Partnerships have been developed with external stakeholders to address the issue of a lack of referees, with plans in place to look at ex-player and youth referee recruitment along with a referee respect campaign.

A National Coaching Certificate for adult players has been developed to improve the standard of coaching within the adult amateur game. Three pilots have been successfully run and coaching resources developed through Globall Coach. More than 80 candidates have been enrolled on the pilots and findings from the pilots will allow refinement for national rollout during 2023.

To date the programme has had over 200 players participating and has provided opportunities for students from Belfast Metropolitan College to gain experience in events organisation. The programme was shortlisted for Project of the Year at the Sport NI SportMaker Awards 2022.

In terms of partnership work and club development, to support the development of clubs a Minimum Operating Standard online resource was created and then launched in late 2022.

To meet the needs of referees in the amateur game considerable work has been done with the Irish FA’s refereeing department to address the issue of referee development.

It has proven to be popular; it was successfully adopted by 90 clubs across Northern Ireland in early 2023.

The Foundation expanded a pilot to facilitate centralised procurement of public liability insurance for clubs and personal accident insurance for amateur players. The centralised procurement has enabled clubs and players to benefit from lower insurance premiums. The expanded

Review is ongoing and findings from this will assist and shape support and resources being developed to support clubs.

Four free refereeing courses have been run across Northern Ireland with a women’s only course planned in the coming months.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

MCDONALD’S PROGRAMMES

746 CHILDREN AGED 5-11 YEARS TOOK PART INCLUDING

McDonald’s Small-Sided Games (SSG) centres resumed across Northern Ireland in March 2022.

The recovery in participation numbers can be attributed to a shift in focus to a direct club development and assistance position by the Foundation’s Regional Grassroots Development Officers and the People and Clubs development officer.

Initially they experienced a 20-30% drop in attendance compared to pre-pandemic levels, largely down to clubs adjusting to resumption of club business and to parental caution following the lifting of Covid restrictions.

142 GIRLS ACROSS 39 CENTRES

Interaction with clubs included information sharing, club visits and a series of innovative online webinars and workshops.

However, participation numbers subsequently increased and are now nearing pre-pandemic levels.

Girls’ participation in SSG centres has increased dramatically, undoubtedly boosted by the Northern Ireland senior women’s team’s appearance at a first major tournament, last summer’s Women’s Euros in England.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, making it the largest grassroots participation programme in the UK.

TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAYERS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN MCDONALD’S SSG CENTRES

The aim is to provide over one million children aged 5 to 11 with the opportunity to enjoy free football coaching over the 48-month period.

11,313 CONSISTING OF

At the end of 2022 the total number coaching over the 48-month period. of players directly involved in In Northern Ireland sessions McDonald’s SSG centres was 11,313, now include provision for consisting of 9864 boys and 1449 disability football, while sessions girls. The centres across Northern are also being run for children Ireland are co-ordinated by 101 from ethnic minorities. regular volunteers.

9864 Boys AND

The first of the new centres were delivered with a new delivery partner, Multi-Ethnic Sports and Cultures NI (MSCNI), in the autumn. A total of 746 children took part, including 142 girls, across 39 centres.

1449 Girls COORDINATED BY 101 REGULAR VOLUNTEERS

Fun Football, a McDonald’s flagship project, is also performing well across Northern Ireland.

The latest tranche of the programme, launched in May 2022, is set to deliver more than 10.5 million hours of Fun Football over a four-year period in England,

MCDONALD’S GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL AWARDS

The annual McDonald’s Irish FA Grassroots Football Awards, which celebrated 22 years in Northern Ireland in 2022, recognise the unbelievable work and commitment of football clubs and volunteers who give up their time and make a long-lasting impact on young people and communities across Northern Ireland.

The 2022 awards ceremony, hosted at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for the first time, featured a raft of high profile ambassadors, including World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst, Northern Ireland great Pat Jennings and Julie Nelson, the first Northern Ireland senior women’s team player to win 100 caps.

Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood congratulated the winners and said he was thrilled to welcome them to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. He said: “Our mission at the Irish FA is to promote, foster and develop football for all in Northern Ireland, and the work that these volunteers do year in, year out is nothing short of incredible.”

Almost 600 entries were received from across Northern Ireland - across eight awards categories.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

BACK IN THE GAME

The Foundation’s Back in the Game programme, which is aimed at women aged over 30 and men aged over 35 who have previously hung up their boots to either get playing again or get involved in football in a non-playing capacity, picked up pace again post the pandemic.

THIS YEAR WE DELIVERED

The Foundation’s Player Development Programme (PDP) focused on players within four regions across Northern Ireland: North East, South East, North West and South West.

9 REGIONAL FESTIVALS ACROSS NORTHERN IRELAND WITH

Trials and training sessions were held over a 12-week period and culminated in a National Festival Day at Crumlin Leisure Centre.

Nine regional festivals were delivered during the year across Northern Ireland. A total of 394 players, across 48 teams, took part in the events, including 22 female players. Three of the festivals were staged in the Belfast area, with 14 teams participating.

394

Players were selected via Talent ID at development games (observed October 2021 to January 2022) as well as via a two-week trial process (March 2022).

PLAYERS ACROSS

The resumption of the programme, while welcome, highlighted that post pandemic the casual profile of the target market needs to be reviewed alongside the promotion of this area of football activity.

The training programme was subsequently staged at various locations across Northern Ireland from April – leading to the festival event.

TEAMS WHICH INCLUDED

Further Talent ID opportunities were undertaken by National Performance Programme (NPP) scouts linking both the PDP and the NPP, which feeds in to the Irish FA JD Academy.

The establishment of an Emerge fortnightly league as part of the programme is gaining in popularity, while the regional festivals proved to be more attractive to players when linked with charities or community groups keen to promote their work.

FEMALE PLAYERS

SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL

The Foundation was once again heavily involved in helping to organise football competitions for boys’ and girls’ teams from post primary schools across the country.

St Columb’s College from DerryLondonderry were the winners of the Translink Schools’ Gold Cup in 2022, defeating Belfast school St Malachy’s College on the final day.

The annual competition involves eight post-primary schools in Northern Ireland who have been awarded the Gold Schools Quality Mark accreditation by the Foundation – and matches are played at U13, U15 and U17 levels.

In the Electric Ireland Schools’ Cup competitions for girls’ teams Belfast’s Dominican College won the Junior Cup and Holy Cross College Strabane were victorious in the Senior Cup decider.

St Paul’s High School Bessbrook won the mixed nine-a-side competition and in the new Further Education Cup competition Northern Regional College (Coleraine) ran out worthy winners against Impact Training at Inver Park. NIFL (Belfast Academy) were victorious at the Further Education Futsal Finals.

The Foundation’s Schools team continued to work with schools on improving internal structures to allow schools’ football to flourish, with 16 primary and six post primary schools completing the qualification in 2022.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

TEACHERS SAID THE SESSIONS HELPED CHILDREN TO

TAKE PART IN MORE FEEL POSITIVE GAIN DEVELOP BE HAPPY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ABOUT BEING ACTIVE CONFIDENCE SELF-ESTEEM IN SCHOOL 96% 92% 90% 97% 81%

THE SPORTS PROGRAMME HELPS INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO NEW SPORTS AND SKILLS AND AIMS TO DEVELOP A LIFELONG LOVE OF SPORT.

SCHOOLS SPORTS PROGRAMME

The Sports Programme helps introduce children to new sports and skills and aims to develop THE SESSIONS a lifelong love of sport. It is an exciting opportunity for schools to FOCUSED ON strengthen and deepen the delivery of the PE curriculum with support INCREASED SLEEP, provided to teachers and school leaders. During 2022 the sessions HYDRATION, CHILDwere attended by 16,128 pupils (8086 boys and 8042 girls). SIZED PORTIONS, An end of programme survey HEALTHY FOOD asked teachers to evaluate the programme and reflect on their own CHOICES, LIMITING development and the impact the programme had on their pupils. The SCREEN TIME AND overall rating of the programme was 92% excellent and 7% good, while MINIMISING INTAKE 94% of teachers said the programme and coach added value to PE OF HIGH FAT/SUGAR/ provision at KS2. In addition 88% of teachers said the programme helped SALT FOODS. them feel motivated to deliver PE.

The Schools Sports Programme, funded by the Department of Education, is a sports coaching programme for primary schools in Northern Ireland.

It is delivered by the Foundation’s Let Them Play Officers and Ulster GAA coaches and is aimed at pupils aged 7-11. The programme is designed to provide specialist expertise to support delivery of the Key Stage 2 (KS2) PE curriculum – and it ran in approximately 150 primary schools across Northern Ireland in 2022.

On a weekly basis Let Them Play Officers deliver 240 sessions during curriculum time in the areas of athletics, dance, games and gymnastics with the aim of raising confidence, resilience, self-esteem and motivation of all pupils.

In addition PE sessions focusing on topics such as bullying, healthy lifestyle choices and resilience were provided specifically during relevant awareness weeks. Themed sessions were held in May for Mental Health Awareness Week and in November for Anti-Bullying Week.

know-how for active kids’ sessions to pupils who participate in the Sports Programme.

Teachers said the sessions helped children to feel positive about being active (96%), gain confidence (92%), develop self-esteem (90%), be happy (97%), and to take part in more physical activity in school (81%).

The sessions focused on increased sleep, hydration, child-sized portions, healthy food choices, limiting screen time and minimising intake of high fat/sugar/salt foods. Safefood content has become part of the core messages within all Sports Programme sessions. The programme was delivered to 2545 pupils (1344 boys and 1201 girls) during the year.

15% of teachers said they would have delivered little or no activities if the programme support was not available.

Also, in partnership with Safefood, the Irish FA’s safe and healthy eating partner, LTPOs delivered ‘healthy

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

GRASSROOTS AND FOOTBALL BOOKS

The project offers primary and special needs schools the opportunity to encourage pupils to read books using football as a topic to stimulate reading activity.

An advisory group was established and included professionals from education.

In addition the Foundation embarked on a series of discussions with the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and actively explored a collaborative approach to enhancing the project and supporting a significant bid to funders.

NLT are the main operators of the Premier League Primary Stars programme delivered as part of many Premier League clubs’ community schemes, some of which have substantial budgets.

The discussions focused on how any partnership would work and how project outcomes would benefit the Foundation’s aims.

With support from NLT, the Foundation submitted a funding bid to the Big Lottery Fund in October 2022. A decision is pending.

THE PROJECT OFFERS PRIMARY AND SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENCOURAGE PUPILS TO READ BOOKS USING FOOTBALL AS A TOPIC TO STIMULATE READING ACTIVITY.

NORTHERN IRELAND BOYS’ FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

The Irish FA Foundation continues to support the Northern Ireland Boys’ FA (NIBFA).

Building on the positive return to play following the Covid-19 pandemic, NIBFA programmes continue to thrive through the activity of affiliated leagues.

This is reflected in the record number of 565 teams participating in the national cup competitions and the matching membership of more than 1700 teams.

NIBFA’s focus in the next three years is to help clubs stabilise and develop, with support and bursaries available across coach education, first aid and safeguarding.

The Association also undertook to supply sports safety goggles frames for young players with demand across all leagues for a total of 608 pairs.

During the year Jim Weir MBE revealed he would be stepping down as NIBFA secretary. NIBFA’S FOCUS IN Jim has spent 46 years as a THE NEXT THREE volunteer working tirelessly to achieve and create the best YEARS IS TO HELP environment where young footballers could enjoy and thrive in CLUBS STABILISE the game. He made an immense contribution AND DEVELOP, to youth football in Northern Ireland. WITH SUPPORT He was key to the establishment of the Dundonald Youth League, AND BURSARIES Northern Ireland Milk Cup (now SuperCup NI) and the NIBFA. AVAILABLE ACROSS COACH EDUCATION, FIRST AID AND SAFEGUARDING.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

OBJECTIVE 2 ADVANCING HEALTH AND WELLBEING

To advance the health and wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland by leading on the development of a Northern Irelandwide football and positive mental health campaign for men and women.

FRESH START THROUGH SPORT

The Fresh Start Through Sport programme was successfully delivered for a second year.

During the year the programme was delivered to 100 young people in east Belfast, Ards, Lurgan and Derry-Londonderry.

DURING THE YEAR THE PROGRAMME WAS DELIVERED TO 100 YOUNG PEOPLE IN EAST BELFAST, ARDS, LURGAN AND DERRYLONDONDERRY.

The initiative focuses on young males and females aged 1624 in Fresh Start areas across Northern Ireland who are at risk from paramilitarism and/or organised crime.

The inclusion of an ambassador programme and Open College Network (OCN) qualification in sport and volunteering enhanced the already successful programme.

Ulster University provided a positive evaluation of the programme, which is supported by Department for Communities, Department of Justice (Ending the Harm) and PSNI.

Along with Ulster University, the Foundation also made a presentation to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster on how sport can be used to tackle paramilitarism.

It is delivered by the Foundation in partnership with Ulster Rugby, Ulster GAA and the Belfast Giants.

STAY ONSIDE

The Foundation’s innovative Stay Onside programme, which is run in partnership with PSNI and Northern Ireland Prison Service, was delivered across all prison establishments in Northern Ireland and in the community to young people and young adults at risk of offending.

During the year Hydebank Wood College in south Belfast facilitated the delivery of the first female-only programme for inmates, and it proved to be a big success.

HMP Maghaberry and HMP Magilligan had several courses delivered, with HMP Maghaberry seeing both integrated and separated prisoners complete the programme.

Ulster University has been involved in designing the delivery of the modules, which have focused on a range of topics linked to the sociology of football.

Stay Onside community programmes continue to expand, with a wide range of programmes planned for delivery.

These programmes will help communities tackle antisocial behaviour, create safer communities and help young people into playing, coaching, refereeing and/or volunteering.

UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME

The success of both Fresh Start Through Sport and Stay Onside led to the United Nations funding the delivery of a new project which focuses on young people at risk of violent extremism.

There was a particular focus on female and ethnic minorities engagement.

As part of the initiative one of the programme ambassadors attended an event in Qatar prior to the start of FIFA World Cup 2022. She shared her story and inspired other young people.

The Foundation and the Belfast Giants delivered four programmes - in Coleraine, north Belfast, Carrickfergus and Newry - to more than 80 young people and adults.

The project was one of 10 chosen for delivery throughout the world - and endorsed the excellent work the Foundation is doing in this area.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

OBJECTIVE 3 ADVANCING EDUCATION

AHEAD OF THE GAME

Ahead of the Game (AOTG) is the Irish FA’s mental health programme for football clubs.

Their insight and knowledge has helped to build the programme and create quality content so that football can be used as a vehicle to support mental health awareness, tackle mental health issues and reduce the stigma around mental health.

In 2022 a total of 24 workshops were delivered across the country. There were 402 participants, with 307 of them male and 95 female.

AOTG is funded through the UEFA HatTrick programme focusing on the strand of Football Social Responsibility (FSR).

Some of the workshops were delivered virtually, but most were face-to-face. The return to in-person workshops following the pandemic was warmly welcomed by participants, according to research.

AHEAD OF THE GAME – MENTAL HEALTH CHAMPIONS

In addition a lecturer carried out research on the AOTG programme and concluded that volunteers “who had engaged in the Irish Football Association ‘Ahead of the Game’ programme demonstrated a significantly increased level of mental health literacy in comparison to those who had not”.

A huge success story within the Ahead of the Game programme was the launch of the Mental Health (MH) Champions initiative.

Initially prospective champions were required to complete applications to be regional volunteers to help clubs within their areas.

The aim was to find one volunteer for each of Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas.

Another exciting development has been ongoing work with AOTG partners to develop Ahead of the Game Youth.

The target was surpassed, however, due to the strength and depth of the applications and 23 eligible volunteers were selected to be MH Champions.

It is a games-based approach to mental health for youth teams and was successfully piloted among a handful of clubs in 2022.

The launch of the initiative took place in April 2022 and the volunteers were welcomed to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for food and conversation - and to be provided with an overview of the vision of the initiative.

The Foundation is continuing to work with Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues (TAMHI), Inspire Wellbeing and Sports Chaplaincy UK as part of the programme.

24 AOTG WORKSHOPS 402 PARTICIPANTS 307 95 MALE FEMALE

The vision is simple: to build capacity in the Foundation’s Ahead of the Game programme by having regional ambassadors promoting positive mental health awareness among clubs throughout Northern Ireland.

The launch event was supported by Irish FA Chief Executive Patrick Nelson and Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood.

Other organisations represented at the event included TAMHI, Inspire, GamCare, Sports Chaplaincy UK, Sport NI and the Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland, Professor Siobhan O’Neill.

One of the first areas of work was the champions linking in with AOTG partner TAMHI to help support clubs running mental health awareness tournaments across Northern Ireland in aid of Mental Health Awareness Week in May.

The MH Champions have also undertaken a range of training opportunities in mental health awareness, including Mental Health First Aid and how to deliver Ahead of the Game workshops.

A number of the MH Champions will be upskilled over time, not only to promote the AOTG programme to clubs and groups but also to deliver workshops and provide follow-up sessions.

OVERVIEW

During the year the Foundation’s Education and Employability programme continued to grow. 2022 saw the introduction of two new courses to the programme, a Social Media Awareness workshop and a Performance Analysis workshop.

The Foundation’s work placement programme returned following the pandemic. These placements provided placements varying between week-long, monthly and year-long, giving young people in education valuable industry experience both on and off the field.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

OBJECTIVE 4 ADVANCING INCLUSIVITY

32 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ENGAGED IN THE PROGRAMME

535 STUDENTS (AGED 14 - 18)

30+

TEACHERS UPSKILLED

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAMME

The Foundation’s Education and Employability Programme has been expanding and progressively changing over time.

They worked in the council areas of North Down and Ards, Belfast, Causeway Coast and Glens plus Antrim and Newtownabbey.

Street Soccer National Coaching Certificate courses across the country, helping several individuals to embark on coaching journeys.

Meanwhile, as a result of its affiliation with Ulster University Jordanstown and the parttime degree programme in Football Coaching and Business Management, the Foundation was able to formalise its placement programme involving students from the university.

Across Northern Ireland 32 educational institutions have participated in different aspects of the programme.

The Education Team welcomed several new schools to the programme during what was a productive year, while new courses and projects were also created.

Many students received learning opportunities during 2022, with 535 students between the ages of 14 and 18 and more than 30 teachers upskilling themselves.

The Foundation is aiming to offer more possibilities to young people throughout Northern Ireland thanks to plans to collaborate with several new schools, starting in September 2023.

It was agreed that third year students from the degree programme would join the organisation for a six to eight month internship in a variety of disciplines.

The students who participated also had the chance to gain experience by working on holiday camps and many other Foundation activities.

It also continues to work with and deliver Open College Network courses and this year delivered three

OVERVIEW

Disability football continues to grow rapidly with there now being more than 50 pan-disability clubs giving opportunities to those with disabilities to play the beautiful game.

The Northern Ireland senior

The Playmakers programme

women’s team’s participation at the Women’s Euros in July saw interest in women’s and girls’ football at an all-time high in Northern Ireland. Girls-only programmes continue to expand rapidly.

in partnership with UEFA and Disney continues to be delivered in 30 primary schools throughout Northern Ireland, engaging young girls and encouraging them to play the game outside school in clubs or at a Shooting Stars centre.

Let Them Play Officers offer free coaching to every special educational needs (SEN) school in the country and there are also impairment-specific opportunities for cerebral palsy, visual impairment and wheelchair users.

During 2022 the Foundation also focused on the development of female coaches with course timetables designed to suit candidates, mentor programmes, leadership programmes and female-only courses to encourage more female representation in all areas of the game.

The Foundation’s community relations work covers a large number of areas, ranging from anti-sectarianism workshops and anti-racism awareness campaigns to homeless programmes and a partnership with UEFA engaging with refugees.

The Electric Ireland Shooting Stars programme seeks to engage girls at the youngest age group and give them a lifelong love of the game. With 15 centres across the country, and an average of 25 girls at each centre, this programme will continue to encourage young girls to start their footballing journey.

Foundation staff also participated in two Erasmus programmes looking at bringing communities together throughout Europe.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

UEFA Disney Playmakers Programme

UEFA Playmakers delivers a fun and safe introduction to football through movement, play and the magic of Disney storytelling. It is aimed at girls aged five to eight.

28 966 SCHOOLS PARTICIPANTS

During the year 966 new participants took part in the programme. Focusing on developing fundamental movement, life skills and football skills, it involves girls playing out their favourite films and taking on the roles of some of the best loved characters of all time.

Foundation staff promote the programme through schools’ festivals. In 2022 they staged 24 festivals which were attended by more than 3,000 participants.

The next step for young players in the pathway would be linking in to their local clubs. The Foundation wants to encourage lifelong participation in football and believes it is important to provide a clear pathway for girls.

‘Moana’ is the most recent addition to the films used in the programme. The others are ‘Incredibles 2’ and ‘Frozen II’.

24 3,000 SCHOOLS’ PARTICIPANTS FESTIVALS

Within the Shooting Stars programme the Foundation helps to upskill young coaches to gain experience in both voluntary and paid employment.

The 2022 sessions were delivered across 28 new schools close to a Shooting Stars centre, helping to encourage girls to enter the Foundation’s girls’ and women’s player pathway.

The festivals create an experience for the young players to see exactly how a Shooting Stars session would work and what to expect.

The opportunities lead to the young coaches gaining knowledge and understanding of how to coach young people. This enables them to take part in grassroots introduction awards and then move up the coaching ladder.

The programme is the next step for During the year the Foundation Disney Playmakers participants. trained 14 new Playmaker deliverers Foundation staff create a friendly to help with the rollout of the and fun environment for young programme in schools.. females to gain confidence in Electric Ireland Shooting Stars themselves and their football.

15 578 CENTRES PARTICIPANTS

The Electric Ireland Shooting Stars programme gives young girls aged 4 to 11 an introduction to football.

The programme creates a clear pathway for young females from school to community. With 15 centres across the country, delivering to 578 participants during the year, the aim is to make sure every girl in Northern Ireland has the opportunity to be part of the programme.

The ethos of the programme is for girls to come along, have fun, meet new friends and learn new skills with the hope of falling in love with the game.

Girls-Only Small Sided Games

During the year the number of girls-only Small-Sided Games (SSG) centres expanded from five to seven.

The centres are thriving and have seen a huge increase in the number of registered teams over the past few years - and 2022 was significant as 54 new teams entered the two new centres.

Almost 180 girls’ teams are now playing in the Belfast City, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough, Lisburn and Castlereagh City, Derry City and Strabane District and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon district council areas.

That figure does not include clubs and teams playing in mixed programmes in Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas.

The plan each year is to strengthen the existing centres and expand to introduce girls-only centres in more areas, making football easily accessible for clubs.

The foundation also piloted single age bands in the Antrim and Newtownabbey programme as well as in the Belfast centre.

Meanwhile, 20 women from 13 different clubs across Northern Ireland graduated from the Female Football Leadership Programme during the year.

They were presented with their graduation certificates by Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood at a 54 special ceremony. NEW TEAMS ENTERED The event was hosted by broadcaster Denise Watson and featured a panel discussion with 2 Northern Ireland senior women’s NEW SSG CENTRES team captain Marissa Callaghan and defender Julie Nelson who highlighted the importance of developing and equipping women for 180 leadership positions within football. GIRLS’ TEAMS

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

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2
NCC COURSES
50+
PARTICIPANTS
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FEMALE COACH EDUCATION

During the year two female-only National Coaching Certificate courses were delivered, taking place in Belfast and Coleraine. More than 50 females took part across both courses.

Each course provided a positive learning environment for players, coaches and those returning to the game.

They helped support them in developing an understanding of the role of a coach through both theory sessions and practical sessions on the pitch.

The course format was hybrid to suit the needs of the candidates. Current players from the NIFL and NIWFA leagues were on the course along with current female international players.

The UEFA C diploma is a key participation award in the Irish FA coaching pathway. It provides candidates with the skills to provide a positive developmental experience that enhances players’ enjoyment, knowledge and skill regardless of age, ability, gender or background.

December 2022 saw the completion of a female-only UEFA C Licence coaching course, staged at Ulster University’s Jordanstown sports complex, by 17 females.

WOMEN’S FULL-TIME PROGRAMME

January 2022 saw the introduction of a seven-month full-time training programme to support the women’s senior team in preparation for the UEFA Women’s Euros finals, held in England in July 2022.

In addition to the training programme players also carried out ambassador activity which included visiting local schools and clubs, and attending various events. This activity helped to inspire the next generation of players and create greater visibility of girls’ and women’s football in Northern Ireland.

DOMESTIC LEAGUES THRIVE

Cliftonville Ladies became NIFL Danske Bank Women’s Premiership champions for the first time in 2022.

Glentoran Women defeated Crusaders Strikers 3-1 in the County Antrim FA Challenge Cup final at the Blanchflower Stadium.

The Electric Ireland Challenge Cup was also won by Glentoran Women for a fourth consecutive year, defeating Sion Swifts Ladies 2-1 in the decider at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association (NIWFA) leagues, Larne Women were triumphant in the Championship, which earned them promotion to the Premiership for 2023.

Ballymena United Women, who were runners-up in the Championship, also gained promotion to the expanded top flight, which now features 10 teams from across Northern Ireland.

The other NIWFA title winners were: Division 1 - Lisburn Rangers Ladies; Division 2 - Camlough Rovers Ladies; Division 3 - Ballymoney United Ladies; Division 4 - Craigavon City Ladies; Division 5A – Lisbellaw United Ladies; Division 5B - Draperstown Celtic Diamonds.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

DISABILITY FOOTBALL

The coaching programme continues to develop in special educational needs (SEN) settings across Northern Ireland.

Free coaching blocks remain popular, with 23 schools receiving 18 hours of coaching each during the year, with more than 500 pupils benefitting thanks to the support and delivery of the Foundation’s Let Them Play Officers.

The Foundation continues to support the creation of disability sections in mainstream clubs as part of the Inclusive Clubs project.

In 2022 disability sections were created at Cliftonville and Ballymena United. Support was also given to Orchardville and Destined who both now operate football teams for those with a learning disability.

The Foundation is also currently working with Dungannon Swifts, Cookstown Youth and Moyola Park to address the lack of opportunity in the Mid Ulster region. It is hoped all three clubs will have disability provision in 2023.

There are currently 57 clubs across Northern Ireland providing regular participation opportunities for those with a disability – and the Foundation continues to run several competitions for the clubs.

The first year of the Irish FA Foundation Junior Disability League saw 14 clubs competing in two age categories, 7-10 and 11-14. There were two divisions in the 11-14 age band to suit ability levels.

The George Best Community Cup attracted 53 teams from across the UK and Ireland. The annual five-aside competition for adults with a disability was once again staged at the Billy Neill complex in Dundonald during the summer.

During the year 23 teams competed in the Irish FA Foundation Senior Disability League across four ability bands. More than 60 games were played per monthly session between October and May.

The winners of each section were:

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There were four ability bands
October and May. 7-10 Glentoran
(divisions) in the competition.
The winners of each section were: 11-14 Glentoran The winners were:
Premiership
Premiership Linfield Premiership Linfield
11-14 Hanover All Stars
Championship Linfield B Championship (Portadown) Championship Eaton Socon
(Cambridgeshire)
League 1 St James’ Swifts C
League 1 Glentoran
League 2 CSP
League 2 Hillsborough Boys
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The Northern Ireland Cerebral Palsy (CP) squad competed in the 2022 World Championships held in Salou in Spain during April/May.

In the Senior Home Nations competition Northern Ireland finished third behind winners England and Republic of Ireland. Scotland were fourth.

A two-hour disability awareness module was also delivered as part of the Connect and Stay Onside programmes to eight groups, attracting over 100 participants.

The Junior CP development squad continues to grow with more than 20 players registered and they enjoyed competing in the Irish FA Foundation Junior Disability League in its first season.

In the Home Nations development competition England were first once again and Northern Ireland finished as runners-up. The Republic of Ireland were third and Scotland fourth.

The Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters’ Club Ulster Disability Footballer of the Year 2022 award was won by Linfield Disability FC goalkeeper Dylan McCready.

Linfield secured the league and Community Cup double during the year and Dylan played a huge part in that. Ballymena United manager David Jeffrey was on hand to present Dylan with his richly deserved award.

Meanwhile, Trailblazers Powerchair Football Club (Belfast) finished in second place in the AIPF Powerchair League that involves clubs from across the island of Ireland. Lightning PFC (Lisburn) finished in fifth place with Enniskillen-based side Devenish Warriors finishing seventh.

The senior Northern Ireland team had several training sessions during 2022 as they look forward to competing in the FIPFA World Cup in October 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

Coach education remains an important supporting structure in this area of football development.

The Northern Ireland senior and development Powerchair Football squads played in the 2022 Home Nations Championships staged in Blair Mayne Leisure Complex in Newtownards.

During the year six IFA Level 1 Coaching Disabled Footballers courses were delivered to 100plus coaches.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

IRISH FA FOUNDATION DISABILITY FOOTBALL

2022 Participation

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Programme Frequency Details Participation
Numbers
Schools coaching (special education) Weekly 1 hr sessions 21 schools 251
per school (minimum
6 sessions)
Clubs Weekly 57 clubs in Northern 2350
Ireland catering for
various disabilities
Irish FA Foundation Disability League – Monthly National League 196
Seniors, ages 15+ 28 teams
Irish FA Foundation Disability League – Monthly National Leagues 120
Juniors, ages 7-10 & 11-14 18 teams
Special Olympics 7-a-side League Monthly 11 teams 132
International Cerebral Palsy Fortnightly National Squads 40
Junior & Senior
Visual Impairment Weekly Two clubs - 34
Lisburn & Londonderry
Junior & Senior sections
Powerchair Football Clubs (3) Weekly Three clubs - 28
Belfast, Lisburn &
Enniskillen
Powerchair Football International Fortnightly Belfast 12
Frame Football Weekly One club - Coleraine 8
Coach Education 6 x IFA Level 1 CDFA 118
4 x Disability Module 92
through Connect project
Walking Football Weekly 14 groups across NI 250
Total 3631
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Despite the pandemic, the foundation’s community relations work reached all corners of Northern Ireland during the year. There was plenty of online activity, and when Covid restrictions began to ease later in the year in-person events and activities returned.

Foundation staff continue to

EVERYBODY’S GAME

Foundation staff continue to UEFA FOOTBALL AND

promote good relations through the REFUGEES reach of the Foundation and the power of football.

The Foundation’s racism awareness and equality course, Everybody’s Game, was delivered widely across Northern Ireland in 2022.

The UEFA Football and Refugees programme has allowed the Foundation to directly help refugees and asylum seekers within Northern Ireland.

CONNECT

It was run in youth settings, schools, clubs, programmes for refugees and as part of the Foundation’s Connect programme.

The Connect programme offers good relations and educational modules to increase diversity and mutual understanding through football.

Foundation staff have been running weekly sessions at several different facilities to accommodate as many groups as possible.

Everybody’s Game workshops are continually evolving to reflect contemporary issues surrounding football.

Working with delivery partners, the programme is often bespoke to the needs of participating groups in order to have the most impact.

As part of a focus on integration, tickets to games as well as stadium tours were provided.

COMMON GROUND

Alongside a number of core modules, Everybody’s Game and Common Ground workshops, topics featured under the programme cover a range of awareness pieces.

The Foundation also ran tournaments, while participants directly benefitted from a staff kit donation project.

Common Ground, the Foundation’s anti-sectarianism course supporting good relations within sport, was delivered to numerous clubs and communities during the year as part of the Connect programme.

In addition a Refugee National Coaching Certificate (NCC) and Connect programme for male and female refugees was delivered.

Connect, which also offers pathways into the game via volunteering, refereeing and coaching qualifications, continued to grow in 2022, with a range of groups completing the programme.

It was also delivered as part of Fresh Start through Sport, both as a module and as a standalone workshop.

Participants were also signposted to volunteer opportunities within the Foundation and clubs.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

VETERANS SUPPORT

During the year, in partnership with Andy Allen Veterans Support NI, the Foundation supported a number of projects and programmes for veterans.

One of the highlights was a Family Fun Day staged at Ardnavally Outdoor Activity Centre.

A range of coach education opportunities were provided, from National Coaching Certificate courses up to UEFA A courses.

Families of veterans have been key to the partnership. Stadium tours as well as seasonal camps have been organised by veterans and their families with support from Foundation and Irish FA staff.

STADIUM COMMUNITY OUTREACH

In partnership with community groups, the Foundation continued to provide opportunities and activities for residents who live near the stadium.

During the Christmas period there was a festive ball for young people. For seniors in the area a tea dance was held at the National Football Stadium with entertainment and a Christmas dinner.

Prior to international games those living close to the stadium were invited to fan zones.

The Foundation also ran seasonal camps for children as part of its engagement work with the Irish FA’s neighbours.

SPORT TOGETHER

The Foundation continued to play a key role in Sport Together, a cross-European project aimed at strengthening social inclusion in divided communities.

The project has a focus on young people and girls and to increase

participation of disadvantaged groups - in particular refugees and newly-arrived migrants and minorities - in grassroots sport.

The Foundation also hosted partners from across Europe to exchange ideas on best practice.

The partners got the opportunity to attend the Northern Ireland v Kosovo UEFA Nations League match in September and to take a tour of Belfast to learn about the city’s history.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, with seven partner countries, it is aiming to tackle threats to social cohesion through training, education, awareness-raising, capacity-building of sport stakeholders and crosscommunity youth sport.

BAME SUPPORT

The Foundation extended engagement with BAME community groups, creating new working relationships. Bespoke programmes were delivered through recreational sessions linked with a range of workshops on topics including mental health, anti-racism, anti-sectarianism, trauma support, resilience training and formal coach education.

During 2022 - the second year of the project - the Foundation worked with various groups to develop learning and opportunities for under-represented groups in post conflict regions.

Crusaders Strikers represented Northern Ireland at a Sport Together event in Austria which focused on cooperation through football.

SAFEGUARDING

Strong and robust safeguarding practice often provides the platform for children and young people to thrive and have a positive experience in youth football. It not only informs the culture that football is played in but equips those delivering the activity with the necessary skills to address any issues as they arise.

A key element to this will always be education. It is therefore vital that the Association provides appropriate training to the army of volunteers who commit their time to ensure the delivery of youth football.

The Association believes safeguarding training and education should be delivered at every level.

The Irish FA invited the NSPCC to deliver board level training to members of the Irish FA, Foundation and Stadium Development Company boards. Training covered a range of topics, including the roles and responsibilities of senior leaders and management regarding organisational safeguarding.

2022 also saw the appointment of Cheryl Lamont CBE as the Irish FA Board’s Safeguarding Champion. Cheryl is a retired Chief Executive Officer of a high-profile public service organisation in Northern Ireland. She is a professionally qualified social worker, holds a master’s in business administration and is a Churchill Fellow, having undertaken international research in domestic violence in the USA. Cheryl was appointed to the position of Deputy Lieutenant in the County Borough of Belfast in September 2022. Cheryl became a member of the The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) in February 2023 by public appointment.

awareness about issues faced by children and young people.

The Royal Belgian FA hosted the 2022 UEFA Child and Youth Protection Summit which enabled safeguarding leads from European national associations to share experience, practices, challenges and resources in the area of child safeguarding.

Ashleigh Flanigan, Irish FA Mental Health Champion and lead coach at Castle Ladies, delivered the session and follow-up work which was featured across Irish FA social media channels.

The Safeguarding Team will Let Them Play Officers donned endeavour to implement the ‘Odd Socks’ and delivered learnings from the summit in the educational sessions in primary delivery of safeguarding work schools, demonstrating their ability across the Association - and to deliver not just an enjoyable continue to build on the support activity but one that can support network available from other the physical and mental wellbeing national associations. of young people.

The Irish FA attended the European Football Development Network conference in Budapest in Hungary and was invited to participate in panel discussion groups on THE ASSOCIATION child online protection and what can be implemented at a club/ BELIEVES organisational level. This was followed up with SAFEGUARDING breakout sessions, allowing the Irish FA the opportunity to TRAINING AND highlight key areas of its work EDUCATION SHOULD to all participants and provide examples of its good practice. BE DELIVERED AT Campaigns continued across Northern Ireland throughout EVERY LEVEL.

Campaigns continued across Northern Ireland throughout 2022, with the Irish FA supporting Parents in Sport Week. It aims to raise awareness of the vital role parents/guardians play in a child’s participation in football and how they can address any concerns they may have that relate to their participation in football.

The Safeguarding Team engaged with the Northern Ireland AntiBullying Forum in the production of resources specific to football clubs to mark Anti-Bullying Week.

Castle Ladies FC demonstrated how clubs can tailor basic football training sessions to raise

Irish FA Foundation Limited

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Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022
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FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

2023 will be headlined by the launch of a newly established Irish FA Foundation purpose document, which will be combined with new Foundation objectives and the launch of a four-year disability strategy.

Building on the legacy of the Northern Ireland senior women’s team’s Euro 2022 success, now more than ever young girls and boys are interested in playing football.

Guided by the Irish FA corporate strategy ‘A Roadmap for Football’, operationally the Foundation will implement structural and strategy changes to maximise strategic targets.

Focusing on empowering more people and clubs, together with partners, the Foundation will endeavour to ensure that there is a safe, inclusive and accessible opportunity for every person in Northern Ireland to enjoy football.

The Foundation’s three priority areas for 2023 are to:

With a Foundation purpose underpinned by a philosophy to ‘build capacity and leave a legacy’, it is anticipated that in 2023 the impact of the Foundation programmes will be felt more than ever before across schools, clubs and communities.

(1) increase youth football participation;
(2) further develop girls’ and women’s opportunities; and
(3) expand on corporate social responsibility impact.

...ENSURE THAT THERE IS A SAFE, INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY PERSON IN NORTHERN IRELAND TO ENJOY FOOTBALL.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

GOVERNANCE

FINANCIAL REVIEW

For the year ended 31 December 2022 the Foundation had total income of £3,675k (2021: £2,546k) and total reserves at the end of the year of £1,653k (2021: £1,536k).

RESERVES POLICY

A financial target of the Foundation is to hold reserves equal to the anticipated operating expenditure for a normal six-month period.

PRINCIPAL FUNDING SOURCES

For the year ended 31 December 2022 the principal sources of funding for the Foundation were as follows:

Sponsorship from partner organisations in the private sector, such as McDonald’s and M&S
Income from education and coaching activities
Grant funding from partner organisations in the sporting sector including UEFA and FIFA
Grant funding from partners in the public sector, including the European Union, Department for Communities, Department for Education and Belfast City Council
Grant funding from partners in the philanthropic and charitable sectors

INVESTMENT POLICY AND OBJECTIVES

The Foundation takes a risk averse view on investment of cash reserves and as such maintains a regular current account with a major high street bank in which all funds are held.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the Foundation is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.

The trustees are aware of potential internal and external risks faced by the Foundation and assess those risks on a regular basis. Additionally they undertake a formal risk management exercise annually.

The key risks at the present time relate to the health and safety of participants in the Foundation’s activities and the safeguarding of children and young people that are involved in the Foundation’s activities. The Foundation has appropriate policies in place to manage these identified risks and all staff receive training to embed these policies in the day-to-day activities.

Other risks and emerging risks are monitored by the Foundation and relevant controls implemented to manage these risks in line with the Foundation’s risk appetite set by the Board.

Management’s going concern assessment has taken into consideration the current financial position and principal risks facing the entity, and consider that there is no material uncertainty relating to going concern.

The key judgments and estimates used to arrive at this conclusion include:

The Foundation has sufficient liquidity and cash flow availability on an ongoing basis
Confidence from UEFA on the growth of their HatTrick programme and confirmed growth within FIFA’s Forward programmes.
Support from various levels of government, including financial assistance
Mitigating actions and processes implemented to ensure an effective control environment and availability of relevant management information on a continuing basis.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Foundation’s vision is to create an environment in which everyone - staff, participants and the wider community - has equal, dignified ease of access to our organisation, services and facilities. The Foundation’s aim is to be inclusive, supportive, fair and free from discrimination. The Foundation aims to actively promote equality and diversity and ensure that the legislation and policy requirements within the nine protected characteristics of equality and diversity are implemented into all working practices.

EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES

Applications for employment by disabled persons are always considered fully, bearing in mind the aptitudes of the applicant concerned. It is the policy of the Foundation that the training, career development and promotion of disabled people should, as far as possible, be identical to that of other employees. So, in the event that a member of staff becomes disabled, we will make every effort to ensure that their employment with the Foundation continues. This includes making any proper adjustments necessary to accommodate their disability.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Irish FA Foundation is managed and controlled by its trustees who sit as its Board of Directors. The Board is made up of six members, three of which are appointed following public advertisement and the remaining three are nominated by the sole member (Irish FA). In accordance with the Articles of Association the three members nominated by the Association cannot hold a directorship at the Irish FA at the same time as being a trustee and director of the Foundation.

The Irish FA Senior Leadership Team provide executive day-today management functions for the Foundation and the Chief Executive of the Irish FA, who is not a director of the Irish FA, sits as one of the Irish FA nominees on the Foundation Board.

The Foundation operates within the governance framework of the Charity Commission and the Irish FA. Detailed descriptions and explanations of the Irish FA corporate governance environment are available in its Annual Report and Financial Statements.

INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF TRUSTEES

The trustees receive an induction upon appointment to the Board and undertake regular training and development. The Board convenes sessions to review governance practice and enhance professional competence required for the role of trustee.

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Trustee Jan Feb Apr Jun Sep Nov
David Martin
Patrick Nelson
Allen McKinstry
Ryan Adams
Clare McAuley
Alan Willis
Attended Absent
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The programme of business is prepared in conjunction with the annual programme for the Senior Leadership Team meetings, to ensure consistency and fluid reporting to the Board as and when required. All Trustees are expected to attend all Board meetings and details of attendance at meetings during the year are set out in this section. Trustees who were unable to attend specific meetings reviewed the relevant papers and provided their comments to the Chairman of the Board. Any Trustee who misses a meeting will, as a matter of course, receive the minutes of that meeting for reference.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

All service by Board trustees is on a voluntary basis, with time and expertise freely donated to the work of the Irish FA Foundation. The Board continued to strengthen performance through recruitment, evaluation, and training. We thank them for their continuing input and support.

BOARD MEETINGS

Board meetings are planned six times per year to discuss and agree on various strategic matters. The Chairman, in conjunction with the CEO and the Company Secretary, plans an annual programme of business prior to the start of each financial year. This ensures that essential topics are covered at appropriate times, and that space is built in to give the Board the opportunity to have in-depth discussions on key issues.

David Martin Trustee and Chairman Date: 20 April 2023

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Foundation and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the Foundation for that period.

STATEMENT OF DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS

In so far as the trustees are aware:

There is no relevant audit information of which the Foundation’s auditor is unaware
The Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The auditors,

Make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, have indicated their willingness to remain in office and a resolution for their re-election will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

State whether applicable accounting standards, comprising FRS 102, have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements

The trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on their behalf.

Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Foundation will continue in business

David Martin

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Foundation and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Foundation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Trustee and Chairman

Date: 20 April 2023

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF IRISH FA FOUNDATION LIMITED

Report on the audit of the financial statements

OPINION

sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, Irish FA Foundation Limited’s financial statements (the “financial statements”):

statements and our auditors’ report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this report, any form of assurance thereon.

INDEPENDENCE

•● give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2022 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, and cash flows, for the year then ended;

We remained independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

•● have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland”, and applicable law); and

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date on which the financial statements are authorised for issue.

•● have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report and Financial Statements (the “Annual Report”), which comprise: the Charity balance sheet as at 31 December 2022; the statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account) and the statement of cash flow for the year then ended and the notes to the financial statements, which include the accounting policies.

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not a guarantee as to the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

With respect to the Trustees’ Annual Report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the UK Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011 have been included.

BASIS FOR OPINION

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is

Based on our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006 requires us also to report certain opinions and matters as described below.

REPORTING ON OTHER INFORMATION

The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we did not identify any material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THE AUDIT

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The trustees are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees

either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

AUDITORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Based on our understanding of the charitable company, we identified that the principal risks of noncompliance with laws and regulations and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and Regulation (8) of The Charities (Accounts and Reports)

Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to manipulate financial results, including the recognition of incoming resources, and management bias in accounting estimates or significant judgements. Audit procedures performed included:

Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account combinations;
Assessed management’s compliance with the commitments under their restricted funds;
Discussions with management, including consideration of known or suspected instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations and fraud;
Reviewing the charitable

company’s litigation register as far as it related to non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud; and

Reviewing relevant meeting minutes, including those of the Trustees.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions reflected in financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations or through collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the

financial statements is located on the FRC’s website at: www.frc. org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.

USE OF THIS REPORT

This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the charity’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

OTHER REQUIRED REPORTING

COMPANIES ACT 2006 EXCEPTION REPORTING

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

•● we have not obtained all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
•● adequate accounting records have not been kept or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
•● the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns.

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.

ENTITLEMENT TO EXEMPTIONS

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion, the trustees were not entitled to: prepare financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime; take advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report; and take advantage of the small companies exemption from preparing a Strategic Report. We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.

Martin Cowie Senior Statutory Auditor

for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Belfast 31 May 2023

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

for the year ended 31 December 2022

		2022		2021
		Restricted Funds Un- restricted Funds Total Funds 2022	Restricted Funds	Un- restricted Funds	Total Funds 2021
	Note	£000 £000 £000	£000	£000	£000
Incoming resources
Incoming resources from generated funds	4
Contributions from governing bodies		1,478 - 1,478	939	-	939
Coaching, education and training		- 526 526	-	515	515
Sponsorship income		312 - 312	218	-	218
Grant funding		1,313 - 1,313	850	-	850
Income from other trading activities
Income from other trading activities	5	- 46 46	-	24	24
Total incoming resources/income		3,103 572 3,675	2,007	539	2,546
Resources expended/expenditure
Charitable activities	6	(3,289) - (3,289)	(2,173)		(2,173)
Support costs	7	(269) - (269)	(299)		(299)
Total resources expended/expenditure		(3,558) - (3,558)	(2,472)		(2,472)
Net (outgoing)/incoming resources before transfers		(455) 572 117	(465)	539	74
Transfer between funds		455 (455) -	465	(465)	-
Net movement in funds		- 117 117	-	74	74
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward		- 1,536 1,536	-	1,462	1,462
Total funds carried forward		- 1,653 1,653	-	1,536	1,536

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

CHARITY BALANCE SHEET

Registered No. NI642595

at 31 December 2022

at 31 December 2022
		2022	2021
	Note	£000	£000
Current assets
Debtors	10	2,373	2,591
Cash and cash equivalents		122	641
		2,495	3,232
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	11	(842)	(1,696)
Net current assets		1,653	1,536
Net assets		1,653	1,536

The funds of the charity
Unrestricted funds	15	1,653	1,536
Restricted funds	15	-	-
Total funds		1,653	1,536

The notes on pages 53 to 59 are an integral part of these financial statements.

The financial statements on pages 50 to 59 were approved by the trustees on 20 April 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:

David Martin Trustee and Chairperson Date: 20 April 2023

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW

for the year ended 31 December 2022

	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Cash generated from operating activities
Net outgoing/(incoming) resources before transfers	117	74
Movement in debtors	218	(595)
Movement in creditors	(854)	851
Cash infow/(outfow) from operating activities	(519)	330
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year	641	311
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	122	641

2022	2021
£000	£000
Cash and cash equivalents consists of:
Cash and cash equivalents 122	641
Total cash and cash equivalents at end of the year 122	641

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

statements. Thus, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Irish FA Foundation Limited is a private company limited by guarantee, incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Belfast, BT12 6LU.

c) Incoming resources

Income is recognised when the Foundation is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

Donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Foundation has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under gift aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

a) Basis of Preparation

The Foundation’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) effective 1 January 2015 (Charities SORP (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

On receipt, donated facilities or gifts in kind are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the Foundation which is the amount the Foundation would be willing to pay to obtain services and facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market, a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Irish FA Foundation Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost and transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s). The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis. Taking account of the risk review undertaken by the Trustees they do not consider there to be a risk to the going concern status of the Foundation.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the Foundation has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grant have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

b) Going concern

d) Resources expended

At the time of approving the accounts, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Foundation has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and it is not anticipated that significant losses will be incurred over the period of 12 months from signing the financial

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Support costs are those functions

that assist the work of the Foundation but do not directly undertake charitable activities.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the Foundation in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to supply them. Support costs are allocated to their relevant activity based on the income received.

Pension Costs

The Foundation operates a defined contribution scheme for its employees. Contributions are charged to the statement of financial activities in the period to which they relate.

e) Fund accounting

The Foundation has various types of funds for which it its responsible and which require specific disclosure. A definition of the different types is as follows:

Restricted Funds

Restricted funds are to be used for specified purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of overheads and support costs.

Unrestricted Funds

Funds which are expendable at the discretion of the Foundation in furtherance of the purpose of the charity. In addition to expenditure on activities, such funds may be held in order to finance capital investment and working capital.

f) Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents includes cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks.

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

g) Foreign currency

Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of transactions and from the translation at period- end exchange rates of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Foreign exchange gains and losses that relate to borrowings and cash and cash equivalents are presented in the Statement of Financial Activities. Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the spot exchange rates at the dates of the transactions. At each period end foreign currency monetary items are translated using the closing rate.

h) Grants payable

Grants are recognised in the accounts as liabilities after they have been approved by the trustees even if there are conditions attached to them. This is because there is a valid expectation by the recipients that they will receive the grant.

Where a grant is awarded for a period of greater than one year, future instalments of which are subject to satisfactory reports to the Foundation, the future grant instalments are included in commitments but are not recognised in the accounts until satisfactory reports are received. This is because the terms on which these grants are awarded do not create a valid expectation of receipt until the Foundation’s trustees are satisfied with the reports received on the use made of the previous year’s instalments.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

i) Financial instruments

The Foundation has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial instruments are recognised in the Foundation’s balance sheet when the Foundation becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities measured at amortised cost using are offset, with the net amounts the effective interest method. presented in the financial statements, 2. CRITICAL ACCOUNTING when there is a legally enforceable JUDGEMENTS AND right to set off the recognised ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTY amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise Estimates and judgments are the asset and settle the liability continually evaluated and are based simultaneously. on historical experience and other

Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Critical judgements in applying the entity’s accounting policies.

There are no critical judgements in applying the Foundation’s accounting policies.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions.

There are no critical estimates and assumptions.

3. LEGAL STATUS OF THE FOUNDATION

The Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding-up is limited to £1.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

4. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM GENERATED FUNDS

4. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM GENERATED FUNDS
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Contributions from footballgoverningbodies	1,478	939
Coaching, education & training	526	515
Sponsorshipincome	312	218
Grant funding	1,313	850
Total	3,629	2,522

5. INCOME FROM OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

5. INCOME FROM OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Other income	46	24

6. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES EXPENDITURE

6. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES EXPENDITURE
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Wages and salaries	1,607	1,518
Events & competitions	958	288
Equipment & facilities	526	205
Grantsprovided	198	162
Total	3,289	2,173

7. SUPPORT COSTS EXPENDITURE

7. SUPPORT COSTS EXPENDITURE
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Wages and salaries	121	101
Administration &professional fees	148	198
Total	269	299

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

8. NET (OUTGOING)/INCOMING RESOURCES

8. NET (OUTGOING)/INCOMING RESOURCES
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
This is stated after charging:
Salaries	1,482	1,410
Social securitycosts	142	125
Otherpension costs	104	84
Staff costs	1,728	1,619

9. EMPLOYEES AND DIRECTORS

Employees

The average monthly number of employees employed by the Foundation during the year was:

	2022	2021
	Number	Number
Average	57	59

10. DEBTORS

	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Trade debtors	2,067	2,403
Prepayments and accrued income	306	188
Total	2,373	2,591

11. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

11. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Trade Creditors	78	166
Accruals and deferred income	697	1,498
Other taxation and social security	67	32
Total	842	1,696

Deferred income relates to fundraising income and contributions from governing bodies recognised over more than one financial year in accordance with the accounting policy stated in note 1.

Trustees

During the year no trustee received any emoluments (2021: £Nil).

Key management compensation

The compensation paid or payable to key management for employee services is shown below

	2022	2021
	£000	£000
Keymanagement compensation	232	175

£155k of Key Management Compensation was paid, and the charge borne, by the Irish Football Association (2021: £120k).

12. DEFERRED INCOME

12. DEFERRED INCOME
	At	Amounts Additional At
	1 January	released in provisions 31 December
	2022	theyear made 2022
	£000	£000 £000 £000
Contributions from football	589	(262) 81 408
governing bodies
Coaching, education & training	8	(8) 27 27
Sponsorshipincome	82	(293) 260 49
Grant funding	669	(1,251) 691 109
Total	1,348	(1,814) 1,059 593

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2022

13. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Foundation has the following financial instruments:

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |2022|2021| |£000|£000| |Financial assets held at amortised cost| |Trade debtors|2,067|2,403| |Accrued income|165|118| |Total|2,232|2,521|

----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |Financial liabilities held at amortised cost| |Trade creditors|78|166| |Accruals|104|150| |Total|182|316|

----- End of picture text -----

14. TAXATION

investments and surpluses on any trading activities carried on in furtherance of the Foundation’s primary objectives, if these profits and surpluses are applied solely for charitable purposes.

15. ANALYSIS OF CHARITABLE FUNDS (continued)

Restricted Funds

----- Start of picture text -----
||| |---|---| |£000| |At 1 January 2022|-| |Contributions from governing bodies|1,478| |Sponsorship income|312| |Grant funding|1,313| |Net outgoing resources before transfers|(3,558)| |Transfer from unrestricted funds|455| |At 31 December 2022|-|

----- End of picture text -----

the restricted fund for the year.

16. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

----- Start of picture text -----
||||| |---|---|---|---| |Restricted|Unrestricted|Total| |Funds|Funds|Funds| |£000|£000|£000| |Net current assets|-|1,653|1,653| |Total|-|1,653|1,653|

----- End of picture text -----

15. ANALYSIS OF CHARITABLE FUNDS

Unrestricted Funds

----- Start of picture text -----
||| |---|---| |£000| |At 1 January 2022|1,536| |Coaching, education and training|526| |Other trading activities|46| |Net outgoing resources before transfers|-| |Transfer to restricted funds|(455)| |At 31 December 2022|1,653|

----- End of picture text -----

17. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS AND ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY

Transactions with related parties included:

Transactions with the Irish Football Association Limited of £1,035k (2021: £1,265k)
Grant funding of £500k from Irish Football Association released in 2022, with £100k included in deferred income at year-end (2021: £600k)
Amounts receivable at the year-end of £2,025k (2021: £1,971k) due from the Irish Football Association Limited
Amounts payable at the year-end of £391 (2021: £Nil) due to the IFA Stadium Development Company Limited
Purchases at normal market prices totalling £1,448 (2021: £455) were made from Tri-sport Trophies Limited, who are controlled by a family member of a current Director. The balance outstanding at 31 December 2022 was £Nil (2021: £Nil).

18. LIABILITY OF MEMBERS

Irish Football Association Ltd is a company limited by guarantee. The liability of the members is limited to an amount not exceeding £1.

19. FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS

Irish FA Foundation Limited

Directors/Trustees

David Martin (Chairman) Patrick Nelson Allen McKinstry Ryan Adams Clare McAuley Alan Willis

Company Secretary

Rebekah Shearer

The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park Donegall Avenue Belfast BT12 6LU

Bankers

Ulster Bank 91-93 University Road Belfast BT7 1NG

Solicitors

A&L Goodbody 42-46 Fountain Street Belfast BT1 5EF

King & Gowdy 298 Upper Newtownards Road Belfast BT4 3EJ

Independent Auditors

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Merchant Square 20-22 Wellington Place Belfast BT1 6GE

Registered number: NI642595 Charity Commission number: NIC 106229 Inland Revenue Charity number: NI00616

IRISH FA FOUNDATION LIMITED

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTENTS

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Financial Statements

THE CHARITY’S OBJECTIVES ARE:

1.

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT/ PUBLIC BENEFIT

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

PUBLIC BENEFIT

OBJECTIVE 1 ADVANCING FOOTBALL

OVERVIEW

CLUB DEVELOPMENT – PEOPLE AND CLUBS

YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAMME

SPORT – A HOME FOR LIFELONG VOLUNTEERING

MENTALLY HEALTH FOOTBALL FORUM

SPORTS INSPIRE AWARDS

VOLUNTEERING

SPORT – AMATEUR GAME DEVELOPMENT

MCDONALD’S PROGRAMMES

MCDONALD’S GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL AWARDS

The 2022 winners in each category were:

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

BACK IN THE GAME

SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL

TEACHERS SAID THE SESSIONS HELPED CHILDREN TO

SCHOOLS SPORTS PROGRAMME

GRASSROOTS AND FOOTBALL BOOKS

NORTHERN IRELAND BOYS’ FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

OBJECTIVE 2 ADVANCING HEALTH AND WELLBEING

FRESH START THROUGH SPORT

STAY ONSIDE

UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME

OBJECTIVE 3 ADVANCING EDUCATION

AHEAD OF THE GAME

AHEAD OF THE GAME – MENTAL HEALTH CHAMPIONS

OVERVIEW

OBJECTIVE 4 ADVANCING INCLUSIVITY

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAMME

OVERVIEW

GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

UEFA Disney Playmakers Programme

Girls-Only Small Sided Games

FEMALE COACH EDUCATION

WOMEN’S FULL-TIME PROGRAMME

DOMESTIC LEAGUES THRIVE

DISABILITY FOOTBALL

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

IRISH FA FOUNDATION DISABILITY FOOTBALL

Foundation staff continue to

EVERYBODY’S GAME

CONNECT

COMMON GROUND

VETERANS SUPPORT

STADIUM COMMUNITY OUTREACH

SPORT TOGETHER

BAME SUPPORT

SAFEGUARDING

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

GOVERNANCE

FINANCIAL REVIEW

RESERVES POLICY

PRINCIPAL FUNDING SOURCES

INVESTMENT POLICY AND OBJECTIVES

RISK MANAGEMENT

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF TRUSTEES

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

BOARD MEETINGS

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

STATEMENT OF DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

David Martin

Trustee and Chairman

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF IRISH FA FOUNDATION LIMITED

OPINION

INDEPENDENCE

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN