Strategic Planning Guidelines - The Irish Sports Council

• A way of building consensus and shared ownership on what constitutes a “desirable
future” and how to achieve it, giving real purpose to the partnership
• A working tool to focus on outcomes over a defined period, using hard facts wherever
possible
• A way of building effective interaction with other bodies
And is not:
• Needed purely to get funding and therefore determined almost completely by the
policies, requirements or assumed expectations of funding bodies
• An occasional burst of activity
• An unrealistic wish list for some time in the future
• Restrictive – it can be changed to suit changing circumstances
• A panacea for all problems
• Good in theory but useless in practice
• Something which takes forever
• A large book, which sits on a shelf or in a drawer
The best plans are short and simple – most people cannot be bothered to read long,
involved documents - and implemented.
When Should NGBs Discuss their Strategic Plan with the Irish Sports Council?
NGBs should keep the Irish Sports Council apprised of progress at each stage of the
strategic planning process. The NGBs are a key delivery mechanism identified in the Irish
Sports Council Strategy. As a result, it is important that their strategies are informed of
new developments at national level. Therefore, the Irish Sports Council and NGBs should
be in regular contact at all stages in the planning process.
Each NGB will decide on how it wants to proceed with its strategic planning. However, in
terms of progressing in line with Government and Irish Sports Council policy priorities and
in the context of the need to create real working partnerships, NGBs should contact the
Irish Sports Council:
1 Before the start of the process: at this point the Irish Sports Council will ensure that the
NGB is fully aware of Government and Irish Sports Council policy. This is the context
in which the plan will be set and should be kept in mind throughout the strategic
planning process.
10