Ninth Level Ireland

“NUI Galway are applying a 5% interest rate on the student contribution towards the bill for building the Sports Centre and redeveloping Áras na Mac Léinn. This contribution takes the form of €100, contained within in the NUI Galway student levy which is €224 in total. All students must pay this levy in September of every year …” (more)

[Aine Kenny, SIN, 3 April]

“Sports club auditors were tonight handed a document by UCD Staff calling for their support to maintain the student levy at its current rate or else face cuts to student services across campus. The document handed to auditors mentions that certain clubs would face closures, be forced to pay rent for facilities and would see supports for teams reduced if the levy was not continued …” (more)

[Aaron Bowman, College Tribune, 4 March]

“The head of Munster Rugby says he hopes the province can develop its commercial relationship with the University of Limerick in the years to come. CEO Garrett Fitzgerald made his comments at the official opening of Munster’s High Performance Centre and UL’s new 25 metre diving pool …” (more)

[David Hurley, Limerick Leader, 3 April]

“Students at University College Cork (UCC) could be paying an extra €50 a year to fund improved sports and recreation facilities if a vote that concludes today is passed. The referendum to increase the student capitation is backed by the UCC Department of Sport and Physical Activity, and the university’s clubs executive which represents almost 60 student sports clubs …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 7 March]

“The college has abandoned plans for a €14 million development of sporting facilities on campus. The plans included a new 400 meter running track, a refurbishment of the existing Sports Centre, and a new multi-purpose facility extension onto the current sport centre …” (more)

[College Tribune, 31 January]

“… I was left pondering the gap between the statistical analysis on academic performance and those of sporting performance. While academic assessment practices are improving, they could benefit from a look at the sporting world …” (more)

[HT: Declan Jordan]
[John Considine, The Economics of Sport, 31 May]

“NUI Galway announced announced a programme during the week to award an additional 40 CAO points to high-level athletes who achieve a minimum of 350 points on their own …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 8 March]

“The battle between universities to attract top young sports people intensified yesterday after NUI Galway confirmed it would award ‘performance points’ to prospective students …” (more)

[Brian McDonald, Irish Times, 4 March]

“15 Elite athletes, who meet strict criteria, will be awarded 40 CAO Performance Points for undergraduate courses under the new NUI Galway Scholarship Scheme …” (more)

[NUI Galway, 3 March]

“It’s a sign of the times that so many people are returning to college or eyeing up different career options and two well-known and established inter-county players that we can soon expect to see in Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup action are Tipperary hurler Paul Kelly and Kerry footballer Paul Galvin …” (more)

[Independent, 23 January]

“Technology developed by Irish universities is changing the way that major sports events are filmed and helping to deliver detailed performance information to athletes. ESPN, the sports broadcaster owned by the Walt Disney Company, is working with Irish researchers on ‘sensor web technologies’, to develop cameras that can automatically respond to the movements of sports people. ESPN plans to use the technology to automate the recording of sports events with high-tech cameras that respond in the same way as a human director …” (more)

[Nicola Cooke, Sunday Business Post, 18 October]

“The former Harvard University President, Derek Bok, commented in his book Universities in the Marketplace that the creeping commercialisation of higher education that he so disliked began with the development of sports in universities. As is well known, in the United States many universities give special prominence to athletes and sportsmen and women, and some of them are able to enter their chosen institution without necessarily having the required academic qualifications. Organisations such as the University Sports Program exist to help athletes find an institution that best suits their sporting abilities and interests. Universities in Ireland (and Britain) have now also begun to take a much greater interest in sport …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 9 November]