Student Sport Ireland (SSI), the governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport, has published its new 4-year strategic plan that will guide its work, growth, and development to 2028.
The Strategic Plan (2025 – 2028) was developed following an extensive consultation process with HE sports staff, student leaders including the SSI Student Ambassadors, and key external stakeholders.
The plan sets out the organisation’s strategic objectives and actions for the period and aligns with strategic ambitions set out in 2021 for the decade. The document identifies 3 strategic pillars of Competition, Active Wellbeing, and Performance with a clear timetable for delivery in keeping with the organisation’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
The document includes a new vision of Creating Lasting Sporting Experiences and an updated Purpose and Value Statement.
Recognised by both Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland SSI is an all-island body with 22 affiliated HE institutes representing over 240,000 full-time students and over 1,000 HE sports clubs. The organisation delivers HE competitions and works with national governing bodies of sport in the governance and management of their HE competitions. With the support of the relevant NGBs SSI will coordinate the participation of performance athletes at the 2025 World University Games to be hosted by the Rhine Ruhr region in Germany next month.
In keeping with its remit to increasing student participation levels and wellbeing SSI earlier this year established the new role of Participation Manager with the support of Sport Ireland and Healthy Ireland. The new role will see SSI coordinate and deliver national initiatives and programmes to increase student participation levels across the island with the support of NGBs, Sport Ireland and the HEA’s Healthy Campus Unit.
The HE sports sector plays a key role in supporting sport and physical activity on the island. SSI research, detailed in the plan, shows that the HE sports sector employs over 1,000 full-time professional staff supported by over 5,000 volunteers with millions of euros annually invested by the sector in participation initiatives, high performance programmes, sports clubs, and sports facilities.
SSI Chairperson and UCC Director of Sport and Physical Activity Morgan Buckley stated “I am excited to introduce SSI’s new strategic plan, which underscores our commitment to fostering a vibrant sports culture for all students in higher education across Ireland. Our priority is to ensure that our students in third-level education, many of whom engage in sport for their well-being and development are supported in their participation at all levels. We are experiencing significant growth, and it is vital that role of the HE sports sector is recognised and continues to be supported in promoting physical activity and well-being.”
SSI CEO Ciarán Ó hIarnáin said “I would like to thank everyone that contributed to the development of the new strategic plan. It is an exciting time for student sport, SSI, and the wider HE sports sector in general. The sector is a key cog in the Irish sport system supporting programmes and initiatives that range from social sports, which encourage the wider student body to be active, right up to supporting our exceptionally talented performance student athletes compete at World University Games, World Championships, and Olympics. My colleagues and I on the SSI staff are committed to implementing the new plan, and we are very much looking forward to working with our Student Ambassadors and our members and colleagues at key stakeholders, including NGBS, Sport Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland, and the HEA Healthy Campus Unit, to achieve our shared ambitions”.
