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Dear Member,
Irish Sailing (IS) has undertaken a comprehensive review of its membership subscription policy, as well as its related systems and processes and the evolving needs of the sport, club management and members.
The current subscription model has been in place for 14 years and the review by the dedicated Working Group representing large, medium, and small clubs has been conducted over the course of the last year and was highlighted at the AGM in March 2025.
As outlined in previous correspondence, Irish Sailing has spent recent weeks consulting with clubs and stakeholders, listening to members and considering the challenges and issues at play. Further thinking and clarity has arisen in the areas of:
- GDPR compliance
- Financial need and use of funds
- Software and process capability and implications
- Balance sheet and investment of reserves
- Grant value provided to clubs
- Ongoing investment in resources and services
The EGM planned for the 9th October was cancelled and the notice of an EGM to be held on Tuesday 28th October is now issued, at the request of members, with the following changes:
- Reintroduction of a cap, higher than existing, on Club affiliation fees.
- Increased 2026 discount for all family and ordinary members previously paying below the max subscription.
- Clarity on which resolutions in the notice are special and ordinary.
- The change of rules and training policy is removed as a resolution and will be for member discussion along with insurance.
Irish Sailing will be further communicating with members between this notice and the EGM with the aim of clarifying each element of what is, a complex proposal:
- Individual communication to all clubs on the main elements of the proposal and the estimated financial impact for their club.
- Further communication through our existing SailSmart channel.
- If requested, online Q&A sessions with clubs, groups of clubs or regional areas to clarify elements of the proposal (please email our CEO directly at tim.bourke@sailing.ie )
The key proposals of this initiative are summarised below:
1. Constitution
- From 2025, all members of Category 1 clubs will automatically become Affiliate Personal Members of Irish Sailing.
- This aligns with how Irish Sailing and other National Governing Bodies operate, in practice.
2. Membership & Club Fees (from 2026)
- Introduction of a simpler and fairer model:
- All members pay a flat national rate.
- All clubs contribute a small percentage (1%) of their membership subscription income, capped at €3,000.
- A 20% fee increase is proposed (below CPI inflation of 24.8%) — the first adjustment in 14 years.
- Ordinary and Family members previously paying below the max sub, will receive a 33% discount in 2026 during the transition period.
- Duplicate fees for members belonging to multiple clubs will be eliminated once the new system launches.
3. Member Management System (MMS)
- Integration in 2026, for launch in 2027, of a Member Management System (MMS).
- It will securely manage, in a legally compliant way, key member and qualification data (e.g. training, safeguarding, vetting) for better governance and administration.
- Integration with existing Learning Management Systems, such as Checklick, and club software, and will be provided free to clubs.
- Allows for GDPR compliance and ensures the security and confidentiality of the data.
- Benefits include enhanced governance, communication, GDPR compliance, and Sport Ireland reporting capabilities.
4. Racing Rules & Training Policy – for discussion
- Future policy could require that all crew sailing under Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) are Irish Sailing members – promoting fairness, raising participation, encouraging club membership, new membership and sailing pathway pursuit.
- The training policy could align accordingly: all trainees in IS training centres will become IS members via club membership or direct membership, including low-cost micro-payments for temporary, one off, trainees.
5. Insurance – for discussion
- Exploration of a group Personal Accident Cover policy for all IS members – a common feature in other sports – offering additional value and protection.
- Public Liability Insurance for clubs remains complex and outside the current scope.
Other Information
Irish Sailing has benchmarked its proposals against other National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in Ireland — including Tennis, Canoeing, Rowing, Badminton, Rugby, and Athletics — as well as several World Sailing Member National Authorities (MNAs) such as New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and the RYA. Our subscription policy and technical capabilities are well behind our peers and best practice.
Sport Ireland funding for Irish Sailing has increased 86% to €1,795,000 from 2012 to 2025, whereas Irish Sailing membership subscriptions has increased in the same period by only 14% to €312,000. Irish Sailing has awarded grants to clubs to the value of €1,450,000 since 2019, 85% of total subscription income in that period of c. €1,700,000 and our hope is to continue to seek grants. Sport Ireland are asking all sports to raise member contributions.
Sport Ireland are also asking all sports to report in more detail on the breakdown of their members and activities – a member management system is required to comply with this request.
Irish Sailing has cash/current assets of €480,000, which are both member and Sport Ireland funds. The investment in an MMS of c. €100,000-€150,000 will be financed by these reserves.
The increase in member subscription income will result in a modest increase in total Irish Sailing revenue of €75,000 (2.3%) in 2026 and €150,000 (4.6%) in 2027.
Irish Sailing budgets have been at breakeven for 2024 and 2025. Efficiencies have been found to operate within budget and we have invested in restructuring the team around functions, such as Safeguarding, in order to provide greater contact with and value to clubs, with a modest headcount increase of 13.5 to 15 in total.
Irish Sailing has improved the performance of racing, training, comms, services, safeguarding & EDI – and these can be improved further. We would like to invest, on behalf of the members, in continuing this improvement and completing the team by adding the following:
- Coach Development Officer – develop racing syllabi and coaches to deliver it – in order to raise conversion from training to club membership.
- Member Management Administrator – to manage all member data and ensure correctness of records and data and encourage member signup for Irish Sailing and clubs.
- Cruising Project Manager – to address the required campaigns on fishing gear, visitor mooring and marina facilities nationwide.
- Participation Marketing Campaign – to promote the sport, generate interest in Try Sailing, Adult Sailing, WoW campaigns and direct participants to clubs.
The subscription proposal, if adopted, would allow us to cover two of the initiatives above. It also covers increased costs, absorbs the reduction of Government funding (Dormant Account Funding) of €100k, whilst removing €25k of fees for our Learning Management System (Checklick) currently paid by all Training Centres (Club and Commercial) nationwide.
Looking Ahead to the EGM
Irish Sailing, as the National Governing Body created by and for Irish clubs and the sport, is committed to investing in its infrastructure, governance, and data systems to support the sustainable growth of our sport whilst complying with Sport Ireland.
Please see attached documentation:
Please note that a copy of our current constitution, annual reports, annual accounts and strategy can be found in our governance library at www.sailing.ie.
The Irish Sailing Board is listening to members. Please do get in touch with me, directly, if you have any questions or queries.
We look forward to seeing as many of you in Portlaoise as possible.
Yours in sailing,
Sue Concannon
President, Irish Sailing
president@sailing.ie
On behalf of the Irish Sailing Board; Sue Concannon (President), David Cullen (Secretary), Deirdre Tingle (Treasurer), Niall O’Neill, Bill O’Hara, Nancy Rooney, Frank “Mal” Nowlan, Tessa Kingston, David Love, Nigel Moss and Valda Boardman. |
