I welcome the witnesses, including Garrett Mullan and his colleagues. At the request of Deputy Deenihan, the delegation from Show Racism the Red Card will make a PowerPoint presentation on racism in sport. Members may consider that sport has an issue regarding an occasional element of thuggery in terms of rows and court cases. The joint committee will be interested to hear where the issue of racism stands in an Irish context. The witnesses are welcome and should introduce themselves before proceeding with their presentation. I must state that members of the joint committee enjoy privilege that does not extend to witnesses. This point is made to all witnesses.
Racism in Sport: Presentation.
Mr. Garrett Mullan
I thank members for inviting us to give a presentation on the work of Show Racism the Red Card in Ireland. My name is Garrett Mullan and I am the Irish co-ordinator of Show Racism the Red Card. I am accompanied by our chairperson, Mr. Fran Gavin, general secretary of the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland which represents players in the Eircom League, as well as some international players; Mr. Des Tomlinson, the newly-appointed intercultural programme co-ordinator of the Football Association of Ireland, FAI; and Mr. Dessie Farrell of the Gaelic Players Association, who needs no introduction to most members.
I will explain the organisation's work and purpose. The project started off from small beginnings, with a £50 donation from the then Newcastle United goalkeeper, Shaka Hislop, to a campaigning youth organisation, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism. Visits to schools followed and the project subsequently emerged. Show Racism the Red Card has just marked its tenth anniversary in the United Kingdom and has projects in 12 countries, including Ireland.
Show Racism the Red Card is a player-driven initiative that harnesses the profile of sports persons and other personalities to communicate an anti-racism education message and to promote intercultural activity. The Irish project is unique in that it utilises the three main sporting codes, namely, Gaelic football, rugby and soccer, in partnership with the three unions representing the teaching profession. That gives us a platform of education and sport to both educate and integrate. We seek the support of the committee for our project.
We have carried out several initiatives in Ireland. In 2000 we launched our video and a poster of the Ireland team bearing the slogan, Show Racism the Red Card. We organised a number of other events in that year which yielded much publicity and positive activity. In 2004 we had a successful art competition. It was run in partnership with the teachers' union, the ASTI, which did the administration work. The next slide shows some of the top entrants to the competition being presented by some of the international players. We received 1,200 entries from around the country.
Following that, we had a meeting with our project in Norway, Denmark, Scotland and England with a view to putting together a strategy as to what we would do in Ireland. To this end, at the beginning of 2006 we chose three Eircom League clubs in which to pursue a pilot project to promote anti-racism education and integration through sport. We envisaged that the pilot project would involve the building of partnerships utilising the skills and attributes of relevant agencies as well as the profile of the footballers to promote the aims.
To announce this pilot initiative we launched our website, www.theredcard.ie, with the support of a small grant from the Football Association of Ireland and our UK DVD educational pack with a poster to symbolise the aim of the project, as shown in a previous slide. The profile of the GAA and rugby are also used, together with the ability of teachers to deliver the message in the classroom on the partnership of education in sport. Mr. Dessie Farrell attended our launch and Mr. Tony Higgins from the International Players Union, FIPro, as well as Mr. Niall Quinn and Curtis Fleming. We also had Mr. Mark Rutherford, a veteran Eircom League player who related his experience of racism in Irish football.
On the poster we displayed the logos of the three players' unions and the three teachers' unions, further enhancing our platform of education and sport. We continue to develop our work with the three Eircom League clubs. We also participate on the FAI intercultural advisory group, which supports the work of Mr. Dessie Farrell. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is represented on that group as it administers the Government's national action plan against racism, NCCRI, and Sport Against Racism Ireland.
The first club we worked with was Drogheda United. We also work with Shamrock Rovers and Galway United. In each of the towns we set up a partnership-type structure to involve the relevant agencies — the local council, the local town partnership, other clubs and community groups. For example, in Tallaght, we work with the intercultural action group, in Galway, we work with the Galway refugee support group and in Drogheda, we work with an English language school with international students. The aim is to facilitate the links between the club and the council, ethnic minorities, Government agencies and minority organisations.
Through setting up these structures we also learned something about the experience of minorities participating in sport. In each case the project was assisted with the launch of 5,000 posters of the club team bearing the slogan, Show Racism the Red Card. The next slide shows the posters. We organise events at United Park in Drogheda, the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght and the new Galway City Museum. In the case of the latter two towns, the mayor opened the event. A panel of local stars in Gaelic games, rugby and soccer were invited to participate in a question and answer session with the young people attending. At each event we had between 80 and 150 people in attendance and increased the profile of the project through posters and media coverage.
The pilot project of partnership with clubs and local bodies has given us a template of how we can achieve our aims and objectives. We aim to produce anti-racism education material and deliver allied coaching resources to promote the project.
In addition, we have been very successful in responding to racism in sport and raising awareness in general. The next slide shows two squads lined out holding up red cards that show a clear message. The cards are not as big as the children. That campaign was in response to a minority section of Linfield supporters who directed racist abuse towards Shelbourne's Cameroon midfielder, Joseph Ndo in the Belfast tie of the Setanta Cup match. In response to that racist chanting we were able to use our connections through the players' organisations in Dublin and Belfast to ensure a visible display at the following game with both teams lining out with our red cards with the aim of having an impact on the supporters.
We aim to promote educational resources. We also aim to deliver anti-racism educational material and allied coaching resources to promote intercultural activity, harnessing the role and profile of sport, especially GAA, soccer and rugby but also in other codes where we have contacts. We have set clear objectives to achieve these aims. They are, the production of posters for all Eircom League teams, a number of county GAA teams, as well as the Irish national and provincial rugby teams and the Irish international senior team.
As part of the development of educational work, we also propose to run an annual art competition, similar to the one we did in 2004. We intend to follow up our project in Scotland and the north east of England to run what is called a "coaching with a conscience" programme involving current and former professional footballers. We also want to produce an Irish-specific DVD which harnesses the profile the Gaelic Players' Association the PFAI and our other contacts in rugby and soccer will give us.
We also focus on promotion of the participation and integration of minorities within the fabric of sport. Our project facilitates links between clubs and schools. If given the resources, we will be able to deliver a unique quality of coaching within schools alongside our anti-racism education message. Our education resources are developed in association with teachers, youth workers and ethnic minorities, thus ensuring they are relevant and pertinent to the audience at which they are targeted. We provide a high visibility project, actively linking Government agencies, community organisations, utilising youth work and teaching professions to deliver the message on the ground with a view to achieving an intercultural society free from racism with an increased number of people participating and being active within sport.
Our Scottish "coaches with a conscience" programme was subject to evaluation by the participants of the school workshops. That programme was delivered by a former Celtic player, Gerry Britton, better known for playing with Partick Thistle. Mr. Britton delivered the workshops using the Show Racism the Red Card material and delivered coaching sessions alongside that. Young people were issued with a questionnaire before and after the workshop. The research showed their attitudes were much more positive and enlightened towards asylum seekers, immigrants and others who are different as a result of the workshops.
We have a three-year plan. We intend to produce a DVD, posters of GAA, soccer and rugby teams, run an annual art competition and complete a pilot coaching and education project, similar to that in the UK but utilising the partner agencies that we have involved. We are seeking support from Government agencies.
I thank committee members for their attention. We are available to answer any questions they may have.
Thank you for the presentation. It sounds as if the campaign is dealing with racism through sport rather than dealing with racism in sport. Will the witnesses comment? What is the main form of racism taking place in sport at present? Mr. Mullan referred to Linfield FC and people shouting at coloured players. I would have thought Linfield would have been more familiar in the past for not being colour-specific, unless one was talking about orange and green as opposed to brown, black or any other colour. In that context, what is the main racism focus of the campaign? Does it focus on colour or does it deal with what, in my opinion, is a much deeper racism that has existed for longer? Mr. Farrell might want to comment on the issue of "Ireland's Call", the national anthem, Croke Park and rugby, and that whole context. Will the campaign link into the work being done by the local sports partnerships that are currently going into the schools, or does it want to re-invent the wheel? These are the types of issues in which I am interested.
Mr. Fran Gavin
I can comment on the soccer world. In my position, I am also on the executive board of FIFPro, the world players' association. We are fortunate in that there is not a huge incidence of racism in Irish soccer in that racist incidents are aimed at players. On the world stage, FIFPro has found that most of the incidents are also aimed at players, whether in Spain, eastern Europe, Italy or elsewhere. There have been high profile incidents in Spain, including a recent incident involving Samuel Eto'o, one of the world's top centre forwards who plays with Barcelona. He decided to take matters into his own hands and walked off the pitch. Another recent incident involved Benni McCarthy, a South African player with Blackburn Rovers who was racially abused in Poland.
These incidents are reported in newspapers and go around the world, including to homes in Dublin, Galway and Cork. We, as players, have become involved because we want to educate supporters and others, adults and children. The campaign is player-driven. We in Ireland are fortunate there have only been a few incidents. We hope to work through the schools and with supporters and clubs in the various codes. I have outlined why we have become involved but I emphasise there have been very few incidents in Irish soccer to date. We want to keep it that way. Mr. Farrell can speak for the GAA. My son plays Gaelic football and several of his teammates are from ethnic minority groups.
Is the problem based on colour as opposed to any other type of racism?
Mr. Gavin
It is the difference between bigotry and racism. There has always been a problem at Linfield. In Scotland, they have tried to address the problem between Celtic and Rangers not as a racism issue but as a different type of issue. We want to deal with this problem. It will come under the umbrella eventually but, initially, we want to make sure we have a core business, namely, to show racism the red card.
I notice Mr. Gavin's nameplate says he is the intercultural co-ordinator of the "professional FAI". Is that correct or is it the FAI?
Mr. Gavin
It is the FAI.
Mr. Des Tomlinson
I agree that much of the information about racism in soccer in Ireland is anecdotal. Part of my job is to map out the situation. What one sees in the media are the high profile cases, although that is not to suggest that racism does not exist within the game at grassroots level.
On the definition of racism, UEFA and FIFA have taken a stand and tried to define it. They did this because it is particularly helpful for those who must provide protection on the pitch, such as referees. If they do not have a clear definition, it becomes difficult for them to take action. That definition does not only involve colour but also whether one disparages another player on the basis of nationality or ethnicity. My remit as the football intercultural programme co-ordinator is quite wide and would cover indigenous minorities, such as the Traveller community in Ireland, as well covering sectarianism in a more minor part of my job. The definition is broad and does not simply focus on colour.
Mr. Dessie Farrell
To reiterate the points made by Mr. Gavin, we have a broad remit in this regard. The Chairman asked whether the issue only concerns colour or whether it concerns bigotry, sectarianism and so on. Ultimately, this campaign could grow to encompass all of these issues.
One of the issues from a Gaelic games perspective — this might be the same for the other codes — is that there is no recording mechanism with regard to how prevalent this problem is. We know it has grown in prevalence within society generally but we must find how we can record this information for sport.
In the main, the evidence is anecdotal, which is an issue. In the past 12 months, I encountered this problem on a playing field at an under-10s game. That set alarm bells ringing for me. It is very worrying if this is what we can expect in the future. The child involved was from a very good background and was an obedient and good child. However, he did not realise this is a taboo subject and that he could not behave as he did.
We are all aware that Irish society is changing dramatically. The future is of great concern and there is a responsibility on politicians and all those involved in sport to offer leadership on this issue. While the evidence is not yet available, I suggest racist incidents are taking place but we are not fully aware of it.
I welcome Mr. Mullan, Mr. Gavin, Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Farrell. I thank the Chairman for accepting the deputation and for the assistance of the clerk, Mr. Ó h-Ailín. We are dealing here with racism more than bigotry or sectarianism. The two high-profile cases referred to involved racism based on colour, which seems to be the problem. This country is becoming multicultural. The United States has Afro-Americans whereas we have the Afro-Irish and the new Irish. Many of them arrived from the mid-90s on. They are young at the moment and most of those youngsters from parts of Africa will be picked up by soccer, Gaelic games, rugby, basketball and athletic clubs. The Athletics Association of Ireland sees the athletes of the future being of African origin. Sprinting and middle distance running is dominated by Africans. The association sees great potential in that area. It is important that the new Irish, the Afro-Irish, are encouraged to get involved in sport and that no barriers exist.
Does a penalty exist for uttering a racist remark or name calling on the pitch? Does a player receive the red card for this?
Mr. Tomlinson
UEFA, the European governing body of soccer, and FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, made amendments to their disciplinary codes this year. They did this for good reason, to take account of the World Cup in Germany in view of Germany's history. The disciplinary codes have been amended to take account of racism and apply sanctions. No one has been sent off yet because it is the first year of the new code. It will take time to be implemented but sanctions can be imposed if cases are proven.
Does Mr. Tomlinson not think that it would be more easily defined if it was a red card offence and that people would be more conscious of it? It is important that this begins with the schools programme. This matter will become more topical as the young people to whom I have referred begin to play sport. More professional players will come from Africa to play in the Eircom League. Increasingly, clubs in England are looking for players in Africa. Arsenal Football Club has a programme to entice young Africans to England. The same is happening with rugby, where more players are coming here from Fiji and Toga, a matter with which Deputy Glennon is more familiar. It is important that people are clear on the matter. The delegation is taking account of the future by pre-empting events that may occur. It is better to put these principles in place now to ensure this does not occur in Ireland in five years time.
I welcome the delegation. The advantage of this is that we are not chasing the issue of integration of ethnic groups in various parts of the country. Small villages now have ethnic groups for the first time. As elected representatives, we must use every avenue available to remind ourselves that racism could commence, something that we do not want.
On behalf of the Labour Party I support the actions of the delegation. These policies are part of a Labour Party sports document. I am unsure of the financial background of Mr. Mullan's group but if there is a need for documentary assistance we will offer support to ensure that these aims are not hindered by financial considerations.
I welcome and congratulate the delegation. The FAI had the foresight to appoint Mr. Tomlinson, using its revenue streams. I understand Mr. Tomlinson's position is funded by the FAI.
Mr. Tomlinson
The position was funded by UEFA in the first year but it will be funded by the FAI in subsequent years.
It is tremendous for any national governing body to take that step. It is great that this movement is player driven rather than coming from smoke-filled committee rooms. With early intervention in the classroom to deal with schoolchildren, the players of today will have a future in the sport as administrators or, more likely, spectators. The delegation deals with racism in sport in its generic form. Is there a way to investigate reported incidents of racism? For example, supposing the referee deals with an incident on the pitch, is there a follow up? If a pattern began to develop in a certain league, locality or age group, is there a pro-active investigative response?
The groups represented are mainly concerned with the elite players of the respective sports but also include the ordinary adult sector. There are far more children playing sport than adults, a fact that will become more pronounced in the future. What is the extent of the influence of the delegation in this respect, particularly in investigating and reacting to incidents?
The delegation's presentation referred to early intervention in schools, including art competitions. Those of us who have stood on the sidelines as parents are aware that children follow the attitudes at home and on the sideline. It is more difficult to target parents. All the classroom promotion in the world will be of no benefit to a child who experiences racism at home or in his or her community. In such cases, all the school's efforts will be for nought.
The red card is a marvellous logo with a strong impact. How can it be put across throughout the sporting world? Has the delegation taken any steps to have it included as a matter of course in the programmes for major sports events? It could also be included on the notepaper of national sporting bodies, which is generally festooned with logos such as that of the sponsors. The red card should be on a par with the five Olympic rings and the logos of the FAI, IRFU and GAA. It is an essential element of sport.
I commend the delegates on their work. What can the committee do to help them?
I welcome the delegates. It is important that we are proactive in showing racism the red card. Most of us tend to see sport as entertainment or show time. Although I enjoy attending football matches between Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers, I have sometimes been turned off by the sectarian chants. Amateur athletes are occasionally subjected to personal abuse during GAA matches. There are people who believe they have free reign to abuse athletes publicly. It is not in the spirit of sport.
Such incidents could become racist. I have seen many times at football matches where there is no hint of trouble or aggression until one smart alec starts serious racist or sectarian chants. Nobody seems to do anything about it and some spectators laugh and jeer. As happens in the United Kingdom, the perpetrators should be evicted by the gardaí in attendance and their names placed on a register. We can talk all we want about this but it is action that is needed. Anybody who commits this type of offence, whether racist chanting or some other from of racism, should be dealt with thoroughly. I have no time for such behaviour and it must be punished severely.
I thank the delegation for attending the meeting and for showing the initiative in this regard. Thankfully, racism has not been ingrained in sport in Ireland and this campaign will ensure it does not take hold. The committee is here to help and support and the delegates must tell us how best we can do that.
I welcome the delegation. We have mostly discussed soccer and rugby because those sports are more likely to be played by foreign nationals than are the GAA codes. However, my county has a large foreign national population and some of them are getting involved in the GAA.
Where there is alleged racist abuse or racist comments are made on the sideline, and the report of this is brought to the relevant authority, whether the county boards, the FAI and so on, what action is taken by the organisation in question? Is the person found guilty of such abuse suspended, reprimanded or fined? I do not believe they are. It seems as if an investigation takes place but no action is subsequently taken. An official who racially abuses a player on the pitch, for example, should be suspended from the association and his or her club fined.
I too welcome the delegation. It is marvellous that it is taking this initiative. Team games involve young people with different skills coming together and playing different roles but combining to get good results if they do that well. Sport is a marvellous way of building community and integration.
A concern of mine, which may be largely an urban concern, is that we have seen in the United Kingdom and France, for example, that ghettos have been allowed to develop in the areas where foreign nationals live. When we hear about racism, we think of abusive loudmouths or clowns making stupid comments. There may be cultural issues that create a difficulty in enticing young people to participate in sport. Has the delegation looked at this issue? There are problems in regard to integration in the United Kingdom because the agenda was not specifically focussed early enough to prevent such difficulties from developing. Do the delegates have any particular ideas and initiatives in this context?
I welcome the delegates. I do not wish to be repetitive but I reiterate the importance of what they are doing and commend them on their proactive approach. The committee will provide all support necessary if the delegates give us some guidelines on how to do so.
Racism is sometimes evident at football matches in the United kingdom on the part of groups such as the British National Front whose members attend events to unsettle people, disturb proceedings and cause mayhem. Thankfully, this does not happen too often in Ireland; the last such incident was in Lansdowne Road in 1995. There should be heavy fines and penalties for those who engage in such behaviour. Their photographs should be posted at all sports venues, they should be banned from all sporting events and their passports should be endorsed so that they can be tracked in their travels to other countries.
These are the main concerns of those to whom I have spoken about this issue but they may not be within the remit of the delegation. The actions of some of these thugs who cause mayhem on the sidelines spin on to the football pitch, unsettling and disturbing players. They are spoiling the entertainment for decent people who are genuinely interested in sports. Senator Feighan hit the nail on the head when he said that he has no time for it. Most people are of that view and they wish it to be dealt with in a serious way. Perhaps we will have to enact legislation in this regard.
Most of the comments have been spectator focussed. Is there evidence of player on player racism? It is almost getting to the stage in some sports where it is a question of differentiating between a foul tackle and grievous bodily harm.
Many groups come before this committee to discuss different issues. One area of concern for us is the attempt to encourage wider participation in sport. As part of this we have looked at amateurism versus elite sports, sport for all, role modelling, encouraging children to start playing sport and encouraging women to return to playing sport rather than being the spectators when their boyfriends are playing. There may be a bigger picture in that there is an opportunity for role modelling to be rolled out on a greater scale. If people are encouraged to partake in sport for the right reasons, learning to work with and co-operate with one another and learning how to play by rules, that will impact on the bigger picture of racism, of people not being able to follow rules, of indiscipline and so on. I have returned from a Special Olympics meeting which has put together a video on the variety of people involved in professional and amateur sport as role models. Would it be possible to link into existing structures, for the example the Buntús programme and the sports partnerships, while maintaining independent oversight? It would be wonderful to see everybody rolling on the one wheel and making programmes easier to deliver because of that.
Mr. Mullan
We have given presentations in various cities in regard to the extent and incidence of racism in sport. In workshops we have held in youth clubs and youth centres young people relate their own experiences of racism. It seems to be quite extensive. There is a problem in terms of reporting mechanisms in Ireland. The Garda College in Tipperary is to use our DVD and some of our material in its intercultural programme. We are looking at developing our relationship with the FAI and other sporting organisations and the Garda Síochána to identify an accurate recording system. Statistics are currently produced by the NCCRI. However, as there is no incentive for someone who is the victim of a racist attack to report, one could not rely on those statistics. Three years ago the Government's Know Racism programme commissioned research on the extent of racism, the results of which reflects the link between racism and the level of integration. The survey, which is a representative survey of the population at large, showed that one in five people had witnessed racism in Ireland. That survey was done in 2003 and I would imagine that since the enlargement of the European Union things have changed significantly. At the same time only 36% of people said they had meaningful contact with a member of a minority group or a foreign national. We try to complement existing strategies and utilise existing organisations such as the partnerships and local authorities and, in particular, the profile of players and the activity of teachers, to have a direct impact, first and foremost, with young people because they are the next generation.
I will give an example of how our project in Sunderland in the north east of England influences both young and older people. The project is funded by both the NHS and the local authority. The local authority role relates to community issues and the NHS role is to promote fitness, activity and participation in sport. There are, therefore, two bodies supporting the project. The project coordinator is Gary Bennett who played at Sunderland for ten years. He was Sunderland's first black player and was captain for five years. He is not very well know among young people now because he is approximately 40 years of age. However, when the children go home and tell their parents they have been to a seminar and how interesting it was, that can have a positive impact on parents who would have had a high regard for Gary Bennett but might not have been much interested in the issue of racism. By having a positive impact on younger people we can indirectly influence adults.
The FAI Cup semi-final will be played on Friday night. We and Shamrock Rovers have produced a second edition poster that will be displayed by the teams as they line out. That will have high visibility and impact on adults as well.
Mr. Gavin
A relevant point was made in regard to penalties for racist behaviour. What we are involved in is new territory for us as players. It has taken legislators on all sides by surprise that players are driving an initiative. Anybody who has played soccer knows that players are not involved in making the rules. With its new CEO, Mr. John Delaney, the FAI has been very proactive and its partnership with us is a vital one. It gave us a grant for our website and has now appointed Mr. Des Tomlinson and we are linking closely with him. It is a lesson to rugby and the GAA that players can take these initiatives into their own hands and drive them and are very keen to give support.
Mr. Tomlinson
There were questions in regard to how to put in place systems for monitoring what is going on and how to deal with racism. Some of the drivers of that issue are from within soccer. UEFA has made changes to its disciplinary code. I will have a meeting in two weeks' time with our rules commission at which we will talk about the new UEFA codes and examine how we can role out the codes across all of the affiliates within the FAI and monitor them to ensure they are being adhered to.
Moving away from junior football and slightly up, perhaps to the Eircom League, I am also trying to work with the Garda Síochána to put in place what I describe as a whistle blowing policy. That would come into play where someone in a crowd is abusing someone and nobody is doing anything about it. In the UK there is a link between the Football Association and police, and if I want to do something about somebody in a crowd shouting abuse, there is a line I can call to report the incident. One of two things can happen. It can go through the criminal justice system if the police felt it needed to be dealt with in that way or, more likely, it will be dealt with by the club stewards. I will meet our stewards' representative tomorrow to talk to him about how we can work with stewards and what training stewards require to identify racist behaviour. With this mechanism in place in tandem with the disciplinary code changes and the whistle blowing policy it is hoped that we can identify problems early and deal with them.
Mr. Farrell
A great deal has been covered. This campaign is in its infancy but already we can see that it has huge merit. One of the initial objectives must be to create as much awareness as possible about this campaign and about this issue. It is not necessarily related only to racism in sport. Through sport we can tackle racism in society. It was mentioned previously that we seem to be tackling the problem or that it has not developed to the extent it has in other countries. However, we cannot afford to be complacent simply because we are in that comfortable position. We need to tackle this problem before the rot sets in.
Two Deputies have asked what can be done to support this campaign. I am sure Mr. Gavin can comment on this matter, but whatever support can be given would be very much welcomed. However, we have to cut to the chase and it comes down to the need for financial support to conduct a worthwhile campaign such as this one. That is what we request from the politicians today.
Mr. Gavin
On the thorny subject of finance, the campaign is only limited by our resources. We currently do this work on a voluntary basis. I have a full-time job with the players' union and Mr. Mullan also has a full-time job. We put a great deal of work into the campaign this year in particular. We are at a stage in the campaign where we receive requests from community groups and various clubs to become partners with us. We will submit an application for funding to Pobal next Tuesday which we would like the committee to support. Ours is a worthwhile campaign, but what we can do is limited by our lack of resources. We need to appoint a full-time co-ordinator at this stage, and that is our main objective.
As Mr. Mullan said, our aim is to produce a DVD. We had a one focus group meeting with teachers, youth workers and a representative from minority groups on the production of it. It should be produced by the end of 2007 and then introduced in the schools. Gaelic players, soccer players and rugby players will be fully represented on it. We are currently using a UK DVD in the schools but we would prefer to use a DVD in which our own players contribute. The influence a county player talking about racism on a DVD can have in a school in County Kerry is immense. It is different from Rio Ferdinand or Gary Lineker getting this message across on a DVD, although these are terrific sportspeople, but we want an Irish-based project.
What is the delegates' relationship with the Irish Sports Council? It is appointing a woman with a responsibility for gender balance issues who will proofread policies with regard to women in sport. Surely the Irish Sports Council would have a leading role to play in regard to this issue and this campaign.
Mr. Mullan
We do not have a relationship with the Irish Sports Council. We have made contact with it but our project is in its infancy. As to what the committee can do for us, it could facilitate us to access the supports we need to enable us to establish the project on a sound basis and achieve the impact we want in delivering an anti-racsim education profile and promoting participation and integration of foreign nationals and minority groups in Irish society.
Mr. Tomlinson
The Chairperson's question, if I understood it correctly, asked if the campaign will link with a cohesive strategy or if it sought to reinvent the wheel. A question was also asked about the "ghettoisation" of communities, which I would describe as the existence of parallel structures. In terms of the campaign linking in with a cohesive strategy, Show Racism the Red Card is a stakeholder that is represented together with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the national consultative committee on a football intercultural advisory group. We are at the planning stages of rolling out a strategic plan and we will engage in a consultation phase in the near future. The stakeholders will advise us on how we will do that. In terms of having a cohesive strategy, through our series of regional and county development officers, we have links with most of the local sports partnerships. In regard to cohesiveness, it does not fit outside our framework rather it fits within it, although a first glance, it could appear not to. It fits within our strategy.
Returning to Deputy Deenihan's point, if the delegates have no relationship with the Irish Sports Council, it appears that people are working on different aspects of this issue while the delegates are focused on one aspect. The difficulty is that we could end up with two or three people half doing something and the delegates also working on it. Therefore, it would be worthwhile for the organisation to touch base with the main organisations involved in this area such as the Irish Sports Council and the Department, given that the delegates are in contact with the regional organisations in terms of the partnerships. I am aware they have five year strategies and I would like to think that racism is an aspect of their work.
Mr. Farrell
Would this project come under the remit of the Irish Sports Council in any shape or form?
It would have to because it has the remit for most of the funding of athletes, etc.
Mr. Farrell
That relates to participation levels in sports.
The council has a broad brief. Certainly this would come under it and it has the funding and the network through which the delegates could work. There is also the Federation of Irish Sports, with which the delegates are probably familiar. Those are the two most influential co-ordinating bodies here. They are the bodies that promote sports policy.
It is in an effort to assist rather than putting a spanner in the works that I suggest that it would be worthwhile for the delegates to examine what those bodies are doing in this area. Perhaps the delegates could become the mechanism for driving the aspect with which we are dealing rather than us having two groups engaged in the same work and neither talking to each other.
Rather than leave the question of the application to Pobal hanging in mid air——
Mr. Tomlinson has to reply to one other issue raised and then I will deal with the question of the application in concluding the discussion.
Mr. Tomlinson
A concern was raised about the ghettoisation of communities, which I would describe as the existence of parallel structures. As is evident in the UK, America and other countries to which people migrate and my mother would have experienced this on moving to the UK in the 1960s, parallel structures tend to pop up and, to some degree, there is nothing necessarily wrong with that. One finds that second generation children of migrant families tend to move through and not get involved to any great extent in parallel structures.
One aspect of what we are doing is trying to get people more involved in mainstream soccer clubs in Leeds. Through our consultation process, we work with clubs to understand the barriers preventing that happening. We also work with minority communities and ask them a similar question, namely, what the barriers are to becoming involved in mainstream sport. We hope that over the time we will set up systems where people can get involved in mainstream sport, although parallel structures may still exist. It is up to us to build bridges between parallel structures and mainstream sports with people who are new to Ireland. Over time, second generation children of migrant families will migrate into mainstream sports. However, it is necessary to build bridges with people who are new to Ireland to ensure that if they want to get involved in mainstream sport, they can do so.
It is excellent that the players are driving this campaign. No one knows about sport better than the players. As a musician most of my family would be into music, and I assume that the families of most spokespeople would be geared towards sports. There is a sense that we want to improve the position for everybody or to ensure there is a level playing field for everybody coming along.
The delegates will submit an application for funding to Pobal next week. I ask that they forward a copy of their application to us and we will forward on a copy of the minutes of this meeting highlighting the fact that all members support the organisation's project. We can make representations to Pobal on a structure parallel to the delegates' application.
I note that some members of the media are in the Visitors Gallery and I thank them for attending. As the delegates said, one of the first steps in progressing this matter is awareness raising. I would like to think that the members of the media present will devote a few lines to this issue in the newspapers for which they report. What happens here is that much good work is carried out by the committee but it is not aired in public as much as it should be.
Is it in order for the committee to have a vote of support for Pobal?
We are sending the minutes of the meeting. It is clear from them what people feel. I thank our guests for attending the meeting and for the work they are doing. One of the reports we produced recently was on volunteering and on the importance of volunteers and of sport. Racism can be dealt with through sport.
Mr. Gavin
We have a pack containing the posters and other products we produce for members of the committee.
A bronntanas for everybody.
The joint committee adjourned at 5.41 p.m. until 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 8 November 2006.