Healthy Clubs Project SROI evaluation
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Programme (HCP) is the GAA’s flagship programme to promote health and wellbeing in Ireland outside of its official games structures.
In 2021, the GAA commissioned Just Economics to carry out a Social Return on Investment Analysis (SROI) of the Healthy Club Programme.
The evaluation found significant benefits to volunteers, participants, clubs and wider society such that the total value of the programme is almost €50 million. The headline return ratio is therefore 19:1, suggesting that €19 of value is generated for €1 of financial, volunteer, and in-kind investment.
Most of the value created accrues to participants and volunteers through health and wellbeing improvements. Health services also benefit as does the GAA itself from widening the pool of volunteers, members and players.
The strong performance of the initiative makes a case for continued funding and mainstreaming of the programme. Whilst the concept has been shown to be effective, more could be done to widen participation amongst those that are less likely to take part in sports (older people, people with disabilities and migrants). Enabling the programme to reach more people, especially those with the greatest health and wellbeing needs, would significantly increase the value of the programme.
“The results of this independent research into the impact of our Healthy Club Programme is a positive reinforcement of the value that we have long known was provided by our clubs to our communities. It is an evidence-based endorsement of the work done by our Community and Health Department”
An Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Larry McCarthy
“We are very proud to support the Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Programme as it is an example of Healthy Ireland in action at community level. This research is to be welcomed as it clearly demonstrates the benefits of investing in health and wellbeing which is our core business in Healthy Ireland”
Matthew Doyle, Head of Healthy Ireland
Discover/Recover Theatre
Discover/Recover is a preventative mental health project aimed at school children. This evaluation found it to be effective in improving mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviour, and reducing stigma.
Extra Time Programme evaluation
Extra Time is a partnership between the Football Foundation, Sport Relief and Age UK that sets out to use the appeal of professional football clubs to engage older people in a range of health-promoting activities.
