Mortimer backs Ireland Active call for government support for health and fitness sector

Former Mayo footballer Conor Mortimer is fearful for the health and fitness sector in Ireland if support from government is not forthcoming.

As manager of the leisure club and spa at the Glenroyal Hotel in Co. Kildare, Mortimer is uniquely placed to see the difficulties facing the sector.

“For the amount of gyms and leisure centres and staffing in the country in this sector, I think it's hugely important that there's support there,” he said.

“Fitness is such a huge part of people's lives now, for their mental health and obviously their activity and their exercise. Nobody knows how long this virus is going to go on for so I think those supports are vital, and we're glad that we have someone like Ireland Active to fight our corner and try to get this funding that will be so important as we move forward.”

Mortimer was speaking today following the release of Ireland Active's pre-Budget 2021 submission.

In their submission, Ireland Active is calling on government to introduce tax relief measures, grants and a VAT rate reduction for the leisure, health and fitness sector.

As the national representative body for the sector, Ireland Active is asking for these measures to be introduced to ensure the survival of gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools around the country.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry catered for one million Irish people every week.

One of the components they want to see introduced is an employee exercise scheme, which would be modelled on the hugely successful Cycle to Work and Travel TaxSaver schemes.

The scheme could help achieve long-term health benefits for employees nationwide as well as promoting a healthy work/life balance through the increased participation in regular exercise, Ireland Active believes.

It would, therefore, not only be a substantial boost to the nation’s overall health and mental well-being, but it would also have the additional benefit of providing some much-needed security and cash flow certainty for the estimated 700 public and private commercial leisure, health an fitness facilities potentially eligible under the scheme.

The 10-point pre-Budget 2021 submission also features a proposal to expand the existing ‘Stay and Spend Scheme’ – due to come into effect on October 1 – to include exercise activities in commercial sports facilities. The scheme would include spend of up to €625, with a tax credit of up to €125.

Other measures Ireland Active is calling on government for include a commercial rent relief scheme, the reduction of the sports facilities VAT rate to 5% for 2021, and a €5m swimming pool resilience fund for 2021 to take account of the ongoing challenges and associated costs for pools remaining open during the pandemic.

“It's not worth thinking about what will happen if that funding doesn't come,” said Mortimer. “Sport is life really. You'd always have some link with sport – using the gym, going to the swimming pool, getting fit – and there's been an awful (big) increase in numbers doing this over the last five to 10 years.

“For society, for the elderly, people who are higher risk with Covid, the gym is obviously a place to go that's safe and sheltered. It's about having those options to do that as opposed to cocooning at home where they feel they cannot go anywhere.”

Conn McCluskey, CEO of Ireland Active, added: “We are calling on government to support a sector that gets over one million people active each week in Ireland. The average income loss for the sector this year is 65%, with most facilities having no income during the period from March to August.

“Our budget proposals will help deliver on the actions contained in the National Sports Policy while also helping people recover both mentally and physically from the effects of Covid-19 – which is particularly needed as we move into the autumn and winter period and most physical activity moves indoors.”

The CEO of Swan Leisure and Ireland Active board member, Clodagh Kilmurray, also believes that government support is vital.

”If we don’t have it, we won’t be able to survive – and that’s across the industry,” she said. “A lot of my colleagues in the industry say they won’t be able to survive past three to six months unless we receive further support.”

*Pictured above, Conor Mortimer in his playing days for Mayo. Photo: Sportsfile