The Feasibility of Developing a National Sports Museum

Report of Committee on

the feasibility of developing a National Sports Museum

Background

• In July 2012, the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michel Ring, TD established a committee to examine the feasibility of developing a National Sports Museum.

• From the outset, it was acknowledged by the Committee that any proposal arising from this work would have torecognise the existing budgetary situation and the costs involved would have to be reasonable. In an effort to keep costs at a reasonable level, it was envisaged the Museum would be accommodated in a suitable existing building in State ownership.

• Following initial discussions, the Committee decided to commissiona brief to assist it in its work.The purpose of the briefwas to articulate a vision for the Museum, tomake recommendations in terms of the most suitable location, to identify the general requirements of a suitable building in terms of scale, layout, access and management as well as making recommendations on displays and reporting on the operation of comparable Sports Museums internationally.

• In May 2014, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, on behalf of the Committee, invited tenders for the development of a brief.The contract for the development of a Brief was awarded to BDO in July 2014.

BDO Report

• BDO submitted its final draft report in December 2014. The main findings of the BDO report are:

• To be successful and realise sustainable visitor numbers the National Sports Museum will need to offer something fundamentally different to what has been offered heretofore by other Sports Museums both nationally and internationally. The concept should be more focused on a Sports Themed Attraction rather than a traditional Sports Museum.
• A Dublin city centre location is recommended as the most suitable location.
• The evidence points to modest levels of overseas tourism interest in a traditional sports museum. BDO believe, however, that if it is positioned as a sporting attraction/experience, with an international element, the Museum can have wider tourism appeal and can support the tourism agencies in their efforts to grow both the domestic and international tourist markets.
• BDO estimatesa total capital investment in the range of €12.6m to €25m on the assumption that the Museum would be accommodated in an existing building. In the case of a new building, capital costs could be estimated at up to €44.2m.

Deliberations of Committee

• In coming to its recommendation, the Committee considered the information available, including;

• the findings of the BDO Report,
• the views of Fáilte Irelandand the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport relating to target visitor numbers,
• confirmation from the Office of Public Works that there is no prospect of a suitable building in State ownership becoming available.

• The Committee concludes that, at an estimated €44.2m, the capital costs involved in developing an attraction which would be financially sustainable cannot be justified at the present time. The Committee, therefore, cannot recommend the development of a National Sports Museum at this time.

• As an alternative and more cost-effective approach,the Committee considers that the developmentof an on-line resource instead of a physical structurecould be explored. It recommends that Sport Ireland, when it is established, should consider if such an approach could be progressed.

Recommendations of Committee

1. The capital cost of developing a financially sustainable National Sports Museum, estimated at up to €44.2m, cannot be justified at the present time. The Committee, therefore, does not recommend the development of a National Sports Museum at this time.

1. Sport Ireland, when it is established, should consider if a website or on-lineSports Museum would be a good project to progress.

Michael Ring, TD, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport

Committee Chairperson

16 March 2015

Committee Membership

Relevant Material

• A Vision for a National Sports Museum – BDO, December 2014

• A National Sports Museum: Findings from a Tourism Review – Fáilte Ireland, March 2013