There has been a major drop in the number of sport scholarships handed out this year with just 35 students receiving sport scholarships, down from 65 last year and 68 the year before.
The decrease can mainly be attributed to Bank of Ireland pulling out of their sponsorship deal with Trinity Sport last June, on top of the overall financial impact as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the scholarships that have been awarded this year, Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) men’s received the most, though only six were handed out. This marks a dramatic decrease from last year when 34 DUFC players received scholarships.
Speaking to The University Times, DUFC Head Coach Tony Smeeth, attributed this drop to the significant financial strain that DUFC and Trinity Sport are under right now given the loss of the Bank of Ireland sponsorship deal as well as losing out on revenue through the sale of international rugby tickets.
“I think what happened was, you know there’s no money, like the Bank of Ireland money was pulled. And the extra money there was has dried up basically now. We’re not all that happy about it but there’s nothing you can do.”
Smeeth emphasised the severity of losing the Bank of Ireland money while also explaining that the priority has to be to keep the club functioning rather than provide scholarships to players.
“We’re just about keeping our head above water right now. We’re just waiting for this all to blow over”, Smeeth said, adding that funding from Trinity Sport, which usually would have gone toward scholarships, is being prioritised for elsewhere.
“We’re trying to run the club. We’re trying to run seven teams”, Smeeth continued. “We’ve got coaches for every team, we’ve full time S and C guys, we’ve got players in the gym the whole time, and obviously I’m coaching. So there’s a lot of administration costs as well. General gear, insurance and all the stuff you need to run a rugby club really. Hopefully it’s just for this year.”
The DUFC players to receive high-performance pathway scholarships include Ryan Baird, Jack Dunne and Liam Turner, all of whom play for the Leinster senior squad and on occasion kit out for DUFC. Irish under-20 players Joseph McCarthy, Luis Faria and Thomas Clarkson were also listed as recipients. Faria is the only player on this list to have played for DUFC this season.
This year, only one student received a club academy scholarship – Dublin University Boat Club’s Ronan Brennan – compared to 25 in 2019/20. These scholars had made up the bulk of the DUFC men’s team last season.
Women’s basketball narrowly trailed DUFC with five players receiving awards including a high-performance pathway scholarship for Edel Thornton. Two recipients of the Global Graduate Scholarship programme are American basketball players Phoebe Sterba and Megan Swords.
Three women’s rugby players received scholarships, with upcoming Ulster and Ireland international rugby star Kathryn Dane getting the award, along with Irish senior 7’s players Meabh Deely and Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird.
Dane, who played club rugby for Old Belvedere, is not associated with the DUFC’s women’s rugby team.
John Tanguay, an American rowing athlete who is set to compete in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics, was also the recipient of a sports scholarship.
In a press statement, Matthew Dossett, deputy head of sport and recreation in Trinity said: “We’re delighted to announce a very strong calibre of scholars for 2020/21. With 13 sports represented and a diverse range of developing and internationally recognised athletes, this is among our strongest list of recipients yet.”
“Under the current circumstances which are hugely challenging to athletes, the ever-improving standards of the support structure available to our highest performing athletes and teams in Trinity has enabled a continued growth in applications.”
“Improving our capability to attract and support talented athletes is a key objective for Trinity Sport, and this continual process will ensure that Trinity remains a strong destination of choice for the very best student athletes domestically and internationally.”
“I’d like to congratulate this year’s scholars and wish everyone the very best of sporting and academic success for the season ahead”, he added.
The drop in the number of scholarships also comes at a tough time for Trinity Sport as a result of hardships following the pandemic restrictions – including the temporary shuttering of the Sports centre and the banning of sports matches, as well as the conclusion of Bank of Ireland’s sponsorship of the department last June.
