Frequently asked questions

Isle of Man Sport does not decide what is and what is not a sport. There are many different opinions as to what constitutes a sporting activity and Isle of Man Sport does not have its own definition of sport.

Isle of Man Sport operates a recognition process to establish which sports they may consider working with and investing in. When deciding whether to recognise a sport to work with, Isle of Man Sport ascertain if it meets the Council of Europe’s European Sports Charter 1993 definition of sport (“Sport" means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels) and if the sport is well established and organised within the Isle of Man.

It is not the role of Isle of Man Sport to establish or appoint Governing Bodies of Sport (GBS). GBS are typically independent organisations that govern their sports through the common consent of their sport.

The aim of the engagement process is to identify a single GBS structure which governs a sport. IOM Sport's engagement criteria focuses on establishing if a GBS has achieved a high level of organisation and governance.

Isle of Man Sport recognition of (and engagement with) a Governing Body of Sport is not a guarantee of funding, nor does it mean that IOM Sport have approved, accredited or endorsed the quality of its programmes. Recognition by IOM Sport does not bestow any official powers on a Governing Body of Sport to govern its sport, other than those contained within the GBS’s constitution.

View our current list of recognised sports

Under a new process introduced in 2017, applications for recognition of a sport (and a Governing Body for that sport are dealt with together). Recognition of sports and Governing Bodies of Sport is subject to the submission of an 'Engagement' application which assesses sporting activity and governance.

You can obtain an application form by emailing sportsliaison@gov.im.

Decisions on engagement applications are made by the Isle of Man Sport Committee who will aim to contact you with the outcome within 60 days from the date it is received.

Support for Sport is a framework established to support recognised Governing Bodies of Sport on the Island to develop their sports and provide funding towards a variety of different initiatives that align with Isle of Man Sport's Priorities and Objectives.

Support for Sport is an annual process whereby recognised Governing Bodies of Sport apply for funding through completion of their annual Priorities and Objectives document.

Isle of Man Sport's financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March and the Support for Sport process follows the financial year, with the submission of Priorities and Objectives (P&O's) required by 31st March each year in advance of the following year.

Find out more information about our specific timeline for the current year.

The Support for Sport framework is designed to ensure funding from Isle of Man Sport is allocated to initiatives that align with Isle of Man Sport's Priorities and Objectives:

• Increase participation in sport across all levels from grass roots to elite 
• Improve and develop coaching, volunteering and officiating to enhance performance across all levels 
• Improve governance of local governing bodies and member clubs

These Priorities and Objectives are very broad and whilst it is not possible to give an exhaustive list, we have produced a guide to typical initiatives that align with Isle of Man Sport's Priorities and Objectives.

Sports are also encouraged to have regular communication with the Sports Liaison Officer, Louise, who can help guide and advise on whether specific ideas or initiatives are likely to be suitable for funding through Support for Sport.

Isle of Man Sport do not fund individual clubs directly and all funding is directed through local Governing Bodies of Sport who should consider applications for funding from all of their member or affiliated clubs.

In the first instance, contact your local Governing Body of Sport to whom you are affiliated. If they are recognised by Isle of Man Sport, then they will complete an annual Priorities and Objectives submission to apply for Support for Sport funding and your local Governing Body should consider applications for funding from all its member clubs on an annual basis. You can make an application for funding directly to your local Governing Body of Sport who will then decide whether to include this in their annual Priorities and Objectives submission.

If your local Governing Body of Sport is not recognised by Isle of Man Sport, then they will need to contact Louise for further information about the engagement process and for an application form.

If you there is not a local Governing Body of Sport for your sport, then you will need to consider whether you can form one, in order to apply to become a recognised sport. 

You could also consider other sources of financial support such as the Manx Lottery Trust or seeking sponsorship.

Your local Governing Body of Sport will receive their confirmed Support for Sport funding allocation annually in April/May.

Your local Governing Body of Sport should communicate this funding allocation and their agreed Priorities and Objectives to all member clubs, so that they are aware of what funding has been agreed for their sport and how this has been distributed. Each Governing Body of Sport will do this differently, for example via email or via their AGM.

There are several avenues of support for individuals.

In the first instance, contact your local Governing Body of Sport to find out how they may be able to help you. 

Support for Sport

Your local Governing Body can apply for support for individuals through their annual Priorities and Objectives submissions. This could include, but is not limited to, financial support for travel to competitions or financial support towards support services required to help improve performance (e.g. strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology support, etc).

Your local Governing Body of Sport is responsible for deciding how best to utilise their Support for Sport funding each year to best develop their sport as a whole.

If you participate in a sport which has a local Governing Body of Sport that is not currently recognised by Isle of Man Sport and therefore does not receive Support for Sport funding, then the Governing Body of Sport will need to go through the Isle of Man Sport engagement process in order to gain recognised status and be able to access Support for Sport funding. For an application form and further information regarding the engagement process, please contact the Sports Liaison Officer, Louise.

If you participate in a sport that does not have a local Governing Body of Sport on the Island, you will need to consider whether a local Governing Body of Sport for your sport can be established on the Island (if one does not already exist - please check our list of recognised sports). The Governing Body of Sport would then need to complete the engagement process, as detailed above, to become a recognised sport in order to access Support for Sport funding.

IOM Sport Aid

This is for individuals who are involved in or have demonstrated potential to be involved in high performance sport.

Local Governing Bodies of Sport can nominate individuals they feel are appropriate for consideration for IOM Sport Aid support.

If you participate in a sport that does not have a local Governing Body of Sport on the Island but has a National Governing Body based in the UK that you are affiliated to and you are a high performance athlete looking to make an application for IOM Sport Aid, or contact Lisa.

Individuals receiving Performance Athlete Grants (PAG) from IOM Sport Aid or support from Isle of Man Sport as a professional athlete, are unlikely to receive additional funding from their Governing Body of Sport. 

Individuals that are part of the Performance Development Programme (PDP) who may be in receipt of some financial support from IOM Sport Aid can also access support from Support for Sport, through their Governing Body of Sport. However, individuals are unlikely receive funding for the same event from both Sport Aid and Support for Sport (via their Governing Body of Sport). Local Governing Bodies of Sport may wish to support PDP athletes with additional funding and support for events that are not supported by IOM Sport Aid.

Individuals that are part of the Sport Aid Academy (SAA) are unlikely to receive funding from IOM Sport Aid but can access funding from Support for Sport, via their Governing Body of Sport.

Please see our Guidance to Funding Allocations document for the relevant financial year which provides detail around the typical things we do and don't fund and what can be claimed for. This is not an exhaustive list, so if you have any specific queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Sports Liaison Officer, Louise Corkill, via email.

If you are an individual or club who has had Support for Sport funding agreed via your local Governing Body of Sport, then please contact your local Governing Body of Sport for the information that they require from you to process your claim. You will need to keep all receipts and invoices for everything you wish to claim for to ensure the claim can be processed. Isle of Man Sport do not accept claims for support from individuals or clubs directly and these must come through the local Governing Body of Sport.

If you are a local Governing Body of Sport, you can download a claim form under the relevant year on the Support for Sport page. This claim form needs to be completed including the relevant reference from your Priorities and Objectives submission and all associated documents, receipts and invoices to evidence the claim before it can be paid. Please read our IOM Sport Claiming Guidelines prior to submitting any claims. If you need help completing the claim form or have a query around the claims process, please do not hesitate to contact Louise via email or phone (01624 651572). Once complete, you can send your claim to Louise via email or post it to us at the below address:

Sports Liaison,
MSR,
NSC,
Groves Road,
Douglas,
Isle of Man, IM2 1RB.

Isle of Man Sport will not pay any claims related to cancelled off-Island travel or trips that have not been attended, for any reason.

The Governing Body of Sport, clubs, teams and individuals are responsible for organising their own appropriate travel insurance in the event that any trip is cancelled or cannot be attended for any reason.