Yes we Clann! Making a difference in sport

If you’re involved in a sports club or social organisation which has sought to expand or develop over the past three decades, it’s likely that you’ve come into contact with Clann Credo.

Rather than focusing fully on the bank accounts of a group seeking capital, Clann Credo also looks at the social return involved in each project.

Sarah Leahy, the regional manager for the south, outlines how Clann Credo first came into being.

“We were originally set up in 1996 by the Presentation Sisters,” she says.

“It was basically to put money into social projects in Dublin, but they realised very quickly that there was a big need for finance for the non-profit sector and it grew rapidly, beyond what the Presentation Sisters could do.

“The Government set up the Social Finance Foundation in 2006 or 2007. The pillar banks are loaning money into this foundation at a low rate and we can pull out of that fund then to loan on to clubs and community organisations or whatever.

“We have grown bigger and bigger and increased our staff over the last few years as there is a big demand for our services now.”

Clann Credo has 13 full-time stuff, with five others in a similar role to Sarah, who is based in her home of Causeway in north Kerry but regularly travels to meet prospective service-users.

Recently, there was another round of Sports Capital Grants announced. While one might think that such offerings negate the need for Clann Credo, that is not in fact the case.

“With the majority of the grants that are approved, the money has to be spent before it can be drawn down,” Sarah explains.

“We step in with the bridging loans to help get the project completed. We give them the money and they pay interest to us on a monthly basis. Then, when they get the funding, that’s used to clear the loan.

“That would be a big part of what we do – meeting with clubs and organisations, sitting and discussing with them what they might need, what would suit them and what they might be able to replay.

“The bridging loans are the most straightforward, but then you might come up against clubs who have encountered a shortfall in their funds to finish what they’re doing.”

The growing population and the need to cater for that with the provision of services and facilities, coupled with the finite supply of land, is another aspect of life nowadays that provides a need for Clann Credo.

“We have helped a lot of clubs with the purchase of property and the development of pitches and that kind of thing,” Sarah explains.

“You can get a grant for a lot of capital works and to complete projects, but you will not get a grant to just buy something.

“A lot of clubs are now trying to expand within their localities, or there are some that might never have had their own base and are trying to buy a bit of land for themselves and take out a loan over 10 or 15 years.

Challenges

“Astroturfs are the latest thing that everybody wants to have, because of the weather we have, and there are clubs that might be landlocked who are putting in full-size astro pitches. Another thing that has become very popular is walking tracks around GAA pitches.”

Of course, there are challenges for both Clann Credo and the organisations they deal with, but Sarah maintains that the personal touch goes a long way.

“We usually come in at the stage where the project is ready to get going, the development is happening and the clubs come back with their costs and tenders,” she says.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is delays in grants being paid out or projects being delayed by the weather or delayed by contractors.

“Clubs might find then that they’re paying extra interest for a while and they can’t draw down the grant.

“That would probably be the biggest challenge, but we do know that we’re dealing with genuine people who are trying their best for their own club and their own community.

“A major part of it is that we try to work alongside people as best we can. We don’t like saying no and turning people down, it’s more like, ‘We don’t think you’d be suitable for a loan of X, but we would be prepared to offer Y’.

“If something goes wrong with the loan, then we go back and sit with them and talk about what to do – we might need to go interest-only until they have a fundraiser or extend the term or whatever is needed.

“We really put a lot of work into helping clubs develop, rather than just being like a bank. When somebody is dealing with me, it’s me that they’ll be dealing with from start to finish.

“We’re a small organisation, so it’s not like you’re picking up the phone and talking to a different person every day. We don’t send out threatening letters looking for our money back!

“Almost all of us working in Clann Credo are involved in a club or community organisation ourselves [in our localities] so we really know and understand what it’s like to be working on the ground, trying to improve things,” Sarah Leahy from Clann Credo concludes.