How Garda Vetting works for Irish sports-club volunteers

Researched and reviewed: 12 August 2026 · Scheduled review by: 12 February 2027

Important: This is general information, not legal advice or a determination that any club or person is compliant. Check current legislation and your governing body's rules.

Short answer: an individual does not apply to the National Vetting Bureau independently. A relevant organisation starts the process, verifies the applicant's identity and submits the application through its agreed channel. In sport, the exact route is normally set by the relevant National Governing Body (NGB).

The usual sequence

1. The club identifies a relevant role. The organisation decides whether the work is “relevant work or activities” under the National Vetting Bureau legislation.
2. The application begins through the organisation or NGB. The National Vetting Bureau says vetting is conducted on behalf of registered relevant organisations, not for individuals acting personally.
3. Identity is validated. The organisation follows the Bureau and NGB procedure for checking identity documents.
4. The applicant completes eVetting. The applicant supplies the information requested through the official process.
5. The disclosure returns to the relevant organisation. The organisation—not a software provider—receives the disclosure and makes its own suitability decision.
6. The club records the operational result it needs. Access should be limited and the record should be kept accurate under data-protection principles.

Why the governing body matters

Sport Ireland advises clubs and applicants to contact their NGB or Local Sports Partnership about the applicable procedure. Processes differ. For example, the GAA describes an application route through Foireann, while the FAI uses its own system and does not accept vetting completed through another organisation.

What ClearCheck does

ClearCheck can record the stage entered or confirmed by an authorised club user and help the club follow up. It does not conduct Garda Vetting, connect to the National Vetting Bureau, receive disclosures or decide whether somebody is suitable for a role.