Irish Sport Acknowledges its Volunteers

Nov 20, 2012

–        Minister Ring Acknowledges Contribution of 500,000 while Presenting Awards to Eleven Sporting Volunteers

–        Special Award for Tipperary’s Liam Sheedy

–        Lifetime Award for Athletics Ronnie Long

–        Olympic Boxer’s Father is Youth Coach of the Year

–        Awards Shared by Ten Sports

20 November 2012, Aviva Stadium.   The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, TD, acknowledged the major contribution played by Irish sports 500,000 volunteers as he presented the “National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport” at a function held in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, earlier today.  In all he presented eleven awards across ten sports.

The “National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport” celebrates the contribution of those who volunteer across all of Irish sport.  In making the presentations Minister Ring acknowledged the contribution made by volunteers saying that without their incredible efforts sport as we know it in Ireland today would not exist.

The National Awards are a collaboration between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Irish Sports Council and the Federation of Irish Sport which represents over 70 sports in Ireland.  This scheme is also supported by the Community Foundation of Ireland.
Among the recipients of this year’s awards were Liam Sheedy, who managed Tipperary to All Ireland Senior success in 2010.  He was nominated for his commitment to Tipperary hurling which has seen him manage hurling and camogie teams at all age levels in his home club of Portroe.

Hockey’s Sally Ann Fanagan took the Adult Manager of the Year title for her commitment to the sport which this year came so close to qualifying for the London Olympics. Another Olympic connection was provided by Oliver O’Neill, who won the Youth Coaching Award.  Oliver is the father of Darren O’Neill, captain of this year’s successful Irish Olympic boxing team.

A Lifetime Award was presented to athletics’ Ronnie Long who has served Irish athletics at every level from grassroots through to President of Athletics Ireland.  His work at county and regional level as an administrator and the passion and energy he brought all his life to athletics was honoured in the award.

The award winners were selected by a committee chaired by Olympic gold medal winner, Ronnie Delany.  Also on the committee were representatives from the Federation of Irish Sport, the Irish Sports Council, the Irish Times, RTE and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Speaking at the presentation of the awards Minister Ring said he was delighted to see the breadth of this year’s awards which took in ten sports.  He said the honours were all well-deserved for they demonstrated once again just how important volunteerism is in Irish sport as we know it today.  He said that despite the professionalism that has come into sport at all levels, volunteers still have a huge role to play.

“It is particularly interesting for me to see how some of the people we honour today have risen to the very top in Irish sport and yet they have given back so much to their sports by volunteering.  We see before us today people who have helped nurture young sportsmen and women who have gone on to participate at the Olympic Games.  We also are honouring a man today who not alone has nurtured hurling and camogie at every age group through to senior but who also has gone on to manage his native county to All Ireland Senior Hurling success.”

“For me all our winners epitomise true sportsmen and women who not alone get a great deal out of sport but perhaps just as importantly put a huge amount into sport.”

Also speaking at the awards ceremony Sarah O’Connor, Chief Executive of the Federation of Irish Sport, said:

“As Minister Ring has said today Irish sport would not exist without the efforts of the 500,000 people who volunteer so freely of their time every year.  This voluntary investment has been estimated to have an economic value equivalent of somewhere between €350 to €580 million each year.”

“I don’t think, however, you can really put a monetary value on just what volunteering means to sport in this country. To put it more simply the 1.7 million Irish people who actively participate in sport would simply not have the opportunity to do so if it weren’t for people like our volunteers today.”

“It is an effort that should not be taken for granted as without these volunteers not only would we cease to enjoy the successes achieved on the international stage but there would also be serious implications for public health at a time when obesity and other lifestyle induced chronic diseases are on the rise.”

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Biographies of the award winners are appended to this press release.

(ends)

For further information, please contact:-

Sarah O’Connor, Chief Executive, Federation of Irish Sport  tel:  086 804 8446

or

Caroline Ryan, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport tel: 01 604 1807

2012 NATIONAL AWARDS TO VOLUNTEERS IN IRISH SPORT

The Winners:

–        Adult Coach of the Year:  Marian Fenton, Swimming.
Marian Fenton (nee Cummins) has been involved in Irish swimming for over 40 years.  A member of a well-known swimming family her sister, Anne, was the first Irish woman to break 60 seconds for the 100m freestyle while her brother, David, swam in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

Despite facing a number of serious battles with illness Marian has continued to teach and to coach and also to work in rehabilitating patients recovering from major surgery.  A team manager for Irish national squads she has also worked with the Irish Schools Swimming Association and has undertaken many different tasks with her own club, Cormorant.  A Swim Ireland tutor today she works to bring youth coaches and teachers into the sport.
–        Adult Manager of the Year:  Sally Ann Fanagan, Hockey.
Sally Anne Fanagan has been manager of the Irish Ladies Hockey Squad for the past six years.  She has juggled that role with a highly successful role in business.  Recently she announced her retirement from the hockey role to spend more time with her family.

A model of professionalism she has been at the heart of managing the success of the Irish Ladies Hockey team during that period, a success that culminated in the play off for the London 2012 Olympics.

A stickler for detail she ensured that the hockey squad wanted for nothing.  She ensured at all times that with her looking after the detail the squad could concentrate on the job at hand – playing.
–        Youth Coach:  Oliver O’Neill, Boxing.
Paulstown Boxing club was founded in 1972.  It is the longest running and most successful boxing club in the Laois / Kilkenny / Carlow area.  That this is so is mainly down to the work of one man, Oliver O’Neill.  Under his guidance the club has gone from strength to strength producing 25 Irish champions who between them have won 58 titles.  The club can also boast a European silver medallist and a member of this year’s Irish Olympic team – his son, Darren, who captained the Irish Boxing Team at the London Olympics.

He has coached several girl boxers to Irish titles and readily welcomed children from disadvantaged backgrounds.  He continues to train boxers from under age right up to senior – both boys and girls.
–        Youth Manager:  Stephen Leigh, Basketball
While County Clare may be predominantly a GAA county, Stephen Leigh has ensured that the sport of basketball continues to thrive in that county.  Since 2010 he has worked extremely closely with the Clare Local Sports Partnership to establish the Clare under age basketball league.  Since the start there are now ten new clubs operating in the county at under 13 and under 15 levels.
–        Community Administrator:  Rose Devine, Soccer
Rose Devine has worked as a volunteer in sport since the early 1970s.  Working in London she founded Croydon Camogie Club and was responsible for the setting up of a county board for camogie which is still going strong today.  She played both Gaelic football and camogie for London.

Returning to Ireland in 1996 she initially coached GAA in local Kildare clubs before founding Prosperous United in 1998 where she served in a number of roles including secretary from 2008 -2010. In 2009 she started up the Kildare Girls Soccer League which today play in the Dublin Metro League. Rose is also involved in Community Games.

–        National Administrator: Brendan Dowling, Martial Arts
Brendan first became involved in the administration of Irish Martial Arts Commission as its chairperson over 20 years ago.  He has been a key figure in bringing together the various martial arts activities in Ireland. He has been one of the pioneers of martial arts coach development and has taken personal responsibility for much of the administration and record keeping that is required by a national governing body today.  In 2008 he was elected the first president of the Irish Martial Arts Commission.

Despite all of his administrative duties he remains a frontline martial arts instructor for both adults and young people.  He has been an activist in the promotion of all aspects of “inclusion in sport” at community, city and national levels.
–        Disabilities Sports Volunteer: Colm and Shelagh Leech, Special Olympics
Shelagh and Colm Leech have been volunteers with Special Olympics for over 15 years during which time they have taken on a variety of different roles working at national, regional and local club levels.  Their daughter, Tara, is a participant in the Special Olympics in the sports of gymnastics, basketball, athletics and golf.

In 1989 Shelagh and Colm were among a group of parents to establish a Special Olympics Club in Bray.  This is one of the first community based clubs in Special Olympics.  They went on to found a further club in Blackrock.  As strong advocates and shining examples of the role family members can play in such an organisation Shelagh and Colm have been leaders in the family programme for Special Olympics since its earliest days.

Experts in event management Shelagh and Colm have helped out many of their peers in ensuring that events both looked well and ran properly.  Shelagh and Colm were heavily involved in the development of a Special Olympics town, a themed fun centre at the National Games.  It was no surprise when Shelagh was asked to take on the overall management of the Special Olympics town for the 2003 Special Olympics World Games in Dublin.
–        Sporting Official: Mary Murray, Gymnastics
Mary Murray has been a volunteer in Gymnastics Ireland for over 20 years during which period she has worked in many capacities as a coach, judge and a member of the women’s technical committee.  She has been an international judge for the last six years.

Mary has helped in the development of the new competition programme which was implemented five years ago and every year she helps to update this programme and the rules.  She has worked tirelessly in the interests of her sport of gymnastics never seeking recognition.  She has organised and coordinated all of the women’s national championships over the past three years.  It is very rare that a women’s national championship takes place without Mary judging at the competition.
–        Lifetime Award: Ronnie Long, Athletics
Ronnie Long has served athletics in every role possible.  He has done immeasurable work at all levels from grassroots with his club through to serving as President of Athletics Ireland.  He has travelled to the Olympic Games as manager and has also spent years working at county and regional level as an administrator.

Ronnie has applied energy and passion to all aspects of his life in athletics and this passion is undimmed today as he enters his 78^th year.
–        Special Recognition:  Liam Sheedy, Hurling
Tipperary’s All Ireland Winning Hurling Manager in 2010, Liam Sheedy, was nominated for the award by Portroe his local GAA club for his “tireless commitment to coaching our club’s under age hurling teams, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 as well as Portroe Camogie Club’s under age girls of similar age groups”.  He has also coached all of the club’s senior teams.  In his time Liam has also coached both the Tipperary Minor and Senior All Ireland hurlers, with both of whom he has enjoyed All Ireland success.

He has been involved with Portroe since his teenage years and his input into coaching at the club culminated this year in the historic achievement of the club winning its first North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship.

Campus to develop facilities for Horse Sport Ireland & Pentathlon Ireland

Oct 25, 2012

Press Release from Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport:

• Lease agreements in place with FAI, GAA, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association to develop facilities on site
• FAI receives FIFA grant for developing training pitches
• New HQ for Irish Sport NGBs to be occupied early next year
• Work on multi-sport pitches & pavilion to commence in January 2013
• Site clearance and infrastructure works are underway

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has confirmed a number of developments at the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown including the development of high performance training facilities for Horse Sport Ireland and Pentathlon Ireland.

Speaking at a briefing on developments at the National Sports Campus, Minister Varadkar also confirmed that lease agreements have been put in place with the FAI, GAA, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association (IHA), after the ownership of lands at Blanchardstown were transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Campus Development Authority in August.

“I’m very pleased with the huge progress made in the last six months. I hope this decision by HIS and Pentathlon Ireland will encourage many other NGBs to view the Campus as an ideal site for developing facilities and enhancing their own sport. Following on from the positive announcement on investment in training pitches from the FAI earlier this month, today’s announcement shows that the partnership approach between Government and sporting bodies which I announced last March is working,” Minister Varadkar said.

The National Sports Campus Development Authority will now develop a centre of excellence for Horse Sport Ireland/Pentathlon Ireland for equestrian sports, and facilities for the modern pentathlon.

Other developments

• Ownership of the State lands, approximately 520 acres, was transferred by the Government from the Department of Agriculture to the NSCDA in August, allowing the Authority to draw up Lease Agreements with the FAI, GAA, IRFU and IHA to develop their own facilities on site. The FAI has subsequently received a grant towards the development work from FIFA;
• Site clearance and infrastructure works are underway. Tenders are also being sought for the installation of a new internal access road which opens up the site, and preparatory work for the installation of multi-sport all-weather pitches and a pavilion for use by the local community. This work, including the installation of the community pitches will be completed during 2013;
• Work on refurbishing an existing building on site as a new Irish Sport HQ will be completed early in the new year. Fit-out will take place in the early months of 2013. The first of the 18 NGBs to be based there is scheduled to come on site in March;
• Agreement has been reached between Horse Sport Ireland/Pentathlon Ireland for the development of a centre of excellence for equestrian sports and the modern pentathlon at the Campus. The cost of upgrading the existing facilities to the required standard required by Horse Sport Ireland is estimated to be around €600,000. A Business Plan is being put in place to sustain the facility and re-coup over 50% of the capital investment within ten years. Procurement and installation works are already underway and are expected to be completed by March 2013. The agreed plan with Horse Sport Ireland involves the development of a high performance equestrian training arena within the walled garden area of Abbotstown House, and the renovation of an adjacent farm outhouse to accommodate the Pentathlon disciplines of Fencing and Pistol Shooting. A Licence Agreement has already been executed between the NSCDA and Horse Sport Ireland on behalf of its affiliates, and especially Pentathlon Ireland. Ireland’s pentathletes Natalya Coyle and Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe enjoyed a prominent position at the recent London Olympics, and the hope is that these new facilities will help in the development of such athletes in the future.

NSCDA Chairman Sean Benton said: “The proximity to the National Aquatic Centre, the support services of the Irish Institute of Sport, and the availability of cross country courses on Campus will all be of considerable benefit to aspiring equestrian riders and pentathletes alike. It is our intention to continue rolling out training facilities which are required by elite athletes and yet are also made available to the public as we have done at the National Aquatic Centre and at Morton Stadium, Santry.”

HSI Chairman Joe Walsh said: “This move is a very important step for Irish Equestrian and affiliated sports. It not only provides us with the dedicated training facilities which we need, but it also merges equestrian sports with other mainstream sporting disciplines which can only be of benefit to all of Irish sport. Priority access will be given to high performance athletes, but the facilities will also be used by HSI affiliates and will also be open for private hire by the public.”

Ends

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Press Office: 01 6041076 / 01 6041090. Nick Miller 086 6992080
WHPR (on behalf of NSCDA) Greg Keane: 01 6690030 / 087 6601908

Irish American Football Association – The Gathering Dublin Launched

Oct 4, 2012

On Wednesday 3rd October, the Minister for Sport – Mr. Michael Ring TD and the Mayor of South Dublin – Cllr. Cathal King launched The Gathering Dublin. The Irish American Football Association is pleased to announce that it is one of the partners in The Gathering Dublin and will be staging a number of events in South Dublin during 2013. A new website – www.thegatheringdublin.com went live after the launch.

At the Global Irish Economic Forum held in 2011, the Irish Government announced that 2013 would mark the year of The Gathering, the biggest tourism initiative ever created for Ireland. Minister Leo Varadkar stated that “The Gathering will be a year long programme of events festivals and fun”. In response, South Dublin Tourism conceived The Gathering Dublin, which is expected to be the most prominent initiate in the The Gathering 2013 calender of events.

South Dublin County is home to Basketball Ireland, Baseball Ireland and the Irish American Football Association, so the county decided to build on its unique association with American sports to put together a series of events aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to compete in sporting events within the County. Other sporting and cultural organizations have also joined the initiative to give a programme of events that spans 15 sporting and cultural areas.

The Gathering Dublin is also unique in that it brings together local government, national sporting facilities, the tourist industry, cultural organizations and the sporting National Governing Bodies into a single partnership that is not only able to host major events, but also able to fully cater for the travel, accommodation, cultural, educational and sight seeing needs of the visitors.

The American football events to be run in South Dublin in 2013 as part of the programme of events in 2013 are:

EFAF Atlantic Cup (June 28/29): This is the official Western European Amateur Club Championship. Irish Champions, Belfast Trojans will compete against teams from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg over the weekend of 28^th/29^th June. The Atlantic Cup will be run as a festival style event whereby fans can sit back and enjoy the games, take part in some interactive American football skills games and enjoy some local food and drink. Visitors from Europe can also take part in some cultural activities.

Shamrock Bowl XXVII (July): This is Ireland’s National Championship game and will take place in Tallaght Stadium. It will be run as a family orientated event and will be used to showcase the IAFL to a wider audience. For the first time ever, travel packages will be available for European and American fans who want to attend the game.

The Gathering Classic games (Aug/Sept): Four visiting North American teams will play a doubleheader of games in Tallaght Stadium in late August or early September. These will be regular season competitive games featuring large high school, college or semi-professional teams. The aim of the event will be to introduce Irish and European fans to the unique atmosphere of a major US game as well as showcasing Tallaght Stadium as a venue for major American football games in the future. The visiting teams and fans will also be able to enjoy some Irish cultural experiences.

Welcome Message from The Gathering Dublin team:

The Gathering Dublin is set to bring everyone who loves Ireland back for a year of fantastic events. From American Football to Baseball to Art Competitions, 2013 is the year where we all get together to “Meet To Compete” in South Dublin, located 30 minutes from one of Europe’s most historic yet cosmopolitan cities. Dublin, voted one of the world’s friendliest cities is busy preparing for a very exciting 2013.

With visitors arriving from all over the world, here in South Dublin we’ve decided to show off what we do best. We have top of the line sporting facilities like Tallaght Stadium and The National Basketball Arena, there’s theatre spaces like Civic Theatre and RUA RED and we’re completely connected by the bus and red line LUAS.

With 25 sporting events, an international art competition running across 15 countries and the chance to trace your genealogy, The Gathering Dublin 2013 welcomes first-timers and ex-pats to Ireland for a chance to make memories and fondly visit old ones.

2013 is the year for everyone who loves being Irish!

So – if you are connected to Ireland in some way – either through genealogy, college attendance, alumni association or business connection, if you are or have played for a school, college or state and would like to have your team ‘Meet to Compete’ in The Gathering Dublin 2013, drop us a note at info@thegatheringdublin.com

The Gathering Dublin Events: American football, Art, Basketball, Baseball, Bridge, Canoeing, Cricket, Cycling, Soccer, Golf, Irish Dancing, Ladies Football, Poker and Youth Soccer.

Partners: South Dublin Tourism, South Dublin County Council, The Gathering Ireland, County Dublin Vocational Educational Committee, Department of Environment, Fingal Leader Partnership.

Media Partners: World Irish, European Irish, Irish Central.

Travel Partner: Joe O’Reilly Ireland Group.

€2.6m for new Sports Equipment Grants to boost participation – Ring

Oct 4, 2012

Press Release from Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport:

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring has approved grants of €2.6 million to allow 22 national sports bodies to buy new equipment, boost participation in sport and improve performance.

The funding has been awarded to a range of National Governing Bodies including the Athletics Association, the Irish Rugby Football Union, Irish Wheelchair Association Sport, Canoeing Ireland, the GAA, the Irish Sailing Association, the Football Association of Ireland, and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.

The new equipment will include items as diverse as a mobile Olympic Handball arena, scrum machines, a ‘cricket factory’ where you can try out cricket for fun, and martial arts arenas.

It includes a grant of €160,228 to the Irish Wheelchair Association Sport to provide new equipment for sports like basketball, athletics, hand cycling and rugby, boccia, table tennis, archery, frisbee, tennis, powerlifting and gym equipment.

Minister Ring said: ‘The real beneficiaries from this funding will be the thousands of sportspeople across Ireland who head out on weeknights and weekends to train with their local club. Although some of the equipment will be used at national level by the governing bodies, a significant portion will be utilised at local level. I hope it will encourage more people to get involved in sport’.

The equipment aims to help a diverse range of sports to attract more participants, run better competitions, monitor performance and train more effectively, building on the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Applications were invited through the Irish Sports Council. All 22 organisations which applied are being funded under the scheme.

Minister launches Special Olympics Ireland’s Health Promotion Project Report

Oct 2, 2012

Press Release from Special Olympics Ireland:

(Tuesday, 2^nd October 2012) Minister of State, Kathleen Lynch T.D. attended the launch of Special Olympics Ireland’s research report:  “The Development and Evaluation of a Health Promotion Programme for People with Intellectual Disabilities.”

Research has shown that 68% of people with an intellectual disability have a BMI in the overweight/obese category. The aim of this programme was to develop, pilot and evaluate a user-friendly Health Promotion resource pack which could be delivered in community based Special Olympics clubs and Intellectual Disability Service. The report details the findings of the programme, which was initiated in 2008 to help address the lack of health promotion resources for people with an intellectual disability in Ireland.

The Resource Pack was developed in consultation with Special Olympics athletes, volunteers and family members and covers the most pertinent health needs of people with intellectual disabilities including nutrition, physical activity, heart health and bone health.

Statutory and non-statutory organisations collaborated in the development of this resource. Health knowledge and behaviour questionnaires were administered to the 286 participants at start of the pilot in order to establish a baseline and again on completion. The results showed a statistically significant increase in health knowledge and health behaviours, most notably a 48% increase in the numbers of participants meeting the recommended daily intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables.

Qualitative data was gathered through questionnaires and focus groups conducted with participants, volunteers, Services staff and family members. The feedback from the participants indicated that the user-friendly nature of the pack ensured that the participants were more inclined to follow its direction.  It was evident that by relating the importance of health to sport, the participants felt more encouraged to make a health change.

Speaking at the project report launch Minster of State Kathleen Lynch T.D. said “I am delighted to hear such positive findings arising from this pilot programme. It is wonderful to hear how much of a difference it has already made to the participants in such a relatively short period of time. If this programme shows us anything it is that health and sport go hand in hand and that positive lifestyle changes are important and beneficial to us all. I would like to congratulate everyone involved and encourage the participants to keep up the good work!”

Dr Nazih Eldin, Head of Health Promotion Dublin North East, Health Service Executive said “The HSE welcomes this initiative which aims at reducing health inequalities for Special Olympics athletes in Ireland.  It is great to see that an effective, evidence based and targeted programme was developed in collaboration and cooperation of so many different experts, parents and people with intellectual disability.  The HSE is hoping that this model will achieve all its goals and that the benefit will be shared by everyone in Ireland”.

Matt English, CEO Special Olympics Ireland said “The publication of this report is hugely significant for Special Olympics Ireland. We are delighted to see the positive impact that the introduction of this programme has made not only to our athletes who participated in it but also their families. The findings are hugely encouraging to us and once again affirm our promise of enriching and enhancing the lives of people with an intellectual disability in Ireland. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who played a part in making the initial pilot programme such a success, particularly the HSE Dublin North East”.

View the report here