Apr 1, 2021
Meath Local Sports Partnership has unveiled our line-up of excellent speakers for our upcoming Women in Sport webinar on Thursday April 15th @ 7.30pm. Speakers include:
- Nora Stapleton – Women in Sport lead with Sport Ireland & ex Irish rugby international
- Liam Sheedy – All-Ireland winning manager
- Joanne O Riordan – journalist and disability advocate
- Vikki Wall – Meath All-Ireland intermediate gaelic star
- Rachael Flynn – PE teacher & Meath LSP tutor
- Lisa O Dowd – Meath LSP Sports Development Officer & Women in Sport lead.
For full profile of the speakers, please see www.meathsports.ie.
The webinar is open to everyone, whether you have a personal interest in being active in female sport or physical activity, , or you are a parent of a girl involved in sport, an athlete, a player, a competitor, a coach, a mentor, an administrator or you just have an interest in developing opportunities for women to develop and progress in sport – this webinar is a must for you to attend.
Our “She…Inspires & Belongs in Sport” webinar is designed to showcase the very best leaders who through their own actions provide inspiration to us on a daily basis. The evening promises to be fun & interesting and will allow for participant interaction with the speakers. Our experienced speakers will inspire the participant through encouragement, coaxing, motivating, and persuading each other to be their very best in their sport or physical activity.
Registration for the webinar is free but places are limited…so register early to avoid disappointment. See www.meathsports.ie for more details.
Mar 30, 2021
IWA Sport have launched The Staying Active Initiative which involves several online and virtual programmes. These programmes allow IWA-Sport to stay engage with their members in a meaningful capacity. This initiative aims to support health & wellbeing of the members.
600 minutes in March
IWA-Sport have challenged their members to complete 600 minutes of physical activity this March. Under this challenge we have launched our 10@10 sessions on the IWA-Sport Staying Active Facebook group. Every morning at 10am IWA-Sport staff members deliver ten minutes of physical activity online. To further help our members reach the 600 minutes target we are also running exercise classes with Coach Alan Dineen and Yoga & Meditation sessions with Meabh.
Virtual Spring Fitness
The IWA-Sports Centre in Clontarf are running a 6-week programme for their members. It started on the 22nd of February 2021 and is now going into the 5th week. As gyms unfortunately remain closed, the Virtual Spring into Fitness programme aims to continue to support members and help them reach their health & wellness goals. Members have weekly check ins and catch ups with sports centre staff and also take part in 2 live exercise classes each week. Everyone involved is really enjoying catching up with each other and staying active.
Virtual Club Sessions
Multi-Sport Junior Club Members from IWA have been training very hard since the 23rd of January 2021. There have been over 15 sessions delivered since this programme started. Fun physical activity sessions have been running on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings for our junior club members ages 5-15. All the participants have been putting in a great effort over the last number of weeks in different exercise sessions. There are members taking part from all corners of the country. Some have been reunited with their club mates and have even met people from different clubs who they may have not met before. The Virtual Club Sessions will continue to run online for the foreseeable until restrictions ease.
Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership Programme
The Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership programme began on Tuesday March 2nd and will run for 10 weeks. IWA members between the ages of 18 and 23 will undertake online training in leadership skills that can be applied to a variety of settings. The programme aims to support our young members with leadership skills that may benefit on a personal and social basis. Participants will develop competencies in a multitude of skills including communication, relationship building planning and problem-solving. They will also develop inspiration, vision, confidence, and action plans needed to be effective leaders. The outcome of this project will see participants become empowered to lead among their peers and become advocates for the work of IWA and disability issues through a structured education programme. The inaugural Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership programme has seen a full uptake with 12 members with a great geographical spread, Louth, Cork, Dublin, Laois, Galway, Meath, Wexford, and Tipperary.
Senior Athlete Training Support Programme
On the 2nd of March 2021, IWA Sport commenced the 6-week Senior Athlete Training Support Programme. Members from Senior Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair rugby, Para-powerlifting and para-athletics have completed 4 weeks of online training with Rebel Wheelers club member and Aclaí S&C coach Alan Dineen. They have been also been joined by various guest speakers covering a variety of topics such as nutrition, physical therapy, recovery, sports psychology, and mental health organisation Jigsaw. The programme will continue for 2 more weeks. Everyone is working extremely hard and enjoying catching up with each other. They are all very eager to get back to competition and face to face training soon!
Mar 26, 2021
Organisers Mayo Sports Partnership are delighted to announce that registrations are now open for the Mayo Day 2021 Womens Virtual 10K event. The hugely successful Mayo.ie Western People West of Ireland Womens Mini Marathon which physically took place on the May Bank Holiday Sunday since 20210 has gone virtual for the 2nd year due to the ongoing pandemic. Following on from the hugely successful 10K Your Way run / walk in 2020 the 2021 virtual 10K allows participants to allocate €10 of their entry fee to a charity of their choice. Participants will receive a medal and tshirt and they can also wear a race number with the name of the hero they would like to nominate written across it.
The tag line of this years virtual 10K is “Your Way, Your Hero, Your Say”
To enter please go to www.westofirelandwomensminimarathon.com any queries etc can be directed to Event Co-ordinator Janette Slattery at 087 6091463 or email minimarathon2020@gmail.com
Mayo Sports Partnership will also be shortly announcing details of the “Its For Girls” call out to teenagers across the region to get involved in the initiative with also the hugely successful “Mini-Mini 2K Fun Run” FOR Primary School Children also making a return. For Its for Girls Registration go to https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/its-for-girls-teens-target-30-tickets-147537816581
We want CHILDREN TO RUN WALK OR JOG 2K on the May Bank holiday in their own location. There will be FREE tshirts for the first 700 who register here https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/kids-run-just-for-fun-tickets-147640421475
For more details on this event contact Mayo Sports Partnerships Community Sports Development Officer Deirdre Donnelly at 0873910337 email dedonnelly@mayococo.ie
Mar 26, 2021
Sport Ireland Coaching Children Workshop
This course is for coaches of any sport! Coaches will complete online theory work in their own time, workshops via zoom (x2 evenings a week) and practical session at the end of the programme. All of this is done in through a flexible timetable which will be fully guided and assisted by Meath LSP.
The course is normally €70 per coach, but it now available at a reduced rate of €40 for the full course. A participation certificate will be provided for the short course and a completion certificate for the full course. Places are limited – shortlisting may occur. Applicants must be over 18 years of age. Payment will be required once you are accepted onto the course. Closing date is Monday 29th March @4pm. For more information or to get an application form please contact Una Pearson at upearson@meathcoco.ie
5 to 25!
Feel alive in 5! Our new 5 to 25 online programme offers you the chance to increase your physical activity level by 5 minutes each week! This is a 5 week programme where you will receive 2 pre-recorded videos per week. You can complete at a time that suits YOU! This programme will include two types of exercises videos – Dance to Step Classes & Circuit Based Classes. Each class will utilise low impact moves and beginners exercises to help you improve balance, co-ordination, muscular strength and your overall cardiovascular health. Suitable for beginners aged 18yrs+. Starting Wed 7th April! Cost only €10 for 5 weeks. For more information or to register please contact Luke @ luke.condie@meathcoco.ie or 046-9067337.
Mar 26, 2021
Building a strong foundation for inclusion by supporting and empowering National Governing Bodies of Sport in Ireland to provide positive and meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities to engage, sustain and excel in their participation in Sport and physical activity has always been a priority for Cara.
Throughout 2020 and in the early part of 2021 Cara has provided direct support and guidance to a huge number of National Governing Bodies of Sport in relation to their inclusive practice for people with disabilities in sport.
26 NGBs have now signed the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter, thus committing to implementing the 5 pillars of the Charter and contribute towards the goals of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027.
Cara delivered 38 Training & Education courses directly to NGB board members, staff, clubs, and volunteers to support and increase their knowledge and understanding of inclusion for people with disabilities in Sport and Physical Activity.
Swim Ireland, Basketball Ireland and Badminton Ireland successfully completed Cara’s Xcessible Bronze Programme in 2020 and have now commenced the Silver stage of the programme in 2021. An additional 5 NGBs have also commenced their Xcessible Bronze journey in 2021.
The Xcessible programme is a three staged resourced pathway designed to ease an NGB into the area of Inclusion and supports them through the process of developing and increasing their capacity to support people with disabilities to be active in their sport in terms of participation, coaching, volunteering, officiating and employment. Xcessible has been developed using the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter as a guiding tool. Each NGB is guided through each stage of the journey under the headings of Openness, People, Activities, Facilities and Promotion.
Cara looks forward to continuing to support all National Governing Bodies during 2021, for more information on our programmes and supports for NGBs please contact: Odhrán Doherty, Sport Inclusion Coordinator, Cara. Email: Odoherty@caracentre.ie Telephone: 0860212325
Mar 26, 2021
One hundred women from twenty-four National Governing Bodies and four Local Sports Partnerships have now completed a Women in Sport Leadership Programme with consultants Lisa Clancy and Sarah O’Shea.
Initiated and facilitated by Swim Ireland, and funded through Sport Ireland Women in Sport Funding, the course was designed by Lisa and Sarah to be delivered face to face. When Covid-19 hit, the programme was pivoted to online with the first course taking place for 8-weeks in September and October 2020. The programme has proved extremely popular and already delivered results with four courses now completed and two more underway.
Representatives from clubs, National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships, volunteers, coaches, athletes and staff, joined from all over Ireland and tuned in from England, South Africa, Canada and France also.
Modules were developed with the specific aim of enabling and supporting women to step into positions of authority in sport and included: Leadership and Values, Networking and Collaboration, Handling Challenging Situations, Crisis Management, Governance Developing Resilience, Communications and Developing your Personal Brand, amongst others. All necessary elements for today’s leadership journey.
40 speakers from the coaching, sporting, media, commercial world and beyond provided invaluable leadership insights to the group.
As well as the online element, participants also complete group work and a personal development plan with one-to-one sessions with Lisa or Sarah.
Speaking about the course Lisa Clancy commented ‘Following on from our work on the Women in Sport Policy I felt action was required to ensure women in Ireland had the confidence, skills and support to step into leadership positions in sport. Developing the course and seeing 100 women grow their own potential has been a real privilege and a very proud outcome during a challenging period for us all.”
Sarah O’Shea added ‘” I am delighted to be in a position to give back to women in sports leadership through running this course. A course of this kind would have been very beneficial to me during my time working in sport. The network and talent we have needs to be showcased and supported and I look forward to running more courses and continue to support women at all levels of Irish Sport”.
Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead Nora Stapleton said ‘“Leadership and Governance is a key target area of Sport Ireland’s Policy on Women in Sport. We always encourage collaboration in the sports sector and are delighted with the success of this programme coordinated through Swim Ireland but with 28 different sporting organisations involved. I’d like to congratulate Lisa and Sarah for designing and delivering this programme to 100 women who I’m in no doubt will have benefited from it. We’re extremely grateful to Trish and her colleagues in Swim Ireland for the work they’ve done behind the scenes to facilitate the programme roll out and delighted that the Sport Ireland Women in Sport funding programme can allow these programmes to happen”.
Trish Mayon, Swim Ireland Head of Communications, who has facilitated the course commented ‘We were delighted to be able to bring so many NGB’s and LSP’s together for this programme. It has been extremely popular, and we have taken great pleasure in seeing the development plans and goals that participants finishing have come out with. We even had two Swim Ireland participants appointed to our Board since completing the course.’
Further courses will be delivered later in 2021. To register interest please e-mail bethanycarson@swimireland.ie
ENDS
Course Facts & Figures:
100 Candidates
24 National Governing Bodies and 4 LSPs
6 Courses
40 Speakers
Candidates aged 19 to 60+
32 county programme with candidates from 22 counties so far…
Trish Mayon
Head of Communications and Sponsorship Liaison
+353 86 8094786
