Apr 12, 2021
Today, the Federation of Irish Sport announced the final panel of the upcoming Irish Sport Industry Innovation Series. The panel, which will focus on investment in innovation both in Ireland and Europe, is the penultimate speaker announcement for next week’s highly anticipated series.
The Federation is delighted to welcome Benny Cullen, Director of Research and Innovation at Sport Ireland, Cormac MacDonnell, Innovation and EU Funding Manager at Sport Ireland and Alberto Bichi, Executive Director of EPSI to discuss the trends and opportunities for investment in innovation projects both in Ireland and on the continent. The panel, which will follow Minister Jack Chambers’ keynote address, will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge on the current innovation landscape, the impact COVID-19 has had in driving the pace of innovation in the sector, and serve to inspire sport and physical activity organisations to take the next steps in seeking funding opportunities for innovation ideas and initiatives.
The panel completes a stellar line up for the Investment themed evening which includes a discussion on CSR and corporate investment in sport and physical activity, an address by Minister of state with responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers and an insight into the opportunities and trends in innovation funding. The evening will be hosted by Rob Hartnett of Sport for Business.
7pm: Welcome by Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport
7.10pm: Panel discussion – “Sport and Physical Activity as a vehicle for corporate investment” with Aoife Clarke, LIDL, Richie Gernon, EBS and Denise Charlton, Community Foundation
7.40pm: Keynote address by Government Chief Whip and Minister of State with Responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers.
8.10pm: Panel Discussion – “Trends and opportunities for investment in innovation” with Benny Cullen, Sport Ireland, Cormac MacDonnell, Sport Ireland and Alberto Bichi, EPSI
8.40pm: Close
With one final announcement to come this week, tickets for the series are selling fast. Be sure to join us for three evenings of discussion and engagement. Secure your place at www.irishsport.ie/tickets. The series takes place from 20th – 22nd April 2021, with the Investment night set for the 20th.
For more about the event visit https://www.irishsport.ie/federation-of-irish-sport-launch-irish-sport-industry-innovation-series-focusing-on-investment-international-and-innovation-strands-of-sport-sector/
ENDS
Contact: Sinead Conroy sinead.conroy@irishsport.ie
Apr 9, 2021
Today, the Federation of Irish Sport announced the International night panel members as part of the upcoming Irish Sport Industry Innovation Series. The panel, which will focus on bringing international sporting events to Irish shores, is the latest in the speaker announcements for what is set to be three days of engaging discussion and debate.
The Federation is delighted to present a panel of experts in the arenas of soccer, athletics, and rugby event hosting covering a Women’s World Cup, a mixed European Championship and a major International Men’s tournament. Garrett Tubridy, consultant project manager to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 and Hamish Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland will join Declan Conroy, Europa League Final 2011 and EURO2020 project manager, for an evening of discussion on what it takes to bring an international event to Ireland, what the challenges are once awarded and what the return on investment is for all those who support such activities. The panel will also bring a government perspective in the form of Donal Hannigan, Principle Officer at the Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media who is heavily involved in the management of international tournament agenda as outlined in the programme for government.
The collective experience of the panel will bring to life the process of bidding and hosting international events at a range of levels and demonstrate the benefits of a shared knowledge and experience pool on the island. In a year that has seen many major events shaken by COVID-19, the Federation look forward to hearing the perspectives of the panel on what the future of international events will look like and where there may be opportunities for sporting organisations to dive into event hosting post pandemic.
The series takes place from 20th – 22nd April 2021, with the International night set for the 21st, and tickets are available at www.irishsport.ie/tickets FIS members can avail of tickets free of charge using code FC934C (one ticket per transaction, unlimited transactions). Be sure to circulate within your organisation.
Two final speaker announcements to come next week! For more about the event visit https://www.irishsport.ie/federation-of-irish-sport-launch-irish-sport-industry-innovation-series-focusing-on-investment-international-and-innovation-strands-of-sport-sector/
ENDS
Contact: Sinead Conroy sinead.conroy@irishsport.ie
Apr 9, 2021
Clann Credo’s hugely successful series of online events – Changing Landscapes – is back with two new events!
These free online events focus on new opportunities for local sports clubs and community groups arising from the huge increase in remote working and working from home.
The Covid-19 pandemic has propelled forward the move towards remote working and opened up the possibility of alternatives to time-consuming commutes and office-based working practices.
We have a great line up of speakers with unique insights into the latest trends and developments in remote working, as well as inspirational stories from trailblazing community organisations.
Event 1: Remote Working and Communities – Volunteers
Tuesday 13th April, 7:30 – 8:30 pm
This event will respond to these questions:
- What makes a successful community organisation?
- Could your community project or sports club benefit from the skills of remote workers?
25 years of working with over 1,500 community organisations, sports clubs and social enterprises across Ireland has taught us that volunteer skills and capacity is the key factor that sets successful community organisations above the rest. However, we also know that finding volunteers with specific skills can be challenging.
One year on from the March 2020 directive to work from home, we look at the growing popularity and viability of remote working and the opportunities that this brings for the rejuvenation of volunteer-led organisations.
Rose Barrett from Grow Remote join us for this event and has a unique perspective on how remote workers, including former commuters, those returning to their home communities and those striking out in new communities are seeking to (re)connect with their local community and contribute to community wellbeing (and their own wellbeing). Grow Remote is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to enable us to work, live and participate locally.
Henry Healy, Director of Moneygall Development Association will share his experiences of harnessing the right skills for community projects; how to decide which skills you need most, and how to track down the right people.
For more information and to register for Remote Working and Communities – making the most of remote workers’ skills for your community project, click HERE.
Event 2: Remote Working and Communities – Facilities
Tuesday 20th April 7:30 – 8:30 pm
Our second event looks at opportunities for sports clubs and community groups arising from the challenges that have emerged from enforced working from home, for example:
- Lack of access to high-speed broadband
- Lack of suitable workspace at home
- Lack of social interaction throughout the working day
Community based organisations and sports clubs have a key role in the transition to sustainable remote working and hybrid working practices, facilitating access to broadband, quality workspace and offering new modes of connecting through work.
Sean O’Coisdealbha from Údarás na Gaeltachta joins us for this event and will share his experience of adapting community infrastructure to meet emerging demands of remote working and his unique insight into the future of remote work in Ireland’s Gaeltacht communities.
From the community and sports club angle, we are delighted to have John Lynch, St. Aidan’s GAA Club, Co. Roscommon talking about their experience in adapting space for remote working.
For more information and to register for Remote Working and Communities – adapting community facilities for remote workers, click HERE.
We look forward to meeting you online!
Apr 6, 2021
Today, the Federation of Irish Sport announced the Innovation night panel members as part of the upcoming Irish Sport Industry Innovation Series. The panel, which will focus on embracing digital transformation in the sport and physical activity sector, rounds off the Innovation evening’s speakers which also include a Keynote address by Grainne Barry, VP Digital & Business Operations Stats Perform and Co-founder SportsTech Ireland.
The Federation is delighted to have the valuable contributions of Lewis Wiltshire, Jill Downey and Fiona Chambers on the panel for a discussion of their experiences of digital transformation and innovation in the sporting sector. COVID-19, among other environmental factors, has hugely increased the focus on digital transformation and innovation in all sectors but particularly in sport where traditional models of delivery have faced significant challenges. The speakers respective experiences with Seven League, Core and University College Cork will bring a unique spectrum of views and experiences that Federation members and the public will benefit from.
The series takes place from 20th – 22nd April 2021, with the Innovation night set for the 22nd, and tickets are available at www.irishsport.ie/tickets
Further speakers to be announced. For more about the event visit https://www.irishsport.ie/federation-of-irish-sport-launch-irish-sport-industry-innovation-series-focusing-on-investment-international-and-innovation-strands-of-sport-sector/
ENDS
Contact: Sinead Conroy sinead.conroy@irishsport.ie
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!
