Nov 6, 2019
Last chance to register!!
Cara in partnership with Sport Ireland are delighted to announce the 2019 National Seminar for Inclusion. The theme for this year’s seminar will be on ‘Children and Young People with Disabilities’ and will take place on Thursday November 21st in the Castleknock Hotel Dublin. The event will consist of a combination of key note addresses and interactive breakout sessions based around the different areas where children with disabilities have the opportunity to be active; sport, physical activity, and physical education. At this year’s Seminar you will have the opportunity to hear directly from children and young people with disabilities, network, and through interactive breakout sessions discuss the various challenges and solutions facing the inclusion of children and young people in sport and physical activity.
We are inviting anyone involved in or with an interested in enhancing sport and physical activity opportunities for children and young people with disabilities to register to attend this seminar, and join us for this national event.
To learn more about the event, and to book your place online, please visit the following link: https://caracentre.ie/event/national-seminar-for-inclusion/
CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATION IS THURSDAY 7TH OF NOVEMBER.
Growing Stronger Together
As the saying goes, nothing about us without us!
When we initially set about planning for this event, we really took that sentiment to heart. We decided from the offset that children and young people needed to be at the core of this event, all the way from the planning of it right up to the day itself.
In the early stages, we held a consultation meeting with some children and young people, to truly understand their experiences, wishes and needs when it comes to being involved in sport and physical activity. We discussed all of their issues and experiences in terms of sport, physical activity, physical education, and being involved in the decision making process. This group of young people are also responsible for creating the title ‘Growing Stronger Together’ for this event, alongside the imagery and branding that goes alongside it. Thank you to all who have helped us shape this day!
Oct 30, 2019
The new state of the art hockey pitch at the Sport Ireland Campus was officially opened by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, providing a welcome boost to Ireland’s national hockey teams ahead of their pivotal Tokyo 2020 qualification matches against Canada.
The surface is a Polytan Polygras Toyko GT surface the same surface that will be used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 World Cup.
Speaking at the opening today which was attended by senior international players, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, said: “I am delighted to officially open this magnificent facility, a new high performance training pitch for Irish hockey into the future. I am sure that this new world- class hockey pitch at the Campus will be of great benefit for our teams in terms of preparing for Tokyo 2020 and beyond. I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our athletes and teams well in their bids to qualify for Tokyo and in their preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics next year.”
Construction of the pitch was completed in recent weeks and has been utilised by both squads, providing a timely boost ahead of their crucial Olympic Qualifiers.
Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, commented: “Following a remarkable period of success by our national teams, Sport Ireland is delighted to be in a position to provide world class facilities for our hockey players here on the Sport Ireland Campus. This development makes a clear statement that the Sport Ireland Campus is the home of high performance hockey in Ireland. The completion of the hockey pitch is another important milestone for Sport Ireland, which recently added Phase 2 of the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena and Irish Rugby’s training centre to the long list of world class facilities on the Sport Ireland Campus. I would like to wish both the Women’s and Men’s senior international teams the very best in their respective qualification matches against Canada.”
Both Irish senior squads have been utilising the pitch in their preparations for their upcoming Olympic qualifiers and continue to avail of the range of training supports and professional services offered by the Sport Ireland Institute.
Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy, added: “The location of the pitch here at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus allows all national players to avail of existing science, medicine and lifestyle support services through the Sport Ireland Institute. This pitch will not only be a huge boost to them, but also to our up and coming players who will no doubt have been inspired by the recent performances of our women’s and men’s teams.”
Chair of Sport Ireland’s National Sports Campus Committee, Patrick O’Connor, said: “The opening of the Sport Ireland Hockey Training Centre is the latest world-class facility to open on the Sport Ireland Campus. The development of this new pitch alleviates the need for Irish teams to travel abroad to train, giving them access to the latest in pitch technology here in Ireland. The construction of the pitch, coupled with the other extensive facilities on the site, opens up opportunities to attract other major international teams here to the Sport Ireland Campus.”
The Ireland Men’s squad have recently travelled to Belgium for their final preparation matches ahead of their Vancouver qualifier which will take place on the 26th and 27th of October. The Women’s squad are currently in camp in their final phases of their preparations. They travel to Germany next week for a two-match series before returning home to face Canada in their Olympic qualifier on the 2nd and 3rd of November.
Speaking at the opening of the pitch, Eric Brady, Chairman of Hockey Ireland, said: “Hockey Ireland is delighted the pitch on the Sport Ireland Campus is now open. This new FIH standard pitch will be a huge asset to our international teams in their training for world class tournaments and events, especially considering its close proximity to the other Sport Ireland facilities such as the Sport Ireland Institute. This great addition to the Sport Ireland Campus will also provide a world standard, state of the art hockey surface for all Hockey Ireland’s development and underage teams to practice and compete on, as they strive to emulate the achievements of the current Women’s and Men’s teams.”
The Green Army – Ireland Senior Women – will play the only Olympic qualifier, in any sport, on Irish soil this year on the 2nd and 3rd of November. Tickets for the qualifiers can be purchased here: https://www.hockeyqualifierticketsdublin.com/
Ends.
Oct 30, 2019
‘Growing stronger together’
Date: Thursday, November 21st, 2019
Location: Castleknock Hotel, Dublin
Price: €70
Cara in partnership with Sport Ireland are delighted to announce the 2019 National Seminar for Inclusion. The theme for this year’s seminar will be on ‘Children and Young People with Disabilities’ and will take place on Thursday November 21st in the Castleknock Hotel Dublin. The event will consist of a combination of key note addresses and interactive breakout sessions based around the different areas where children with disabilities have the opportunity to be active; sport, physical activity, and physical education. At this year’s Seminar you will have the opportunity to hear directly from children and young people with disabilities, network, and through interactive breakout sessions discuss the various challenges and solutions facing the inclusion of children and young people in sport and physical activity.
This seminar is open to coaches, development, officers, leisure centre staff, teachers, SNA’s, health care professionals, disability service staff, parents or anyone involved in or with an interested in enhancing sport and physical activity opportunities for children and young people with disabilities to attend, and join us for this national event.
To learn more about the event, and to book your place online, please visit the following link: https://caracentre.ie/event/national-seminar-for-inclusion/
CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATION IS WEDNESDAY 6TH OF NOVEMBER.
Growing Stronger Together
As the saying goes, nothing about us without us!
When we initially set about planning for this event, we really took that sentiment to heart. We decided from the offset that children and young people needed to be at the core of this event, all the way from the planning of it right up to the day itself.
In the early stages, we held a consultation meeting with some children and young people, to truly understand their experiences, wishes and needs when it comes to being involved in sport and physical activity. We discussed all of their issues and experiences in terms of sport, physical activity, physical education, and being involved in the decision making process. This group of young people are also responsible for creating the title ‘Growing Stronger Together’ for this event, alongside the imagery and branding that goes alongside it. Thank you to all who have helped us shape this day!
Oct 30, 2019
The Galway Bay Championships proved to be Mid Ulster’s continued dominance of the competition with Steelweld, formerly Cookstown Parochial, claiming the title for the sixth time and retaining it having won it 2018. This time it was far from being an easy passage their semi final and final being decided by single shots on the last bowl. While short of the highly experienced Colum McHugh, they began with a convincing win over previous winners St Mark’s by 32 – 13, In round 2, they had an equally convincing win over Gortnessey from the Foyle Zone, winning 28-12. The semi final saw them play Derramore from the North West zone winning on the last bowl 25-24. They played Wellington from Western zone who had 38-15 wins over Aclint, 38-13 over Ballylennon and 34 – 14 over Corduff from Oriel. The final saw Wellington having the upper hand with Damian McElroy’s rink keeping Steelweld in the game.With one end to go on the last mat, Wellington held a single shot lead. Steelweld’s Aaron Ward’s last bowl left his side lying two shots and Wellington’s Gary Burke just failed to change the situation with his last bowl leaving the Mid Ulster side with a narrow victory.
In the plate competition for 1st round losers it was Cooley from Oriel zone who came out on top. They had wins over Maghery from Donegal and St Mark’s from Armagh zone while their opponents Marian from Northern zone had wins over Dunluce and Rock. The final was a tight affair for the first 7 ends before Cooley pulled away to win 29-21.
Oct 30, 2019
– Pundit Arena the latest addition to Federation’s suite of partnerships working with 107 sporting bodies across Ireland.
– Partnership will see the creation of a live-streaming fund for women in sport, supported by Sport Ireland funding.
– Visibility, in all codes and among all genders, is key to growing interest and participation in sport.
Digital sports media outlet Pundit Arena have joined forces with the Federation of Irish Sport to offer live-streaming and digital content support services to the 107 members represented by the Federation. The three-year partnership will also see the creation of a women in sport live streaming fund which has been supported by Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Strategy.
Speaking about the partnership, Federation CEO Mary O’Connor said “We are delighted to have Pundit Arena join our suite of partnerships. Over the last 18 months they have been to the front and centre of unique projects within Irish sport including the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships and the first-ever beach volleyball Olympic Qualifier on Irish shores. They have also just announced that they will be live streaming the full week of the World Para Athletic Championships to an Irish Audience live from Dubai. They have the potential to bring huge value to our members in the space of digital content, live-streaming and social media promotion which is key to increasing visibility and participation in all sports, across all gradients, in the long run”.
The partnership launch also marks the opening of the newly created ‘Showcase your Sportswomen live’ fund to applications from National Governing Bodies. The fund, which is supported by Sport Ireland Women in Sport funding, aims to showcase a select women’s sporting event/activity via live-streaming, digital content and social media support provided by Pundit Arena. The Federation of Irish Sport hugely values the importance visibility plays in promoting all sports, particularly women in sport and encouraging the next generation. As such, showcasing the events and activities that are often overlooked will help to grow the audience watching and in time, attending sporting events.
Commenting on the partnership, Matt Steerman, Commercial Director, said:
“Pundit Arena are delighted to officially partner with the Federation of Irish Sport, both in the creation and activation of the Women in Sport initiative that will give more visibility of a mix of women’s events in 2020, but also to help all their members with a range of coverage and content solutions that can bring to the forefront more success stories in Irish sport across all codes.
We look forward to working closely with all interested National Governing Bodies, Local Sporting Partnerships, and clubs nationwide to help raise their profiles over the course of our partnership, and drive new fans and participants along the way.”
The Federation looks forward to helping Pundit Arena build relationships with members to grow the digital footprint of Irish sport and bring brilliant content to the public in what is set to be a year of fantastic sporting activity.
Application forms for the ‘Showcase your Sportswomen live’ fund can be downloaded at www.irishsport.ie/wis-fund
For further details on any element of the partnership opportunities please contact sinead.conroy@irishsport.ie
END
Oct 22, 2019
PRESS RELEASE 19th October 2019
#LiveLifeGiveLife
(PHOTOGRAPHER: Conor McCabe, tel. 085 7057255 – no repro fee)
Representatives of 22 nations converged in Dublin this weekend for the official launch of the Irish Kidney Association’s hosting of the 11th European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships, Dublin 2020 which will take place next year from 2-9 August ( www.etdsc2020.com ). The members of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation gathered at the Irish Kidney Association’s Renal Support Centre at Beaumont Hospital on Saturday, 19th October for the launch which followed an inspection tour of sporting venues around Dublin. Also attending the launch of the major organ donor awareness and sporting event was Mr. Roddy Guiney, Chairman of the Federation of Irish Sport, the Deputy Mayor of Fingal County Council Cllr. Tom Kitt along with members of the Championships local organising committee and Transplant Team Ireland.
The 2020 Championships will see transplant and dialysis athletes from over 25 nations, ranging in age from 18 to over 80 years old, descend on Dublin’s northside to celebrate life through sport. The Championships offer participants an opportunity to honour their donors and play their part in looking after their own health.
At the launch Mr. Giuseppe Canu, the Chairman of the organising committee for the previous Games held in Cagliari, Italy handed over the athletics baton to Mr. Colin White, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the ETDSC 2020. Mr. White is also Secretary of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation and National Projects Manager of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).
At the launch Mr. Roddy Guiney, Chairman of the Federation of Irish Sport, said, “We are delighted that the 2020 European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships are coming to Dublin. Sport has a major role to play in making for a more inclusive society and events such as this highlight just how inclusive sport can be. While the event is obviously of major interest to all transplant recipients and people on dialysis, I believe its impact will go far beyond that, demonstrating the power and importance of sport for everyone. It will also be another platform for us to showcase our sports facilities and our ability to deliver first class international events.”
Mr. Colin White, LOC chairman, said, “We are so excited to be bringing the Championships back to Dublin which will involve over 500 participants! Since we last hosted in 2010, I have worked closely with each subsequent local organising committee on behalf of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation. All of this sets us up well to deliver a memorable and impactful event. In the nine years that have followed since 2010 over 2000 people have undergone lifesaving transplants in Ireland. However, the number of people on dialysis has grown by 20% since then. The Games are an important platform to showcase to the public what can be achieved when people say YES to organ donation which is reflected in the tagline #LiveLifeGiveLife. To add to our already inspiring Irish team, some having taken part in the 2010 games and who are with us here today, we hope that the games being held on home soil will attract lots of enthusiastic newcomers to Team Ireland. Heart transplant recipient Aoife Farrell from Bray and Susan Mulligan from Castlerea, Roscommon who underwent a kidney transplant just a few months ago are also here today. We would also encourage support from volunteers, individuals and the business community to help us make this an unforgettable and hugely successful sporting and organ donor awareness event.”
Ms. Judit Berente from Hungary and President of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation, said, “The Irish Kidney Association proved to be an excellent Games organiser and host in 2010. Since then, the Association has developed a lot, and many great Irish athletes have appeared in the transplant championships. I love the spirit of the Irish team, and I hope that we all will feel this spirit during the week of the coming European Transplant & Dialysis Championships.”
The Championships will allow competitors who have either received a transplant (including heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas or bone marrow) or who are undergoing dialysis treatment to compete in a broad range of sports on offer. Athletes and supporters will be staying at the games hub, Dublin City University, where many of the sports will be held, while some sports will take place in other parts of Dublin’s northside including the National Aquatic Centre, National Athletics Stadium and the Phoenix Park as well as Tallaght Community School on Dublin’s southside and Black Bush Golf Club in County Meath.
The 13 sports on offer include Athletics (various track and field), Archery, Badminton, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Petanque, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Ten Pin Bowling and Volleyball.
The nine members of the local organising committee (LOC) for ETDSC 2020 include the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) national honorary chairman Colin Mackenzie from Portmarnock, IKA Chief Executive Mark Murphy, LOC ETDSC Chairman and IKA National Projects Manager Colin White (from Balbriggan), Amanda Bissett and Robyn Black, IKA and three team members who were on the organising committee for the 2010 Games – Harry Ward (Baldoyle), Michael Dwyer (Cabinteely) and Peter Heffernan (Skerries). Also on the committee is Ron Grainger (Castleknock) who joined Team Ireland in 2014. Ron, a retired urologist and kidney transplant recipient, was selected as one of twelve international ambassadors to be part of an Astellas and World Transplant Games Federation ‘Fit for Life’ global organ donor awareness campaign. On 5th November 2016 Ron and the other ambassadors were honoured to be introduced to a packed stadium in Chicago when Ireland made sporting history beating the All Blacks at the iconic Soldier Field Stadium.
For more information on the Games, how to support it through volunteering or sponsorship, or to register visit www.etdsc2020.com or contact the Irish Kidney Association tel. 01 6205306
For organ donor cards Freetext DONOR to 50050 or visit website www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card You can also download the IKA’s digital organ donor card on your smartphone. Your wishes to be an organ donor can also be included on the new format driving licence which is indicated on the back of the card by code 115. To request an Organ Donor Card, click HERE
-ENDS-
For further information contact:
Colin White, LOC Chair ETDSC2020, National Projects Manager IKA, T. 01 6205306 E. colin@ika.ie
Gwen O’Donoghue. Media Relations, IKA T. 086 8241447 e. gwenodonoghue1@gmail.com
