Aug 1, 2019
Federation of Irish Sport Volunteers in Sport Awards to recognise the contribution of the 450,000 people who ensure sport in Ireland happens each week
- EBS, the Mortgage Masters to sponsor awards as part of a wider campaign celebrating the role of the volunteer;
- 37.2 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 14,000+ sports clubs and associations each year;
- An overall winner from each county will be selected as well as one national “team of volunteers” award and a ‘Lifetime’ award;
- Closing date for nominations is Friday, 27 September
- For more information visit www.volunteersinsport.com
Today, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD officially launched the 2019 Volunteer in Sports Awards, alongside Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor.
The Volunteers in Sport Awards were created to recognise the contributions, commitment and dedication of the 450,000 volunteers who give their time to Irish sport every year. This equates to approximately 37.2 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 14,000 registered sports clubs and associations across country.
The Federation of Irish Sport recently announced its new partnership with EBS, the Mortgage Masters. The new partnership with EBS has afforded the Federation the opportunity to re-establish the awards for the first time since 2014.
An overall winner from each county will be selected as well as one national “team of volunteers” award. A Lifetime award to honour a volunteer who has consistently given of their time for a sport, a team, or an event over many years, will also be awarded at the ceremony, taking place on Tuesday, 12 November.
Lifetime achievement award
The Lifetime Award will be presented to a volunteer who has consistently given of their time for a sport, team or event over many years. Previous winners of the Lifetime Award include Liam Sheedy, who managed Tipperary to All Ireland Senior success in 2010, Oliver O’Neill, youth coach and father of Olympic Boxer Darren O’Neill and Dublin City Marathon organiser Jim Aughney.
How to nominate
Members of the public are invited to nominate an individual whose contribution to their sport has made a real different to their club, community or county. Nominations can be made by individuals, clubs or sporting associations via an online application form at www.volunteersinsport.ie. The deadline for applications is Friday, 27 September, 2019.
Comment
Speaking about the awards, Minister of State Brendan Griffin TD, said:
“It is important to remember that every Irish athlete currently representing their club, county or even country is a result of the hours of passion, dedication and effort that volunteers afforded them each week as they developed as players and athletes. The unparalleled commitment given by these people must be recognised and celebrated. I am delighted to launch these Sport Volunteer Awards and I urge members of the public to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport has made a real difference in their community, whether that is a coach, manager, official or administrator. These unsung heroes deserve to be celebrated and congratulated publicly.”
According to Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport:
“The first Volunteer in Sport Awards were presented in 2007 and were done so to recognise the contribution, commitment and dedication of the volunteers who give so generously of their time to sport and physical activity every year. We are delighted that EBS have partnered with us this year to make this happen for the first time in five years.
“Sport plays a central role in the social fabric of every county, constituency and parish in the country. Sport represents the largest single source of volunteering in Ireland, with over 450,000 people volunteering in sport each week, in the 14,000 sports clubs and associations in Ireland who encompass 1.7 million members”.
“The value of volunteering in sport in Ireland is unimaginable, with an estimated 37.2 million hours of unpaid voluntary work performed every year. It is these people that make sport happen in Ireland, and it is essential they are recognised, and indeed funded to ensure that sporting tradition grows even further on a national and international footing.”
Speaking about the newly established partnership, Des Fitzgerald, CEO of EBS commented;
“EBS is proud to launch an initiative that will recognise everyday heroes without whom sport in Ireland simply would not happen. This army of 450,000 volunteers go above and beyond what is asked of them every day to ensure that children, teenagers and adults remain included, active and competitive in sport.
“They are the coaches, the managers, those who wash the kit, who set up training sessions, who manage fundraising campaigns, who make tea and sandwiches, and who taxi children around their county. They are the people who open the gates to incredible opportunities. We have been involved in communities in Ireland for over 80 years and are delighted to reignite our activity in communities around the country with this unique partnership with The Federation of Irish Sport, with the Volunteer in Sport Awards being the first initiative we will work together on.”
For more information, visit www.volunteersinsport.com
ENDS
Jul 30, 2019
In early July Team Ireland headed to the World University Games in Napoli with a delegation of 75 people including 53 athletes and 22 officials to compete in four sports, Athletics, Archery, Football (Men’s and Women’s) and Taekwondo.
There was plenty of memorable moments during the games with the highlight coming on the track on July 11th as IT Carlow student Marcus Lawler won a bronze medal in the final of the Men’s 200 Metres running a time of 20.55 in the final. On the same night on the track Sarah Lavin (University College Dublin) and Phil Healy (Waterford IT) finished in 4th and 6th respectively in finals also.
The Women’s Football team provided some unforgettable moments during their competition, the highs of defeating Brazil 1-0 on the opening night of competition, defeating South Korea to top the group, before the ultimate heart ache of losing out on penalties to Russia in the Bronze medal game after scuppering a two goal lead with 20 minutes remaining in normal time.
The men’s football team finished in 8th place after a very encouraging group campaign saw them qualify for the quarter finals before they lost out to Russia and ultimately France on penalties in the 7th/8th place play off.
Jack Woolley (TU Dublin) was unable to find his best form in the Taekwondo competition but will gain massive international experience from the competition in Napoli.
On the archery field the highlight was a new senior Irish record for our Mixed team of Niamh Merry (Dublin City University) and Daniel Foley (TU Dublin) in the compound event.
All images credit to Tommy Dickson, Inpho Photography
Jul 30, 2019
It was a busy summer for the Special Olympics Ireland World Summer Games golfers as they were invited to both the Irish Open in Lahinch and The Open in Portrush.
Team Ireland Gold medallists John Keating and Mark Claffey, both from Dublin were joined by teammates Mairead Moroney (Co. Clare) and Simon Lowry (Co. Galway) in Lahinch as they received a rapturous applause from the packed stands. Introduced by Paul McGinley, their achievements in Abu Dhabi were called out to the crowds and each athlete introduced one by one.
Earlier in the morning they caught up with Special Olympics Global Ambassador Padraig Harrington who had taken time out with the Team Ireland golf squad to provide some hints and tips ahead of their unforgettable journey to Abu Dhabi in March.
Dubliner, Mark Claffey and Jill Connery from Co. Armagh then travelled to Portrush where they enjoyed watching some of the biggest names in golf on the final practice day on Wednesday 17th July.
Claffey is no stranger to the limelight following his international gold medal success; the Dubliner captured hearts across Ireland and beyond during the World Games when a video of the moment he found out he won Gold went viral. During his visit to The Open, he was back online to send a special good luck message to his hero, Shane Lowry, as he made his final preparations to compete in the historic tournament.
In a video message published on the Special Olympics Ulster Facebook and Twitter feeds, golf gold medallist, Claffey, joined by Team Ireland teammate Jill Connery predicted that Lowry would take home the Claret jug: “I think my favourite guy; my best friend, Shane Lowry will win The Open; try your best Shane Lowry, I love you so much, I know you’ll try your best; do it for me, I know you can do it!”
Commenting after the event, Emma McMenamin, head of delegation for Team Ireland said: “It was fantastic for our athletes to be invited to The Open, and to see the best in the world competing at this level. Having travelled to Abu Dhabi to represent Ireland at the Special Olympics World Games, they are just coming back down to earth; representing your country is the biggest honour for any sportsperson and it was a great experience to be at The Open for this historic moment for golf in Northern Ireland.
“This is a huge golfing nation and to see The Open return here for the first time, and to see these big names in action on home turf, has been hugely inspiring to all of our athletes.
“Golf is large and growing sport for Special Olympics in Ireland; buoyed by the profile the sport has gained in recent years, through the success of golfers such as Harrington, Lowry, McIlroy, Clarke and McDowell. Our athletes have made a big impression on and off the course in recent years, and as well as the opportunity to compete on a regional, national and international level, Special Olympics is promoting inclusion in sport and social inclusion particularly; giving our athletes a chance to make new friends, gain confidence and improve their social skills.”
Team Ireland golfers and results.
They returned with: 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 x 4th placement ribbon.
• John Keating (26) from Dublin. – Gold – 18 holes
• Mark Claffey (29) from Dublin. – Gold – 9 holes
• Andrew Simington (30) Dublin. – Gold – Team event
• Mairead Moroney (69), Ennis, Co Clare. – Silver – Team event
• Simon Lowry, aged 27 from Loughrea, Co Galway.- Gold – 18 holes
• Jill Connery (33) from Scarva, Co. Armagh – 4th Placement Ribbon – 9 holes
Jul 30, 2019
The pool and the track provided a fantastic medal haul for the Irish contingent at the European Youth Olympic Festival. Rhasidat Adeleke and Molly Mayne brought home thre medals between them. Adeleke took gold in both the 100m and 200m finals while Mayne won a bronze medal in the Girl’s 200m Breaststroke at the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Baku.
Gymnasts Caoimhe Donohoe and Eve McKibbin also made their EYOF debut in Baku. The youngest members of Team Ireland, savouring the occasion. From Galway, Donohoe finished 63rd in the All Around – scoring particularly high in the beam with 11.80, ranked 28th. Eve McGibbon competed in the Floor Routine only, where she finished 75th. This year’s event for the gymnasts was all about gaining experience, and both of them relished the experience. “The floor went really well, considering yesterday in the podium it wasn’t the best,” Donohoe said after the competition. “I was able to land my double back which was a big thing for me. My beam went really well, I was happy with the beam.”
Back on the track Sean Donoghue finished 6th in the Boy’s 1500m, knocking three seconds off his personal best time, crossing the line in 3.58.15. In athletics Aimee Hayde finished sixth in the 800m Final.
The EYOF is a European event for athletes aged 14-18 that runs every two years, and Team Ireland is represented by thirty-two athletes across five sports. Baku is hosting the 2019 edition which runs from the 21 – 27 July.
Jul 30, 2019
Following the final two races at the Laser Radial World Championship this morning (Wednesday 24 July 2019 – Sakaiminato, Japan), Ireland has qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing regatta in the women’s single-handed event.
The berth was secured by Lough Derg Yacht Club’s Aisling Keller (Nenagh, Co. Tipperary) who had her best day in the Gold fleet final series to finish 46th overall.
“This is a weight off my shoulders for sure, it’s probably the hardest regatta I’ve ever sailed,” Keller said. “To come in off the water and know that it’s done and dusted is just amazing (I’m) so happy.”
Howth Yacht Club’s Aoife Hopkins placed 48th and both Irish sailors were inside the qualification criteria with Keller taking the seventh of ten nation places decided at the championship. Hopkins would otherwise have been in the ninth nation place.
“It’s been a really long road to this moment. We’ve been working for a year towards this event particularly and even longer towards Olympic qualification,” said Hopkins. “It’s really nice to come away with the outcome we wanted.”
The world championship was won by Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom who led overall going into to the final day of Gold fleet racing on Wednesday. Ten nation places for Tokyo 2020 were also decided at the event in addition to the 20 already won in 2018.
“Qualification was something that had to happen so that ended up being the focus here at the end of the regatta,” said Rory Fitzpatrick, Irish Sailing’s Head Coach. “Next we go to the Olympic venue (at) Enoshima… now that we know we’re going to be there (at the Games) we’ve got to make the most of it.”
The sailing venue for next year’s Olympic regatta will host national representatives in all events next month for a scheduled test series for competitors and organisers alike.
“Aisling, Aoife and Rory have worked hard to get this far. It is fantastic to know we will be on the Olympic start line. The next phase is Olympic preparation and the bar gets set even higher for that, there are bigger performances to come from these two athletes” commented James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director. “The coming 12 months are critical to unlock potential but with support from Sport Ireland and the Irish Sailing Foundation, we are determined to give them the best chance for success.”
Ends
Jul 30, 2019
The Federation of Irish Sport is delighted to announce Future Ticketing as its latest partner. The cloud-based ticketing provider have signed a three-year deal with the Federation. The partnership is the latest in a suite of partners that offer essential services to benefit some 106 sporting associations that are represented by the Federation.
Future Ticketing, who count Connacht Rugby, Shamrock Rovers, Paralympics Ireland, Trinity College and the National Aquatic Centre among its current clientele, offer cloud-based ticket and registration management software catering for audiences from 50 to 50,000. The system allows for full control of ticket sales from the organisations own website and cuts out the need for a third-party provider.
Commenting on the announcement, Federation of Irish Sport CEO, Mary O’Connor said “We’re delighted to have Future Ticketing on board as a partner of the Federation. They offer a service that we know will benefit many of our members with their event and ticket management. By using Future Ticketing’s dashboard, sporting bodies will be able to better plan, forecast, sell and review the ticketing for their events – whether that’s a small-scale workshop, a park run, a conference or a large-scale stadium match. Based in Ireland, the team at Future Ticketing are ready and willing to meet with organisations and find the best custom fit solution for them. We look forward to working with them for the next three years”.
Future Ticketing will be on hand to work with Federation members on their bespoke ticketing needs, whether that’s for international competition or course registration.
Liam Holton, CEO of Future Ticketing said “Future Ticketing is delighted to be involved with the Federation of Irish Sport. From Horse Racing to Football to Paralympics to Hockey to Gymnastics, sport is in our veins. We love to work alongside sporting bodies to make ticketing seamless for both staff and customers from the first sale right up to access control of your event.”
For any further enquiries about the services of Future Ticketing please contact Ronan Burns at ronan@futureticketing.ie
