Jan 31, 2014
Richard has a BSc degree in Sports Studies from the University of Gloucestershire (1992). In 2011 he was appointed Performance Director of Cricket Ireland. He currently sits on the ICC Global Development Committee, the European Cricket Advisory Committee, and is the Youth Rep of the European Cricket Committee.
FIS: It has been a really busy and successful year for Cricket Ireland, what have been the highlights for you?
RH: Our main objectives for the year were to win three senior trophies and qualify for three world cups – and we did just that. The Women’s and Men’s senior teams qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in March this year, and the men have qualified for the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. The men also won the 4-day competition – the ICC Intercontinental Cup for the third time in four competitions. We hosted Pakistan and England in one day international at home, the latter in front of 10,000 supporters in Malahide on a school day in September, which was a great achievement. We expected to compete well in these, and ties one match and lost narrowly against Pakistan whilst for much of the match versus England we competed strongly and were in a great winning position until the England captain (former Irish player Eoin Morgan), took the game away from us. In all we were very pleased with the way we performed.
FIS: What changes did you make or systems did you put in place when you first took up your role with Cricket Ireland?
RH: Once understanding the current systems and processes, it was a case of implementing a number of strategic aims in high performance which management, the CI Board and other stakeholders had identified. These included review and restructuring our player contracts; producing a 4-year high performance plan submitted to both sports councils and institutes of sport (which helped gain high performance status); finding funding for and establishing a new Inter-Provincial structure of three formats; establishing a new National Cricket Academy; and recruiting and training staff for these new initiatives. A pretty hectic first year, but it has set Cricket Ireland on a path to success, plugged some key gaps in our player pathway and will help ensure we do not lose more players to England.
FIS: The Vision of 2020 is to have reached 8th in the world ODI rankings by 2015. We are now the start of 2014, do you think this goal is possible? How long does it take to reach the top of the ranks?
RH: With Ireland not involved in the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) at present we are not assured of any internationals with the full members (top 10), so it is a case of encouraging them to play us and working hard with relationships. The best opportunities come at the World Cup (which Ireland has qualified for the last three events), and in 2015 we are assured six matches in the first phase of which five are against full members; we also play the West Indies and Sri Lanka in the next four months. A few wins from these matches would make a huge impact on our position in the global rankings, and we go into these games expecting to win these days not just turning up and being competitive.
FIS: What advice would you give to any young athlete hoping to make a career in high performance cricket?
RH: Like any sport at an elite level – hard work, commitment, a winning mind-set, patience, motivation, and a passion for the game are crucial. There are now many more opportunities in Ireland to become an elite cricketer and make a career in the game. Clubs and Provincial Unions have good coaching these days and there are representative youth teams from under 11 upwards. The new senior Inter- Provincial structure allows players to play semi-professionally and train and play at a high level. With 24 player contracts at senior level and 21 players with Academy contracts, there is no a pathway in this country or any young player to benefit from world class coaching and player support services to help them develop.
FIS: Many thanks for taking the time to talk to us, finally what are Cricket Ireland’s goals for the High Performance cricket system over the coming years?
RH: Our women’s senior team are hoping to gain a win against the full members (who are fully professional) in the ICC World Twenty20 in March in Bangladesh, and the men hope to win their group and progress to the 2nd stage and defeat two full members at least and a chance of a semi-final spot in the same event. We have Sri Lanka coming to Dublin in early May and we expect to win at least one of those one-day internationals. Then our preparations for the 2015 World Cup will be in full swing in October when we have a tour to New Zealand and Australia, after which we are targeting a top 3 finish in our group of 7 in the World Cup. A big 12 months!
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Jan 31, 2014
This week the Federation spoke to Irish Hockey prize winners of the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund 2013 about their project ‘Healthy Heart Hockey’ …
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1. Hockey has a rich heritage, dating back to the late 19th Century. How has hockey continued to grow in Ireland today?
Since 2007, the IHA have had a development team in place to ensure continued growth of the sport across the country. Our 
national development officer and regional development officers put together a number of programmes and support structures to ensure that there is sustained growth in our clubs and schools.
An example of one of these programmes would be Tricks4Sticks, which is mainly a primary school programme where we introduce hockey to schools that have a club in their local area that is looking to increase its numbers. The programme runs for 4-6 weeks and the school receives a number of sessions. The club then hosts an open day and the school children are invited down. The programme has proved hugely successful in increasing underage numbers and has led to a number of new clubs, new junior sections in existing clubs and new schools playing the sport. This programme falls under the ISC’s Women In Sport initiative.
Our underage numbers have grown year on year as the popularity of the sport increases and last year we achieved growth of 12% in the girls’ game and 10% in the boys’.
On top of this, we also look to recruit at the adult end, and run and support a number of veterans and social hockey events throughout the year for adults.
2.What is your advice to someone who has never played hockey but would like to sign up for the ‘Healthy Heart Hockey (H3)’.
H3 is a programme designed for everyone, whether you’ve ever held a hockey stick or not. The first port of call will be to find your local centre, whether that is within a hockey club, a community centre or a leisure centre. We will have details on www.hockey.ie, or you can contact one of our development officers or the IHA’s office itself. From there it is a case of simply turnign up to the sessions and making the most of it. Everyone is welcome!
3.What can people expect from the 5 week physical well-being programme offered?
Our primary aims for H3 are to educate people about physical wellbeing and to increase the number of people undertaking regular exercise. Participants will be offered the opportunity to try hockey as part of the exercise programme and will receive information about nutrition and leading a balanced lifestyle from our sports’ leaders. It will also allow people to enjoy exercise whilst having fun in a non-competitive, social environment.
4.The group targeted for ‘H3’ are teenagers and young adults. Can the whole family take part in the ‘H3’ programme?
There is no reason that younger or older members of families can’t join in. Hockey can be played from the age of 5 and there is no limit to playing the sport as you get older. Ireland competes at masters level internationally, with team up to over 50s. We hope to have an over 60s team in the future. The programme, whilst targeted at a certain group, is open to everyone.
5.What balanced lifestyle skills do you hope participants retain from the ‘H3’ project?
We want to show people that effective exercise doesn’t have to be boring or hugely demanding and that using sport in a social environment along with eating well and looking after yourself can have huge beneficial effects on your life. We hope to change people’s attitude towards exercise and give them the know how to make the right choices when it comes to nutrition and living well.
6.Where and when will the ‘H3’ events be taking place?
We are currently in the process of drawing up exactly how the programme will be delivered on the ground. The programme will run in the second half of 2014 and will be centered primarily in hockey clubs, where the local community will be invited in to take part. Where we do not have an existing club, community and leisure centers will be used as part of the programme.
7.Describe what people can expect at the active lifestyle session with a ‘Hockey Champion’?
The hockey champions will deliver the active lifestyle sessions in each of the centers. Part of the sessions will be based on general exercise such as warming up, the importance of flexibility, increasing heart rate etc. There will then be an introduction to hockey and a chance to play Quick Hockey, which is a small sided modified version of the sport for beginners of all ages. The participants will also be given a talk on nutrition and leading a balanced lifestyle.
8.How will people be able to sign up to take part?
The programme will be promoted using our network of clubs, social media (Twitter @irishhockey; website www.hockey.ie; Facebook, Instagram) and our newsletters which you can sign up to here http://mad.ly/signups/90797/join . People will be able to sign up through their local centre or through the IHA itself.
9.Can you participate in the regional and national hockey festival if you are not a participant of ‘H3’ programme?
The festivals, while being primarily aimed at the H3 participants, will be open to everyone, provided we can accommodate the numbers. The festivals will offer more opportunities to participate in social exercise, so all will be welcome!
10.Thanks again for your time and perhaps you have some more information on other projects and programmes that Irish Hockey are running?
A focus for Irish Hockey in 2014 is the development and promotion of Quick Hockey, our small-sided version of the game that can be played on any surface. This will be launched in the summer and hopes to make hockey more accessible to the community. We are also excited to be developing a ‘Club Accreditation Scheme’ to enable our clubs to develop and become more sustainable. We also run Primary and Secondary School programmes, details of which can be found on our website www.hockey.ie.
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Jan 30, 2014
Background:
Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP)/Active Donegal was established in 2001 as part of the Irish Sports Council’s national 
network of Local Sports Partnerships. With the aim of promoting local participation in sport. Over the past 12 years, Active Donegal has coordinated and supported the development of sport and physical activity in County Donegal, through its four pillars, Active Sports, Active Schools, Active Communities and Active Partnerships.
The Donegal Sports Partnership is an inter-agency and multi-sector organisation established as a limited company with representative from all the main statutory, community and voluntary represented on a dedicated Board of Directors.
What we do:
Active Donegal helps clubs, schools and communities to increase and sustain levels of participation in sport and physical activity in County Donegal. We remain committed to further strengthening and developing ‘Active Donegal’ and to make its impact real through its four pillars: Active Sports, Active Schools, Active Communities and Active Partnerships.
Information:
Information is disseminated through our staff, directors, tutors, local sports clubs and NGB contacts. We utilize fully our websites and social media networks to provide a wide range of information resources and sign posting opportunities. We active encourage information sharing to and from our sporting communities.
Education:
Active Donegal provides a range of education and training programmes, which are designed to promote and support the 
delivery of sport, recreation and physical activities in the County and to build the sporting capacity of Clubs, Community Groups, Schools and the sporting volunteers.
Examples include: Child Protection and Children’s Officer Training, First Aid in Sport, Sports Leadership, Walking related training and Disability Sport Workshops.
Further details of these programmes are currently available checkout our website www.activedonegal.com or Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DonegalSportsPartnership Or contact our office – Tel: 07491-16078/9 or email: info@activedonegal.com
Implementation:
Donegal Sports Partnership’s third Strategic Plan ‘Active Donegal’ 2011-2014 aimed to thread the ethos of ‘Active Donegal’ 
through all fours pillars by linking programmes across each to maximize impact, expertise and participation. The plan’s flexibility and in particular the additional projects which were developed as result of funding opportunities, doubling of effort, opportunity, interest and implementation is a genuine testament of its flexibility, as well as the commitment of the DSP’s Board and staff.
Jan 30, 2014
Energy Efficiency Scores a Slam Dunk in National Basketball Arena
~Electricity costs cut by a third ~
Dublin’s National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, which hosted the National Cup Final last weekend, has reduced its electricity costs by a third. Having received a grant of €45,000 through www.FutureFit.ie and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Basketball Ireland invested in new LED floodlights and a new energy efficiency boiler.
The retrofit has resulted in almost 35% saving on total electricity consumption for the building and 50% on the arena lights alone. LED lighting is not only more energy efficient, it also produces 25% higher quality light with better uniformity across the court, which for the players, is like playing in daylight.
Last year FutureFit worked directly with over 50 clubs, generating combined savings of over €200,000. In addition, FutureFit secured a total of €100,000 in funding for six sports facilities including the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght; Neptune Stadium in Cork; Naomh Columba and Chonaill GAA Clubs in Co. Donegal; Emmets GAA club in Carrickmacross and Edmondstown Golf Club in Rathfarnham in Dublin. FutureFit aims to secure further funding for up to 100 clubs this year. Funding is available through SEAI’s Better Energy Communities Scheme which has a total fund of €13.5 million available this year.
For more information please check out www.futurefit.ie or call Paul O’Connor on 086-343-3368
Dr. Brian Motherway, CEO, SEAI said: “Sports plays a crucial role in Ireland’s culture and it has an influence in all communities throughout the country. The investment Basketball Ireland made to its lighting and heating systems is resulting in significant savings annually. But it also tells a wider story of the potential in energy savings for many of our sports clubs around the country, most of whom have the potential to knock 20% of their energy costs and become a model for energy efficiency within local communities.”
Bernard O’ Byrne, chief executive of Basketball Ireland said: “Receiving the grant from FutureFit and SEAI was a transformational investment for a sport like basketball. The new LED floodlights will see us save €11,000 on our electricity costs annually, which is huge for a facility of this nature. The savings that we will make annually will benefit all our 16,500 members by allowing us to continue to invest in the Arena and ensure that we remain a world-class facility.”
John Harrington, Director, FutureFit said: “1.7 million people are members of over 12,000 sports clubs. It’s difficult to think of a single community with so much influence and penetration into every city, town and almost every household in the country. We propose to use this sport network to promote energy efficiency and help sports clubs reduce their energy costs.”
Jan 18, 2014
Students from St. Joseph’s College in Lucan have been revealed as the winners of this year’s Pumped Schools’ Video Awards, with their production titled “Active Teens, Healthy Hearts”. The Awards aim to encourage young people to get creative about science and health by producing mini-movies on a heart health topic. The Awards are organised by Bayer in partnership with the Irish Heart Foundation and the Federation of Irish Sport, with the winning students each receiving a tablet computer and St. Joseph’s College’s science budget receiving a much welcome cash boost of €5,000. The Awards were presented by pumped.ie Ambassadors, Olympic silver medallist, Kenneth Egan, and Olympic pentathlete, Natalya Coyle. The winning videos can be seen at www.pumped.ie.
Coláiste Éinde in Galway scooped second place in the competition with each team member receiving an iPod Touch, and a team from St Gerard’s School in Bray came third with students being awarded an iPod Nano. The Awards come in the light of research by Behaviour and Attitudes* of 500 teenagers last August that found that three in ten (31%) teens say that they eat a lot of junk food, and 34% that they have soft drinks at least daily.
The winning St. Joseph’s students – Gabrielle Fullam, Tina Ehiguese and Lisa Browne – produced an original rap to a catchy beat to encourage their peers to get active and take up a hobby. The video highlights why exercise is good for the mind, helps people feel happy, unwind, sleep better, and perhaps even get better grades!
Pumped.ie Ambassador and Ireland Olympic Silver Medallist, Kenneth Egan, was delighted to present the winning students with their prizes: “I really believe that it’s important that young people invest time and effort in themselves to gain what I would call ‘life fitness’. The Pumped Schools’ Video Awards point to the importance of getting active and eating a healthy diet if young people are to avoid cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in the future. The videos do this in a way that other young people ‘get’ and the students are to be commended for taking this serious issue and presenting it in a way that gets the audience thinking and talking.”
Dr Angie Brown, Medical Director with the Irish Heart Foundation and Chairperson of the Judging Panel, commented: “Students used every creative means at their disposal – from drama and animation, to music and song – to engage, motivate and stir the audience and shine a spotlight on what is a key issue facing the health of our nation. The judging panel was very impressed by entrants’ creativity and ingenuity, and their depth of knowledge and information on the topic of heart health and that what we eat, being physically active, smoking and our body weight impact on our health. We know that one in five teenagers in Ireland is overweight or obese and that we have the second highest levels of overweight or obesity among children in Europe. So these videos by the young people themselves demonstrate to their peers why it’s vital that they take control of their heart health for a better future and quality of life.”
Conn McCluskey, Support Services Officer, Federation of Irish Sport, added: “The entries for these Awards were of a really high standard and were both entertaining and sobering at the same time. However each video had one common thread and that was the importance of young people eating well, getting out and being active. The research conducted in August of last year among teenagers found that just one in three were able to recall that the national guideline for physical activity is 60 minutes a day for children. We hope that this initiative, and others being adopted, such as the National Physical Activity Plan, will help to start to turn the tide of physical inactivity and obesity and cause young people to take the important messages being communicated, quite literally, to heart.”
Sinéad Duffy, Head of Communications at Bayer, concluded: “For over 150 years, Bayer has been a world leader in developing science for better health and life. Rather than having educational videos to ‘tell’ young people how to live their lives, the Awards give young people a fun opportunity to look into their own hearts and research the science behind heart health for themselves. We know that these years are formative in determining how they live their future lives and how the lifestyle habits that they learn now will stay with them for a long time to come, so it’s really important that they know the hard facts around obesity and heart health.”
About the Irish Heart Foundation
The Irish Heart Foundation is the national charity dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke and it relies on charitable donations for more than 90 per cent of its income. Today in Ireland more people die from heart and stroke-related illnesses than from any other cause of death. Against this background we work to bring hope, relief and a better future to families all over Ireland. We give vital patient support through our Heart & Stroke helpline and we provide high quality public information for all.
We support pioneering medical research, campaign for improved patient care, and promote positive public health strategies. We work in hospitals, schools and workplaces to support, educate and train people to save lives. As a charity, we are dependent on the generosity of the public to continue our vital good work. You can support our work by making a donation, giving of your time to volunteer or by learning the skills needed to save a life through our courses. For more information, visit:
www.irishheart.ie
www.stroke.ie
www.facebook.com/irishheartfoundation
www.twitter.com/irishheart_ie
About Bayer
Innovation for better health. Our commitment is to bring to patients around the world quality medicines for use in diagnosing, combating and preventing disease. Every day we work against time, researching new pathways, new molecules, new technologies – complementing our own capabilities with expertise of innovative partners from science and industry. The success of this work is evidenced in new medicines for areas with significant unmet medical need such as oncology, cardiovascular and blood diseases, as well as gynaecology and ophthalmology. Our aim is a better quality of life for all.
Jan 16, 2014
Ice Skating Association of Ireland
Ice Skating Association of Ireland, established in 1995 and originally called the RIISA is the National Governing Body for all International Skating Union (ISU) disciplines. The ISAI is a 32 all island body with ultimate responsibility for providing the framework of rules and regulations that govern ice skating both in Ireland and internationally. It provides opportunities for skaters to test, develop, and compete through the different standards of skating. The ISIA provide many different pathways of development and progression depending on the participants’ goals, from recreational to elite international level.
The ISAI are full members of the International Skating Union, the Olympic Council of Ireland and the Federation of Irish Sport and Probationary Member of the Irish Sports Council. The association works with any individual, club, rink and local sport partnerships, to advance and develop the sport of ice skating across Ireland.
Membership:
As a seasonal sport with no facilities open through out the year membership fluctuates. In 2010 with the existence of Dundalk IceDome membership was in excess of 450 members. Today based on a seasonal ice rinks which which operate from between 5 to 16 weeks membership figures are just under 250.
Number of Participating Schools:
Currently due the the facilities issue no schools are participating with any of the ISIA Learn to Skate Programmes, but this could change dramatically once facilities were available. The ISAI have established a foundational programme that can be made available to schools and are ready to implement once a sustainable venue.
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Fact File
- The world record for spinning is held by Lucinda Ruh, 6 rotations per second.
- People first started skating over 4000 years ago in Finland.
- The average speed of rotation in the air of a triple jump is approx between 70 and 80 miles per hour.
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2013 Highlights
- Hilko Quailifies as ISU International Judge
- O’Connor Triple Gold at Inclusive Skating Trophy 2013
- Peters awarded Olympic Solidarity Scholarship
- Peters brings home First ISU International Medal for Ice Skating
- Probationary Membership of the Irish Sports Council
Key Programmes that Ice Skating Association of Ireland run:
Emerald Skate
The ISIA have rolled out since 2007 a nationally and internationally recognized learn to skate programme which teaches the fundamentals of skating. The main objectives of the Emerald Skate program are to develop a skater’s confidence and skills on the ice. The program teaches skills that can be used for either general skating, figure skating, or speed skating.
Coaching and Officials Education
In 2010, a coaching programme was launched for national trained skaters to develop as coaches and move to the next stage of their involvement with the sport in Ireland. The number of coaches now reaching the industry standard and meeting the criteria to register with the ISAI as coaches has increased.
Education Workshops and Training Seminars are continually run to also ensure the officials of the sport as well as athletes and parents keep up to date with the changes as they occur in the sport nationally and internationally.
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What are the key events to look forward to in 2014?
Events
National Championships
Carol Skate
Ice Dance Competition
Proficiency Tests
Emerald Skate Programmes
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How can people get involved in ?
Contact
info@isai.ie
01 2548868
www.isai.ie
Social Media Channel Links:
