Feb 10, 2023
Season of Respect campaign to help tackle abuse towards referees & officials in county Clare.
Clare Sports Partnership in conjunction with Sport Ireland, The Federation of Irish Sport, Clare GAA, Clare LGFA, Clare Camogie, Clare District Soccer league, and Clare schoolboys/schoolgirls league, have today announced the launch of their campaign, “Season of Respect”. The aim of this campaign is to tackle the rapidly growing problem of abuse towards referees and officials across sport throughout County Clare.
The constant mistreatment of referees and officials in our county is leading to, not only a lack of personnel being available for fixtures, but in some cases, referees leaving sport altogether. The Season of Respect Campaign aims to improve the levels of respect owed to such critical stakeholders of sport in County Clare, through several different initiatives, which will be revealed throughout the campaign.
Commenting on the announcement, John Sweeney, co-ordinator of Clare Sports Partnership said “We are pleased to be in a position to launch this initiative with the input and support from local sporting organisations, Sport Ireland and the Federation of Irish Sport. It is of the utmost importance that the negative behaviour towards referees in sport is highlighted and that all involved realise that referees are only human. The abusive behaviour is leading to an unwillingness of referees to be available this also poses a challenge with recruiting new referees to all codes.’ Mr. Sweeney further commented that ‘..without a referee in the middle of the field, there simply can be no game, and that is a situation that is looming should the attitude not change.’
Over the past few months, Clare Sports Partnership have been working with Clare GAA, Clare LGFA, Clare Camogie, Clare District Soccer league, and Clare schoolboys/schoolgirls league, in order to understand and design the Season of Respect Programme. From these discussions and workshops, the #seasonofrespect programme aims to:
• Raise the awareness of the importance to respect the referee through media and educational based initiatives.
• Create social contracts in sports clubs to allow the signatories to call out intolerable behaviour.
• Provide a communal support for referees to seek peer and professional advice on matters.
• Entice new recruits to the ranks of refereeing.
To kick off the Season of Respect Campaign we want to hear from you, and your members about your observations regarding the attitudes towards referees / officials. You can do this by going to our website www.claresports.ie/sor
Further Explanation click here – https://www.canva.com/design/DAFTay_3zWc/87IVqAapZsHxA04Ja7Kvg/wa
Feb 8, 2023
Due to extra demand we are delighted to extend the nomination process until this Friday 10th February at 12:00pm. Go to https://volunteersinsport.ie/make-a-nomination/ to submit your nomination today! The 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards are brought to you by the Federation of Irish Sport and the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships.
Jan 24, 2023
24th January 2023: The Federation of Irish Sport today announced the official support of the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships for the 2022 Volunteers in Sports Awards. The nationwide awards recognise individual volunteers at sports clubs and organisations across the country, who give freely of their time and energy to their local club to help make sport happen.
The 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards, supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships will be celebrated on the 22nd March 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown. In light of the of this announcement the closing date will now be extended to Wednesday 8th February. Nominations can be made by completing a short online entry form at https://volunteersinsport.ie/make-a-nomination/
The National Network of Local Sports Partnerships has a huge presence in sport at a grassroots level engaging with local communities to promote physical activity for all ages and abilities, removing barriers and increasing inclusivity. They offer a wide variety of opportunities to access training, education and targeted programmes and initiatives in sport.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “We are absolutely delighted to have the support of the Local Sports Partnership Network. Volunteerism in sport forms the foundation of sport the length and breadth of the country. The LSPs are in the heart of communities, supporting all sports at grassroots level and encouraging physical activity for all. We believe their involvement in the awards will deepen the appreciation of volunteers locally.”
“Sport Ireland and its network of Local Sports Partnerships are delighted to support the Volunteers in Sport Awards. LSPs continue to transform their communities by facilitating opportunities for all to engage in sport and physical activity. LSPs both support and rely upon the phenomenal efforts of Volunteers to increase local participation in sport and physical activity. It is important to celebrate these heroes who volunteer in their local communities across the country.” Dr. Una May, CEO Sport Ireland
Graham Russell, Head of Sport Louth Sports Partnership said, “As a national network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships we are thrilled to be able to come together to support the Volunteers in Sport Awards as they celebrate those who volunteer their time and energy for the good of their locality. Each Local Sports Partnerships proactively engages locally with sporting clubs and organizations, as well as partnering with the National Governing Bodies of Sport to support local volunteers and encourage clubs and organisations locally to provide opportunities for everyone in the community to get involved in sport and physical activity, ensuring that sport is inclusive and accessible to all.”
To keep up to date with all the latest announcements visit www.volunteersinsport.ie and follow @iresport on twitter and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/federation-of-irish-sport/ #DedicatedtoheDedicated
ENDS
For more information contact:
Clare Louise O’Donoghue
Federation of Irish Sport
Commercial & Business Services Manager
clarelouise.odonoghue@irishsport.ie
086 0437887
Notes to editor:
For more on LSPs visit: https://volunteersinsport.ie/lsps/
Dec 14, 2022
In association with Sport Ireland Coaching and the Lifes2good Foundation
Click here to view the series: Coaching Teenage Girls | Sport Ireland
14th December 2022: The Federation of Irish Sport has launched a three-part mini-series called ‘From the Ground Up’ highlighting the success and importance of the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshops. This series showcases the successful implementation of the first of its kind coaching workshop being rolled out by Sport Ireland Coaching, with the support of the Lifes2good Foundation and Federation of Irish Sport.
Recognising the need for teenage girls to be coached in a manner suiting their physical and emotional needs, the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop was designed specially to drive retention of teenage girls in sport in conjunction with researchers from the School of Health and Human Performance at DCU. This targeted workshop content places an emphasis on Girls-first coaching, ensuring that teenage girls are given an equal opportunity to reach their sporting potential.
The Camogie Association have been instrumental in rolling out the pilot Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshops, delivering 28 workshops around the country. The ‘From the Ground Up’ mini-series showcases the implementation of the programme with St Colman’s GAA Club in Co. Galway as a case-study.
The Sport Ireland Coaching Unit is continuing to work with several National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships to implement these workshops for coaches from a wide variety of sporting disciplines. To date a total of 81 workshops have been delivered. Sport Ireland Coaching have also trained Coach Developers and Tutors from several National Governing Bodies including, Gymnastics Ireland, IRFU, LGFA, Rowing Ireland, Athletics Ireland, Canoeing Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, and the Irish Athletics Boxing Association.
Link to view full promo series: Coaching Teenage Girls | Sport Ireland
Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport said; “The Federation of Irish Sport was delighted to collaborate with Sport Ireland Coaching, Lifes2good Foundation and DCU Research team to bring this unique and much needed coaching workshop to fruition. While the course content is aimed specifically towards teenage girls, it is not sport specific. Therefore, it can be incorporated by a wide range of sporting organisations.”
Sheelagh Quinn, Sport Ireland Coaching Lead said; “It is essential that all teenage girls have positive meaningful movement experiences, if we are going to engage and retain them in sport and physical activity. We need to provide experiences that are focused on their needs, develop their competence and confidence in a supportive environment and an inclusive culture. The CTG workshop and resources are designed to support coaches to consider what they currently do and adapt their coaching practice to support the teenage girls in their care.”
Nora Stapleton, Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead said; “The dropout rate of teenage girls from sport is well documented and reducing this is one of the key objectives of the Sport Ireland Policy on Women in Sport. Recent studies show that while 13% of girls in primary school achieve the national physical activity guidelines, this figure drops to 7% in secondary school (CSPPA 2018). The overarching aims of the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop is, can we support coaches to understand teenage girls better, to help them improve the training environment, to give the girls a voice in their sport, and ultimately, retain more girls in sport. The development of this workshop has also highlighted what can be created when organisations collaborate on projects, and we’d like to thank Lifes2good Foundation and the Federation of Irish Sport for their input to the development of this workshop.”
Maurice McQuillan, CEO Lifes2good Foundation said; “The positive influence of sport is well documented from improving self-confidence to increasing awareness of how to interact with, and support, others. Unfortunately, the relatively high dropout rate amongst teenage girls is also a well-documented fact. Therefore, Lifes2good Foundation is very happy to support the Federation of Irish Sport and Sport Ireland in this initiative that focuses specifically on coaching teenage girls. We are convinced that this will help drive retention rates across a variety of sports.”
Lizzy Broderick, Technical Development and Participation Manager, The Camogie Association:
“The Camogie Association are delighted to have collaborated on this initiative with Sport Ireland Coaching and the Federation of Irish Sport. The Coaching Teenage girls’ workshops have been received with tremendous positivity by camogie coaches throughout the country. The workshops provide coaches with the opportunity to self-reflect on their coaching styles and resources on how to adapt current coaching practices to reduce the number of teenage girls dropping out of the sport.”
Dec 12, 2022
‘Give the gift of nominating a standout volunteer in your club’
12th December 2022: The Federation of Irish Sport today announced the launch of the 2022 Volunteers in Sports Awards. The county awards will return to an in-person awards ceremony, recognising the army of volunteers who make sport happen in communities, in every county across the country. Nominations are now open at www.volunteersinsport.ie. The awards are #DedicatedtotheDedicated.
The 2022 awards will be celebrated in the Greater Dublin Area at the beginning of March 2023. Nominations are open from Monday 12th December via the dedicated awards website. Entries will close on the 25th January 2023. Nominations received will be shortlisted and put forward for consideration by the Judging Panel. Winners are chosen on a county basis, with 32 award recipients and one overall Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Volunteers are the cornerstone of sporting activities in clubs and communities nationwide. Unpaid, they give freely of their time, energy and are dedicated to the development of their chosen sport. Over 450,000 volunteers are needed on a weekly basis to run club activities, giving on average 3½ hours per week. The estimated economic value of volunteering in sport and physical activity is worth €1.5bn. Without them sports clubs would not exist.
Commenting on the announcement Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, TD said, “It’s an honour to be part of the launch of these national awards, recognising the many volunteers who are the backbone of local sports clubs in every community across the country. They are responsible for making sure weekly training sessions take place, managing teams, organising inter-club matches, ensuring pitches, courts and clubhouses are kept operational most importantly bringing communities together through sport. Last year’s winners represented a wide variety of sports and all ages of volunteers. I would encourage all club members to reflect on who they know in their club that has made a difference and had a positive impact in their community through their dedication to their sport.”
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “I am delighted to launch the return of the Volunteers in Sport Industry Awards. While the awards were successfully hosted online for the last two years due to the pandemic, nothing beats the warmth and connectivity of gathering in-person to recognise the selfless work being done by volunteers behind the scenes at clubs and sporting organisations. There is a strong sense of volunteerism in sport in Ireland. We had been on track to reach the 2027 target of 55% for social participation, club membership or attendance at a sporting event. However, Covid has impacted this and we need to encourage more participation and volunteering to get back on track to reach this target. Shining a light on our volunteers in sport is a way to recognise and remind people of the invaluable role they play in society.”
Also present at the launch the of the awards was the 2020 Co. Kildare recipient Tom Egan of Salmon Leap Canoe Club and his daughter Irish Canoeist Jenny Egan a multiple World Championship and European Medallist and Multiple World Cup Medallist and currently ranked World No. 1.
To keep up to date with all the latest announcements visit www.volunteersinsport.ie and follow @iresport on twitter and on LinkedIn
#DedicatedtoheDedicated
