The National Secretary, Tara Robins Mari, has issued an up-date on the entitlements of Fundamentals-qualified coaches:
” We hope this clears up any misunderstanding going forward. If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
The National Secretary may be contacted via secretary@iaba.ie
IABA is making available a Vision Sports Awareness workshop, which is designed to assist coaches and clubs in providing training to members with vision impairment.
Upon successful completion of the workshop, participants will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance and a comprehensive resource manual filled with inclusive activity ideas and strategies for ongoing implementation.
The workshop is scheduled to take place online from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Tuesday, February 11th, 2025. Register here: https://shout.com/s/RYjCnUYw
Please note that spaces for this workshop are limited. If you register for a place and find that you are unable to attend, we kindly ask you to inform IABA’s DEI Officer, Patrick Adejayan, via patrick.ad@iaba.ie, so your place can be allocated to a member of the IABA who may be on the waiting list
Scores of girls have attended today’s Female Sportsfest in Belfast, connecting women and girls through sport and community.
Led by Ulster Boxing Council IABA this event is proudly in partnership with Basketball NI, The Irish Football Association and Athletics NI
The event, hosted at the Girdwood Community Hub, kicked off with a non-contact boxing session led by Ulster High Performance boxers, including double Olympian and multi Commonwealth Games medalist, Michaela Walsh, alongside UHP athletes Nicole Clyde and Courtney McCrudden. The session was led by Female Participation Coach, Lynsey McMillan and Ingrid Quinn of Evolution BC
There were also information booths hosted by the PSNI, mental health charity TAMI, nutritionist, and the female sports forum, sharing resources.
Ulster Participation Officer, Louise McKenzie, says “This event showcased a range of opportunities and services available in the local area and was a fantastic opportunity to share resources, build partnerships and discover how we can collectively support the community.”
IABA’s first coaching conference of 2025 has drawn to a close – and was strongly attended by clubs from throughout the Association.
Organised by IABA Education and Training Officer Nikki Foley, this conference was aimed at empowering coaches with performance and planning up-skilling, information on nutrition and performance mindset and providing coaches with an opportunity to explore continued development in support of boxer success.
Members of Gorey, Enniscorthy, Tredagh, Lucan, Arbour Hill, Setanta, Ballybrack, Cloncastle, Tralee, Monivea, Galway, Smithfield, Ballymun, Donore, Ballymote, St. Matthew’s, Spartan, Glasnevin, Rochfortbridge, Crumlin, Knockmore/Foxford, Cherry Orchard, Cavan, Cove and Castleblaney boxing clubs attended.
The conference, held at the Conference Centre on the Sport Ireland campus, was opened by National Development Manager, James Geraghty, who also hosted a Sports Psychology session as part of the event. Education & Training Officer, Nikki Foley, gave a presentation on the Coaching Pathway, and it’s rationale, from Fundamentals to High Performance.
Sport Ireland Institute nutritionist, Eoghan Hickey, gave an extensive presentation on fuelling, recovery, maintenance and making weight and Q&A (below, left). Eoghan works directly with Boxing High Performance, and was previously Lead Performance Nutritionist with Leinster Rugby, and Team Wales HQ Nutritionist during the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Sport Ireland’s Director of Coaching, Micheal McGeehin, addressed the conference on the goals of SIC, and how it supports IABA in providing high quality coaching qualifications and learning. Sport Ireland Coaching is responsible for the development of coaches at all levels of sport in Ireland in cooperation with sporting bodies. It’s vision is ‘Good coaching makes THE difference’. It’s mission includes:
High Performance Manager, Sean Crowley, gave the fourth presentation of the day, on planning and periodisation.. Sean, of Erne BC, is also a Sport Ireland Doping Control Officer and has been Anti-Doping Station Master for Boxing at two Olympic Games – Rio and Tokyo. He previously worked in the Irish Judo Federation. Sean, using HP’s preparations for Paris 2024 as an example, outlined how the unit plans its annual calendar of training and competition, how that calendar relates to boxers on an individual basis, and how this form of planning is transferrable to a club setting.
The fifth presentation of the day was delivered by Ciaran Ward. A two time Olympian, Ciaran is an International Judo Federation Master Coach, the former High Performance Director of Judo and is the first Sport Ireland Head of High Performance Coaching. His focus is activating initiatives within High Performance Programmes which lead to the improved recruitment and retention of talented coaches. He outlined programmes including the Pursuit of Excellence Programme, the IABA’s Paris Pool Coach programme, and Women in High Performance programme and how these projects seek to support and continue to upskill coaches throughout their professional careers. Ciaran also spoke of the vital importance of “brilliant basics” – that 90% of all coaching work is the fundamentals of boxing
National Performance Head Coach, Zauri Antia, gave the final presenation of the day. Zauri is in his 21st year working with Irish Boxing. During that period, 9 Irish boxers have won 10 Olympic medals, as well as numerous World and European medals. He spoke of his personal coaching philosophy, which includes that he must continue to learn, daily, in order to be able to support and develop IABA boxers at the highest level.
IABA Education and Training Officer, Nikki Foley, says “This was an important conference, and we’re delighted by how many clubs attended, and how engaged participants were throughout the day. Questions were insightful and perceptive, and really spoke to the drive for knowlege in clubs throughout the Association. “On the Front Foot” was built on the results of a Coach Assessment of Training Need survey conducted among clubs in December – coaches shared what they wanted to learn to best support their boxers, and how they wanted to access that learing. Using this information, I hope today is the first of many coaching conferences. Thanks to all of today’s speakers for sharing their time and their expertise – Eoghan, James, Sean, Michaeal, Ciaran and Zauri were superb, and really showed the breadth of knowledge that coaching requires”
IABA’s Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Officer, Patrick Adejayan, has taken a significant step towards fostering inclusivity by commissioning and funding an engaging online session focused on Unconscious Bias.
This Unconscious Bias Bite-Sized learning session is designed to empower participants with essential insights, practical strategies, and creative approaches to deepen their understanding of unconscious bias in the context of sports and physical activities.
The first session takes place online on Tuesday, February 12th at 4pm, lasting approximately 15 minutes
Register here: https://shout.com/s/D30YkMEM
Through this interactive learning experience, participants will explore how unconscious bias can affect their interactions and decision-making processes. They will gain valuable knowledge about the impact of bias on accessibility and inclusivity.
Additionally, the session will provide practical tools and innovative ideas for modifying and adapting sports, physical activities, or physical education programs to ensure they are welcoming and accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or abilities.
The ultimate goal is to create a more equitable environment where everyone can participate fully and feel valued.
Attendees will be engaged through interactive group work and theory content and will be introduced to adaptation tools. These tools will be applied to a variety of games and activities to make them inclusive for all ability groups.
All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance after the workshop.
Places are limited. If you register for a place on this course and cannot attend, please advise IABA’s DEI Officer, Patrick Adejayan, through patrick.ad@iaba.ie so that your place can be offered to an IABA member on the waiting list.