IABA has been invited, by Kildare County Council and Hotpress, to participate in “Warriors! Celebrating Ireland’s Sportswomen” as part of Kildare’s St. Brigid’s Festival.

The daytime event will take place on Brigid’s Day, Saturday, 1 February at The Curragh Racecourse, Co. Kildare, between 11am and 4pm. It will be a fun, sport-filled day for all the family. The aim of the initiative is to promote sporting activity among young girls – and to celebrate Ireland’s sportswomen. The event will be free, and for all of the family.

Anna Geary will host various items from the main stage, taster sessions and demonstrations of boxing and all other participating sports will happen on the ground, in the designated spaces around Champions’ Hall.

IABA will have its own exhibition space, and will give pads, footwork and other skills demonstrations, as well as non-contact participation events – this will be led by IABA Development Officer, Maeve Clarke.

The aim is to encourage the participation in sport – either for the first time, or to take it up again, or to spark them to stay involved, which, as we know, is an increasingly important issue to be addressed among young women.

IABA has shared an invitation to participate with Kildare County Board and all boxing clubs in Co. Kildare.

IABA is launching an exciting, first-of-its-kind opportunity for any of your club members aged 14 to 20.

IABA is piloting a one day in-person Youth Leadership Course. The programme focuses on leadership development, growing valuable skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.

By enhancing leadership and coaching abilities, the program helps participants become effective leaders both their boxing clubs, and in their communities. It aligns with IABA’s goals of nurturing talent and developing Irish boxing.

The programme is open to all young people who are registered members of successfully affiliated IABA clubs.

This pilot programe will be hosted by Castlerea Boxing Club at its clubhouse, the Hub, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon on February 15th, between 9:30am and 17:30am, coinciding with the Connacht Boy/Girl 1,2,3 Championships.

A €10 registration fee for the course will be payable on the day or through the Clubs Blocworx portal, and includes provision of refreshments and lunch.

Places are limited and offered on a first come first served basis. Participants can register this link:https://shout.com/s/Nhm3G8GY

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.

IABA is unveiling its first conference of 2025: On the Front Foot – Setting Boxers Up for Success.

Organised by IABA Education and Training Officer Nikki Foley, this conference is 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.

The conference will take place at Campus Conference Centre, Sport Ireland Campus, Snugborough Rd, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 on Saturday, February 1st. Registration opens at 9am, events begin at 9.30am, concluding at 2.45pm. Parking is available on site.

Itinerary

9am-9.30am: Registration

9:30am: Introduction and welcome: National Development Manager, James Geraghty

9.45am: Coaching Pathway Rationale IABA Education & Training Officer, Nikki Foley

10am: Sports Psychology: The Performance Mindset, with Sport Institute Ireland Performance Psychologist Richard Shanahan. Richard works directly with Boxing High Performance, as well as with a variety of sports including Premier Division League of Ireland soccer, Martial Arts, Shooting, Club and Inter-County Gaelic Games, Tennis, Show Jumping, Motocross, Athletics, Golf and Swimming. More here

10.45am: Nutrition: Making Weight Well with Sport Ireland Institute nutritionist, Eoghan Hickey. 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.

11.30am: Coffee break

11:50am: Sport Ireland & IABA An insight on collaboration.  

12:20pm: Planning & Periodisation: High Performance Manager, Sean Crowley. 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.

1pm: Lunch

1.40pm: Keynote Address: National Performance Head Coach, Zauri Antia. 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.

2.20pm: Q&A

2.45pm: close

For more information contact Nikki Foley via nicola@iaba.ie

Booking

Clubs can book through their Blocworx portal, here. The cost is E10 per person, which includes lunch and refreshments.

IABA is sharing its Safeguarding learning calendar for 2025.

In 2024, IABA delivered 14 Safeguarding 1 basic awareness courses, online and in person, providing this vital learning to 207 coaches and club administrators. IABA also delivered two Safeguarding Two courses to 28 Club Children’s Officers.

In 2025, IABA plans to deliver 12 Safeguarding One courses, 4 Safeguarding Two courses and a minimum of 1 Safeguarding Three courses.

IABA is also open, on request, to providing Safeguarding One and/or Safeguarding Two learning in person, at a county board or provincial unit level. County Boards and Provinical Units who wish to commission in-person delivery of this learning are invited to make contact with IABA National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn, via stephen@iaba.ie

Safeguarding One

All adults – coaches, committee members & non-coaching volunteers – in every club who have contact with children are required to have undertaken Safeguarding 1.

In keeping with Sport Ireland best practice in Safeguarding training, workshops will be limited to 16 participants. In keeping with norms across the sporting community, the cost for this workshop is E20. 

Register here: https://shout.com/s/5tP2AMoB

Month	Date/Time	Delivery
January	Wednesday 22nd 18.30-21.30	online
Feburary	Wednesday 19th 18.30-21.30	online
March	Friday 28th 14.00-17.00	online
April	Tuesday 15th 18.30-21.30	online
May	Monday 19th18.30-21.30	online
June	Wednesday 25th 18.30-21.30	online
July	Saturday 26th 10.00-13.00	online
August	Friday 22nd 14.00-17.00	online
September	Monday 22nd 18.30-21.30	online
October	Wednesday 22nd 18.30-21.30	online
November	Tuesday 18th 18.30-21.30	online
December	Wednesday 4th 18.30-21.30	online

Safeguarding Two

The aim of this workshop is to help the Club Children’s Officer to carry out their role and support the implementation of best practice in the club. Participants will also receive a Club Children’s Officer Action Planning document as part of the training.

In keeping with Sport Ireland best practice in Safeguarding training, workshops will be limited to 16 participants. In keeping with norms across the sporting community, the cost for this workshop is E20. 

Register here: https://shout.com/s/o3NuYG4s

Quarter	Date/Time	Delivery
Quarter 1-Feburary	12TH 18.30-21.230	online
Quarter 2-May	22ND 18.30-21.30	online
Quarter 2- August	18TH 18.30-21.30	online
Quarter 2- December	11TH 18.30-21.30	online

Safeguarding Three

A person appointed to the Designated Liaison Person position in a club must firstly complete the Safeguarding One Workshop and should complete the SG3 training. A club may appoint the same person to both the CCO and DLP positions however best practice advises that they are kept as separate roles.

In keeping with Sport Ireland best practice in Safeguarding training, workshops will be limited to 16 participants. In keeping with norms across the sporting community, the cost for this workshop is E20. 

Quarter	Date/Time	Delivery
Quarter 1-Feburary	TBC	Online