The AGM of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association has taken place today, at which the results of the election to Central Council were announced.

Elections to Central Council

219 clubs, in all, voted in the elections, in which balloting opened on November 5th. The total poll was 214 clubs, with 5 invalid ballots.

Anto Donnelly, of Dealgan BC Co. Louth, has been returned as President of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association. On election, Mr. Donnelly also becomes a member of the Board of Directors of the IABA.

Eugene Duffy, of St. Joeseph’s BC, Derry, has been elected Vice President. Tara Robins Mari (Nutgrove, Dublin), Stephen Connolly, (Fr. Flanagan’s, Wicklow) and Larry Morrison (Garda) have been elected, unopposed to the offices of National Secretary, National Registrar and National Treasurer, respectively.

The 8 directly elected members are Olympian, Johnny Joyce of Olympic BC Mullingar; John Gallagher of 2 Castles Olympic BC, Tyrone; Philip Keogh of Dublin Docklands BC, Seamus Kelly, Castleblaney; Anna Moore of St. Francis BC, Limerick, Paddy Osbourne of Glasnevin BC, Dublin; Anto White, Na Fianna BC, Wexford of and Gary McGillion of Bishop Kelly BC, Omagh

President Donnelly made his election address at today’s AGM:

This Central Council will serve a 2 year term, to 2026.

2024 Anti-Doping Report

The report was delivered by outgoing IABA Anti-Doping Officer, Larry Morrision. At the advent of today’s AGM, Larry has stood down after 20 years of service in this role. IABA would like to extend it’s deepest thanks to Larry for his two decades of commitment to clean sport.

2024 Safeguarding Report

The 2024 Safeguarding Report was delivered by IABA National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn.

2023 Final Report

The 2023 audited accounts of the IABA, together with the Director’s report for that year, were first communicated to members on November 16th.

The auditor’s report of same was delivered by IABA auditors, Nexus Accounting.

Appendix

51 clubs, and Cork County Board, attend today’s AGM, and voted on the resolution: “Does your club approve the adoption of the IABA rulebook, as adopted by the Board of Directors on 20 September 2024, and it’s revisions, arising from a 3^rd phase of consultation”

The motion did not pass, with 15 voting in favour, and 36 voting against.

IABA notes a number of weather warnings in place. The AGM, scheduled for 12pm on Saturday December 7^th, will proceed.

Those intending on travelling to the National Stadium for Saturday’s AGM are advised to assess weather and travel conditions, locally, and refer to any up-date on advisories in place at the time of their intended travel before a) deciding whether to travel, b) setting out on their journey and c) continuing that journey.

Members should be advised that, although all Red warnings expired in the early hours of this morning, the warnings currently in place are as follows:

• Met Eireann Orange – Wind warning for Munster, Connacht until 10am on Saturday
• Met Eireann Orange – Wind warning for Leinster, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan until 10am on Saturday
• Met Office: Amber – Wind warning in effect for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry, from 1am on Saturday morning until 9pm on Saturday evening
• Met Office: Yellow – Wind Warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry until 6am on Sunday.
• Met Office: Yellow – Rain Warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry until midday on Saturday

Met Eireann and/or the Met Office may amend or up-date these advisories at any time.

Met Eireann: https://www.met.ie/warnings-today.html

Met Office: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/regional/ni

IABA’s Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Officer, Patrick Adejayan, has commissioned and is funding, a second round of online Disability Inclusion Training and Autism in Sport training, delivered by Active Disability Ireland. Both courses take place on Zoom, and registration is required.

Register for Disability Inclusion Training on Thursday, December 12^th here: https://shout.com/s/X4dK3I6e

This Disability Inclusion Training workshop is designed to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and ideas on how to adapt and modify your sport, physical activity or physical education sessions to make them more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. Attendees will be engaged through interactive group work, theory content and will be introduced to adaptation tools which will be applied to a variety of games and activities on how to make these inclusive for all ability groups. On completion of the workshop all participants will receive an Active Disability Ireland Certificate of Attendance endorsed by Sport Ireland, a resource manual and a games booklet full of fun inclusive activities.

Register for Autism in Sport Training on Friday, December 13^th, here: https://shout.com/s/Gs5tLMpk

This Autism in Sport workshop will provide attendees with an understanding of Autism focusing on the delivery of sport. It will help participants to recognise and understand key areas of difference as well as looking at practical strategies which will help to include people with autism in sport sessions.

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, through recruitment firm Ascension, is recruiting a Chief Executive Officer.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) is the national governing body for boxing in on the island of Ireland. Established in 1911, the IABA’s main role is to develop, foster and control amateur boxing in 32 counties of Ireland.

The IABA is committed to provide the environment in which support and opportunities given to our athletes, coaches and clubs in Irish boxing.

The IABA operates from the National Stadium in Dublin, the only purpose-built amateur boxing stadium in the world and there are currently over 360 clubs affiliated to the association across the Island oof Ireland.

It is a volunteer led organization where the hard work, dedication and significant time afforded by each member has contributed to the growing success of the sport in Ireland.

Our vision is to honour our standing as Ireland’s most successful Olympic Sport, and become Ireland’s most innovative, inclusive and development-focused sporting community

Our purpose is to develop a culture of unity, promote engagement and participation in clubs and communities, and advance performance at all levels.

The Position

As Chief Executive Officer, you will lead the organisation and be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA). You will be accountable to the Board, as you drive the organisation forward.

As CEO, you will be expected to understand member’s needs, while having the ability to manage a complex portfolio of organisational responsibilities, including commercial and strategic priorities, operational effectiveness, stakeholder management, communications and financial/governance controls.

To be considered for this role you will need to be a strong leader, with excellent stakeholder management capabilities and have the ability to attract new revenue streams through sponsorship and funding initiatives. You should have excellent skills in management prioritisation and specifically be experienced in the delivery of strategic plan goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership / Strategic Planning

• Act as an organisational culture champion. Continue to develop the values of IABA and lead by example by delivering objectives through inclusivity, integrity, respect, the pursuits of excellence and teamwork.
• Maintain and develop best practice management and governance protocols.
• Represent IABA and the IABA community, nationally and internationally, in a responsible manner in line with the organisation’s values.
• Work proactively and respectfully with all the organisation’s key stakeholders to deliver the goals of the Strategic Plan.

Stakeholder management

• Create an environment where excellent relationships with all stakeholders are maintained – including Sport Ireland, government, commercial partners, referees, coaches, volunteers, schools, colleges and clubs to help deliver IABA strategic outcomes.
• Ensuring an inclusive environment, with consultation and dialogue at its core, is a key priority for the organisation.
• Actively engage with the IABA community in creating an open dialogue.

Financial/Governance/Risk Management

• Manage the financial dealings of the Association in a prudent manner in line with Board oversight.
• Ensure IABA is at the forefront of best peer practice in all Governance matters and in full compliance with statutory frameworks with full Board engagement.
• Continue to actively explore and drive existing and potentially innovative and new revenue streams outside of statutory funding vehicles.
• Ensure all IABA risk management systems and policies are appropriate, current and applied.
• Ensure the successful ongoing operation and resourcing of Board Committees in line with Board policies.

Commercial, Marketing and Communications

• Manage commercial and sponsor relationships to maximise revenue certainty by building long-term partnerships.
• Identify new programmes and other innovative opportunities to expand the revenue base.
• Ensure that marketing and communications activities are structured to strengthen the reputation of IABA and that of the sport.
• Assume the role of primary spokesperson for IABA, supported by the marketing/communications professionals and with board oversight.

Experience Requirements

Essential:

• Degree or similar level qualification, or equivalent expertise in a sports or management-related discipline or
• Strategic experience in a similar field, ideally in the sporting or not-for profit sectors.
• Minimum of 5 years senior management or executive experience in a fast-paced and challenging environment nationally/internationally.
• Experience managing budgets.
• Experience in securing commercial sponsorship contracts with leading national and international brands.
• Experience of effectively managing and motivating a team of diverse professionals.
• Demonstrated strong project management skills & methodologies.
• Visionary thinker with the ability to facilitate and lead change.
• Strong, yet inclusive management and leadership style, with the ability to effectively build relationships with a wide variety of IABA enthusiasts, volunteers, professionals, governing bodies and other stakeholders.
• A passion for excellence while maintaining impeccable standards of integrity, both organisationally and personally.
• Previous experience of reporting to a Board.
• Experience of building relationships and collaborating effectively with multiple organisations and stakeholders to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes.
• A leader who values diversity and inclusion at all levels, who will champion this agenda and continue to deliver real change inside the organisation and across the sport as a whole.
• A confident spokesperson when representing our organisation, an ability to demonstrate previous experience in doing so with stakeholders, commercial partners, media and others.

Desirable:

• A passion for sport in general and boxing in particular with a knowledge of boxing infrastructures and systems
• Experience in working with a diverse range of stakeholders in Ireland and Internationally.
• Experience of working with the media.

Applications

To apply for this position please send your CV and cover letter in confidance outlining why you are suitable for this position to our recruitment partner Ascension Executive Recruitment – recruitment@ascension.ie no later than 5pm on Monday 6^th of January 2025, or through THIS portal.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) and Ulster Boxing Council (UBC) has been made aware of (i) a recent article in the Belfast Telegraph; and (ii) statements made by the North Belfast DUP MLA Phillip Brett (Mr Brett) in the Northern Irish Assembly (Assembly) and online, regarding the county court claim brought by Daryl Clarke (Mr Clarke) under reference number ICOS: 22/057351/3 which settled as a result of mediation on 30 August 2024.

Both the IABA and the UBC wish to make the following clear:-

1. The dispute between Mr Clarke and the UBC was mutually discontinued and any settlement was made without any admission of fault on either side. This is standard procedure in mediated settlements.

• Neither the IABA or UBC accept as valid any assertion that Mr Clarke was discriminated against on the grounds of his religion or cultural background.  Both were fully prepared to defend the claim brought by Mr Clarke in court, but the parties came together to resolve the perceived issues between them on a mutual basis.

• The IABA and UBC agreed to adopt this constructive approach to the litigation brought by Mr Clarke and agreed to use the services of a mediator / enter mediation on the basis; it was a confidential process, would undoubtedly save time and cost for all parties involved. They were hopeful that in reaching a mutually agreed position that it would assist in salvaging the relationship between the parties.

• As part of the agreed terms of settlement with Mr Clarke there was a mutually agreed Press Statement which recorded as follows:-

“Press statement issued on behalf of Mr Daryl Clarke and the Ulster Boxing Council in respect of proceedings in the County Court in Northern Ireland (ICOS No: 22/0573510/3).

The parties are pleased to announce that a mediated settlement has been arrived at to bring to a conclusion a claim that has been brought by Daryl Clarke under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.

In resolving this matter, the Ulster Boxing Council and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association have agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland which will conduct a comprehensive equality review of the governance, practices and procedures applicable to the Ulster Boxing Council to ensure compliance with Fair Employment legislation and relevant Codes of Practice.

The parties are pleased that these proceedings are resolved on a basis that secures fairness and transparency and safeguards the integrity of the sport going forward.”

• The IABA and UBC are disappointed that Mr Clarke and/or people associated with him have chosen to go beyond the agreed Press Statement.

• The IABA and UBC also wish to make clear that statements made by Mr Philip Brett in the Assembly and comments published on his webpage are rejected, including statements that:-

‘the Ulster Boxing Council decided to change the goalposts for selection to suit their own agenda’; and

‘Mr Clarke has now won a substantial settlement against the Ulster Boxing Council under the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998’.

• In terms of the above:-

• at all times the selection criteria adopted by the UBC is designed to identify the best boxer for the relevant competition; and

• whilst it is correct that there was a settlement made to Mr Clarke, that was part of the mediated terms, nothing was won or lost, but rather the parties reached a mutually agreed position and there has been no judicial determination on the validity or otherwise of the claim brought by Mr Clarke;

• As has been reported, it is correct the mutually agreed settlement terms record that “Ulster Boxing Council agrees that within 16 weeks of the date of this agreement it shall liaise with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland… which shall conduct a comprehensive Equality Review of the governance, practices and procedures applicable to the Ulster Boxing Council to ensure that they are compliant with the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and any relevant Codes of Practice”.  Such a commitment was a restatement of the IABA and UBC’s already existent (and continuing) commitment to Equality and Equality of Opportunity within the sport of Boxing on the island of Ireland. Positive and constructive meetings were ongoing, and are ongoing, between IABA and UBC representatives and the Equality Commission. The IABA and UWC had/have no fears or concerns about meeting and liaising with the Equality Commission and will continue to do so in the future, because it is satisfied its policies and procedures are compliant with equal opportunity legislation. The aim of the IABA and UBC at all times in the past and going forward has been and will be to secure the selection of the best boxers with medal winning potential to compete at all competitions.

• The IABA and UBC have felt they needed to issue clarification on these matters, which have entered the public domain, in order to set the record straight. The IABA and UBC have already demonstrated it has adopted a constructive and forward thinking approach in terms of addressing any issues in the sport of Boxing and while it will continue with that approach, it will make no further comment on either the case brought by Mr Clarke or any statements or articles made referencing it, other than to again reaffirm and comment that:-

• neither accept there was any bias based on religion or cultural belief;

• both are committed to the concept of equality of opportunity for all;

• they are inclusive organisations, run primarily by volunteers across all sections of society, whose primary aim is to promote the sport of boxing, which they do by not excluding any persons in society; and

• boxing has historically been a sport that has catered for marginalised members of society of all class.

ENDS