IABA has a vacancy for an Education & Training Officer to further the growth and development of boxing, and boxing clubs.
The Education & Training Officer will support the development, coordination, and delivery of educational and training programs. This role involves working closely with internal and external stakeholders to create a blended learning experience and providing support to learners. The officer will also collaborate with various departments to develop and implement digital educational resources.
Location: Hybrid position with a combination of working remotely and attending meetings and events when required.
Salary: €20,000 Annual
Department: Education and Training
Reports To: National Development Manager
Key Responsibilities:
Program Development and Management:
Design and develop educational and training programs for various levels of sports professionals.
Ensure courses are aligned with national and international standards.
Training Delivery:
Conduct training sessions and workshops for athletes, coaches, and other sports personnel.
Utilise various teaching methodologies to cater to different learning styles.
Resource Development:
Develop and distribute educational materials and resources.
Ensure all training materials are up-to-date and relevant.
Learning Management System (LMS) Coordination:
Manage the day-to-day use of the LMS and act as the primary point of contact for learners, course developers, and departments.
Provide first-level support to learners, resolving issues with course registration and completion, and escalate issues to IT Support or Finance as necessary.
Data Management and Reporting:
Capture and report key data related to e-learning and training programs.
Use data to influence future learning strategies and improve program effectiveness.
Support and Guidance:
Provide support and guidance to athletes and coaches regarding their professional development.
Offer advice on best practices and the latest developments in sports training and education.
Compliance and Standards:
Ensure all training programs comply with relevant regulations and standards.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training programs.
Collaboration and Networking:
Work with national and regional sports organisations to promote education and training initiatives.
Network with other professionals in the field to stay updated on new trends and opportunities.
Meeting Coordination:
Organise and coordinate meetings related to education and training initiatives, including preparing agendas, meeting notes, and action items.
Experience & Attributes:
Essential: Previous experience in content design or delivery of Learning & Development initiatives, both virtual and physical.
Previous experience in training or development programs.
Strong passion for creating and developing educational content.
Excellent project coordination skills, ability to build good working relationships, and strong communication skills.
Positive disposition with strong planning and organisation skills.
Desirable: Familiarity in using Learning Management Systems.
How to Apply
Please send a CV along with a Cover Letter via e-mail outlining your suitability for the position to HR hr@iaba.ie no later than 5pm 11th October 2024.
Please reference “Education & Training Officer” in the subject of your email.
Short listing will apply.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association is an equal opportunities employer
There are 2 days remaining in which to registered for IABA’s EGM, scheduled for 11am on Saturday, October 12th at the National Stadium.
This EGM arises as 44 clubs, exercising their rights under Article 4.9 of the IABA Constitution, have requested the EGM to vote on the following Special Resolution: ‘To remove any references to IBA ( AIBA) from all relevant Objects in the IABA Constitution whether contained in the Memorandum or the Articles of Association.’
FAQ:
Did the Board of Directors of the IABA propose this EGM?: No
Who proposed this EGM?: A group of 44 clubs
Why is this EGM taking place before the AGM?: If clubs request an EGM, IABA must hold that EGM within 42 days, in accordance with the constitution.
What are clubs being asked to vote on? These 44 clubs have stated the text of the Special Resolution as ‘To remove any references to IBA ( AIBA) from all relevant Objects in the IABA Constitution whether contained in the Memorandum or the Articles of Association.’
Is this a vote on leaving IBA? No
Is this a vote on joining World Boxing? No
Is this a vote on staying with IBA and joining World Boxing? No
What are the potential outcomes if clubs vote to approve this resolution?
There will be no restrictions preventing clubs in engaging with all boxing relating activities should the IABA/Central Council permit. IABA clubs will be able to work with federations including USA Boxing, Boxing Canada, Germany and Sweden. IABA will remain a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland. IABA is not aware that IBA has suspended members arising solely from constitutional amendment. IBA has suspended some members and that list is here. Italy, England Boxing and Boxing Scotland are not currently suspended. IABA clubs will give themselves the option of holding a vote on staying with IBA and joining another international federation.
What are the potential outcomes if clubs vote not to approve this resolution? If clubs vote not to approve the special resolution, the constitution remains as it currently is. IABA and IABA clubs are bound to the regulations set by IBA, which restricts any boxing related activities with non-IBA Federations. Should IBA remove 30+ additional federations from its approved member list, IABA clubs will no longer be able to work with clubs in those federations. IABA clubs will not have the option to vote on staying with IBA and joining another international federation. IABA will be removed as a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland. If IABA is not a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, IABA boxers will not be able to participate in the LA 2028 Olympic Games or the 2026 Youth Olympics – which may have a knock-on effect in High Performance at Elite, Youth and Junior levels in terms of available resources.
Ordinary Resolution
The IABA Board of Directors, at its meeting on September 20th, adopted the IABA Rulebook. This rulebook has been the subject of two formal phases of consultation with clubs and members, in which proposals, amendment and commentary was invited:
Phase One: 21st November and 21st December 2023.
Phase Two: June 21st to July 19th
This consultation was through rules@iaba.ie, and the address has remained open from November 21st, to date, to capture any additional inputs by clubs and members.
Members will be invited to vote on an Ordinary Resolution to approve this rulebook as part of the EGM. “Does your club approve the adoption of the IABA rulebook, as adopted by the Board of Directors on 20 September 2024”
Registration for the EGM is now open, and will close at 12pm on October 10th. Register here: https://shout.com/s/2GXQZj9R
Eligibility – All clubs successfully affiliated for 2024/2025 season, as at 24 September 2024
Attendees: Eligible clubs may nominate any two adult members to attend as delegates – one to be a voting delegate, one to be a non-voting delegate. Delegates nominated by clubs must verified members – this means they must be included in the club’s affiliation application, through Blocworx, for the 2024/2025 season as members and be over the age of 18. *Please note, delegates will be required to present photographic identification (passport, drivers’ licence, etc) on the day of the EGM.
6 August 2024; Kellie Harrington of Team Ireland celebrates with her gold medal after defeating Wenlu Yang of Team People’s Republic of China in their women’s 60kg final bout at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Roland Garros Stadium during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Chair of the IABA Board of Directors, Niall O’Carroll, has done an extensive interview with Neil Loughran of the Irish News in advance of IABA’s EGM on October 12th.
Full details about the EGM, including registration and the Special Resolution, are here
This time, though, it is 44 clubs who have requested the EGM to vote on the following special resolution: ‘To remove any references to IBA (AIBA) from all relevant objects in the IABA constitution whether contained in the memorandum or the articles of association.’ What is the significance of clubs bringing this resolution to the table?
Niall O’Carroll: There was probably a historical suspicion of individuals trying to dictate to everyone the direction our organisation should go. I was trying to explain to them that this is a new board of directors, I’m independent, I have no baggage, no dog in the race in boxing.
I wanted them to think about what was right for boxing as opposed to the individual battles they’ve had with each other over the years. Even the individuals involved in IBA, World Boxing or whatever the case may be – just focus on the issue at hand rather than the individuals.
But when the vote went against [71 per cent voted in favour at the previous EGM – 75 per cent was required to implement constitutional change], the feeling of some of the negative people towards the change was that we were trying to railroad them into it, and we’ll ignore them if the vote goes wrong.
I made a commitment, from a democratic point of view, that we would respect the members’ vote, and that the only way I would bring this back to the members was if the members requested it.
We have an article in our constitution that dictates that if 40 member clubs call for an EGM, then we’re bound to have one. So it’s not the board of directors telling the members ‘we need to fix this’, it’s the members saying ‘we recognise there’s a serious problem here, and we’re going nowhere’.
If nothing else we need an answer about where we’re going to be in the future because, right now, we have so many issues that we need to fix, and so many of them are tied to our membership of the IBA.
NL: There was a strong sense at the last EGM that a lot of members were still unsure about where boxing was headed, regarding the current situation involving the IBA, World Boxing and the sport’s Olympic future. Do you feel that has changed?
N O’C: I’d like to think so. It’s a tricky one, because we did an awful lot of work to get the information out there but what was shown at the last vote was that there is quite a vocal minority.
Seventy-one per cent of people at the last vote voted in favour of change, but the messaging that came out was quite confusing… well, I feel that the messaging explaining the situation was quite clear but I think there was a lot of rumour and innuendo and messaging put out there that kind of muddied the waters a little bit.
Like, this vote is about us taking control of our future by taking control of our constitution, and removing the reference to IBA as the only organisation we can be a member of. But what happens is people start talking about World Boxing, then they start identifying individuals in World Boxing, and next thing you get into this ‘he said, she said’ nonsense when actually everything that’s wrong in boxing is about structures.
IBA have done this extremely well over the years. When they got kicked out of the IOC, the only federation to be kicked out of the IOC, they blame Thomas Bach and it’s a personal vendetta by Thomas Bach.
But that’s just distracting everyone from the reality, and the reality is that they’ve now had their appeal kicked out for a second time by the Swiss court. There’s nowhere for them to go now. They have been found to be corrupt, they’ve been found to have no transparency in their finances, they presided over probably the most corrupt Olympics in Rio, where Ireland were impacted, and particularly Michael Conlan.
All of those issues are there and, instead of people actually wanting to talk about how we find a solution, they want to talk about individuals and make this a personal argument.
The same thing goes on in boxing – it’s the CEO’s fault, it’s the president’s fault, it’s the chairman’s fault, and that only exists because the structures within the organisation aren’t strong enough.
As we build those structures better, and that’s something we’re working very hard on, it becomes less about individuals and more about the collective.
NL: Okay, but last year only 145 clubs registered for the EGM – less than half of the 355 clubs in Ireland. For an issue that has such a huge bearing on what is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, why is there such indifference?
N O’C: I think partially the issue is, for the vast majority of club boxers, the Olympics is not something on their radar. For most clubs they’re more interested in underage kids getting opportunities at European championships, World championships… maybe 10 per cent of our clubs will ever have an Olympian.
Some people might feel the Olympic conversation is a little bit beyond their day to day, and maybe there’s an assumption that ‘ah look that’ll get taken care of’, and that’s what my worry was at the last EGM.
Also, there’s a lot of misrepresentation going on at the minute that boxing is absolutely not going to be at the Olympics, so it doesn’t matter if we’re in the IBA or not. The reality is that boxing is very much on the radar of LA2028, but what the IOC need to see is that the boxing federations are willing to make a decision that takes it away from then past, and try something new and different.
World Boxing isn’t mentioned in this vote; this vote is not about World Boxing. This is about us making a change to our constitution to allow us, that if there are two, three, four federations running boxing in the world in the next 10 years – and who knows what’s going to happen? – then we have the freedom, as a membership, that we can join all of them, some of them or none of them.
Off the back of the Olympics, people can see the benefits… 1,400 new members have joined our boxing clubs since the Olympics. That is every four-year cycle you’re guaranteed that bump.
So, if nothing else, being the most successful Olympic sport, consistently winning medals, and the feelgood factor that comes from it massively benefits our members.
N O’C: No, not at all. In fact I expressed my concern with the wording that Sarah used in that statement. I understood the messaging she was giving in relation to the frustration of the OFI, but I didn’t appreciate the reference to a split.
I don’t think it’s helpful, particularly when 71 per cent of the members voted in favour of change last time. That would suggest that the vast majority of the IABA are in favour of remaining in the Olympic fold, so I don’t really see where we would benefit from a split.
We’re one of the few sports that have consistent success as an all-island sport, and I would hate for us to start looking at the possibility of us to start splintering out and going different directions.
I understand some people criticise, and say you’re being bullied by Sport Ireland, Sport NI or the OFI, but the issue of funding is not the issue in relation to this decision.
But for us to plan our future, we have to understand where we are financially – what can we achieve? Who are the hires we can make? What are the structures we can put in place?
One thing I find really disappointing since I’ve taken over is, when I was a young man living in Dublin, I used to go to the National Stadium to watch international competitions, and we just don’t do that any more.
That’s something we absolutely need to do. My thinking is if we’ve got security, financially, going forward over the next four years, we can start to plan on getting countries in.
One of the issues we have right now, with our membership of IBA, is we can’t entertain the Americans, they’re completely banned. We’ve got England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Germany, Italy have just announced they’re going to World Boxing… all these countries on our doorstep and we can’t get insurance to fight them, because our insurance will only cover us to fight the organisations that are in our constitution, so basically organisations that are IBA.
NL: Just on the OFI and Sport Ireland, will there be funding implications for currently carded athletes depending on how Saturday’s vote goes?
N O’C: There has been no threat of the removal of funding based on this vote but the reality has to be that, over the course of the next couple of years, it will have an impact. If we’re not an Olympic sport, we’re not going to get Olympic funding.
So our funding will be impacted in the long run, but there’s no threat that if this vote goes wrong that funding for our elite boxers is cut the next week. Absolutely not.
In fact, I believe Sport Ireland and the OFI have been quite supportive of us in what we’re trying to do, and understand the position that we’ve been put in, that isn’t of our own making.
There has been no threat of sanction… there have been obvious conversations from the OFI to explain to us the situation with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in relation to boxing in Los Angeles, and the fact the IOC want to see one boxing federation that is transparent and respected and representative of all the international federations around the world.
NL: We sit now at the beginning of a new Olympic cycle – can you explain the timeline for Ireland in terms of possible participation in LA 2028, should boxing be included in the programme. At last year’s EGM a lot of people felt there was no rush but, at the beginning of a new Olympic cycle, is greater urgency required now?
N O’C: The honest answer is Ireland’s participation in LA is very much dependent on what happens globally.
There’s no guarantees but my sense is that that the IOC want boxing in LA – it’s a very popular sport in America, on American soil it would make sense, the Americans have been very heavily involved in the setting up of World Boxing, so I think there’s a genuine will to have boxing at the Olympics.
My sense, and I don’t know this for certain, is that the IOC will make a decision before the end of the year, one way or the other, and I think what they want to see is federations making the move away from IBA.
There has been significant movement, I think what they want to see is that next step of movement. From a selfish point of view, I want us to be able to go and box regularly against the countries we have the relationships with.
I feel we’re in isolation right now, and the danger is if we continue in isolation we will find it hard to get countries to box in Ireland. Those relationships get lost very quickly, so building them back up is very important.
People can make it as political as they want, or as individual as they want, but this is a decision about what’s best for all the kids who are boxing in our clubs in their future. There’s no way taking the Olympics off the table makes sense to any kid in this country.
Niamh Fay is preparing to contest the 2024 European U22 Championships – and she’s letting us in on her preparations as part of the Seconds Out: Stories of Irish Boxing series, supported by Sport Ireland.
Niamh, who contests at 57kg, is a full-time High Performance athlete in training at the Boxing High Performance Unit. She claimed gold in this tournament in 2022, and has gone on to win 2024 European Elite Championship bronze. She’s also a two time Irish U22 champion, and an Elite champion at 54kg.
Niamh, known as “Fast Hands’ is a proud member of her club, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC in the Fingal area of North County Dublin. She shows how she balances her nutrition, boxing technical training, strength and conditioning, rest and recovery, and coaching in her clubhouse as part of her daily life. During training blocs, Niamh lives at Boxing House on the Sport Ireland campus, and gives real insight in to the sense of camaraderie in the squad, and the drive, commitment and mindset required to be a High Performance athlete.
Niamh says “From coming in here three years ago, there’s so much I’ve changed, there’s so much I’d adapted – and it’s just brilliant. I’m not there yet, and I know that. I still have things, and there’s always going to be things, even if you’re a World champion, that you have to approve on. You need to be in that area. There’s no point in doing the things that you like, all of the time. It’s getting out of that comfort zone”
Niamh adds “It’s remembering to enjoy the dream – that I am in here, among the greatest and with the best, and I’m training with them and just enjoying the whole process instead of being so hard on yourself the whole time. Again, it’s important to be to hard on yourself because you want to push those extra boundaries but just giving yourself that little bit of self-love and minding yourself through the whole journey”
This short film, a peek inside High Performance, is part of a series of shorts on Irish Boxing – Seconds Out: Stories of Irish Boxing, commissioned by IABA and produced by Lowki Culture.
Provisional programmes are now available for the final two days of boxing in the 2024 National Intermediate Champions, being boxed at the National Stadium.
Please note an extended weigh-in time is available on Saturday.
Friday, October 11th – Boxing begins at 6pm
FINAL
57kg Cori Gleeson (St Francis) V Courney McCrudden (Emerald A)
SEMI FINALS
60kg Ciara Craig (Glengormley) V Keelyn Mangan (Celtic Eagles)
60kg Leon Davis (Bracken) V Lee McEvoy (Avona)
60kg Erik Banus (Cookstown) V Jack Douglas (Holy Family GG)
63.5kg Kuba Pielesz (Golden Gloves M) V Raymond Joyce (Clonmel)
63.5kg Joshua Tumama (Dublin Docklands) V Killian Walsh (Trojan)
67kg Peter Weatherall (St Pauls A) V Cahan Hallihan (Olympic C)
67kg Conor McCrory (Townland) V Malo Davis (Monkstown D)
71kg Cahir Gormley (Illies GG) V Sean Larkin (Dublin Docklands)
71kg Troy Harris (Avona) V Brian Morgan (Belfast Kronk)
75kg TJ King (Ballyboughal/Defence Forces) V Obi Martins (Smithfield)
75kg Paul Reid (Erne) V Christopher Taylor (Evolution)
80kg Kevin Osifo (Cherry Orchard) V Yuba Silem (Olympic C)
80kg Fernandez Badejo (Maynooth)V Ryan Collins Murphy (St Monicas)
86kg Rasheed Momoh (Castlebar) V Robbie Olusola (Celtic Eagles)
86kg Anthony Taggart (Ormeau Road) V Sean Trant (Monkstown)
92kg Michael O’Regan (The Hub) V Nathan Ojo (Esker)
92kg Garyn McAllister (Holy Family GG) V Eamonn Gilligan (Dublin Docklands)
92+kg Godstime Ide (Crumlin) V Harry Geraghty (Santry)
92+kg Sean O’Reilly (Glin) V Danny Byrne (Dublin Docklands)
Schedule
Friday, October 4th: boxing begins at 6pm
Saturday, October 5th: boxing begins at 11am
Sunday, October 6th: boxing begins at 2.30pm
Friday, October 11th: boxing begins at 6pm
Saturday, October 12th: boxing begins at 3pm.
Weigh-ins
Boxers must weigh-in daily, on the day of boxing.
Fridays: 8am to 9am, and 12pm to 1pm
Saturdays: 8am to 11am – late weigh-ins by arrangement.
National Registrar, Philip Rooney has advised that:
