Boxing clubs, along with all sports clubs, are required to display within their club houses three key safeguarding documents:
Safeguarding Risk Assessment
Safeguarding Statement and
Child Protection Officer contact details.
IABA’s National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn, has revised and up-dated all three documents, and they are attached. To ensure your club is in compliance with Sport Ireland Safeguarding requirements, please:
Safeguarding Risk Assessment: print this document, complete and display prominently in your clubhouse.
Child Protection Officer contact details: print this document, write your club name, the date, the name of your CPO, their phone number and email address and display prominently in your clubhouse
“Most of the time, at the start of the year, there will be a plan done out for the High Performance Unit and for the boxers. We kind of gauge ourselves off that plan. I’m smart enough now – I know meself, I know my own body and I know what I can put myself through.
“Sometimes the plan may not work for me, but it may work for others in the gym. The reason why the (over-aching plan) may not work for me is because I’m a little bit older – so, I mind what I’m doing. Its trying to keep meself right for the big competitions. But that’s all done way in advance. Planning gets done by myself, my coach, the High Performance Coaches and the High Performance Director. We all sit down and go over it all together. After that, I go away on my own and I sit down and look at it and say right, I’m gonna tweak this, this and this. I bring it back, and everyone talks about it again – when everyone is happy, that’s the plan and we move forward.”
Planning is absolutely crucial to what you’re gonna do for the year. It’s not just for what’s going to happen in the year …every week, I’ll make a plan out of I’m gonna do. Every week, I will make a plan out of what I’m gonna to do. On the Sunday, I’ll make out what my week is going to look like from the next Monday to the next Sunday and I’ll have that planned out way ahead of the week that’s coming because you don’t want to be overtraining or undercooked, so you gotta think smart. Sometimes, less is more.”
Kellie, after her semi-final in Tokyo, said “The last mile is never crowded and that’s the way it does feel sometimes. It does feel very lonely, but I suppose that’s the difference to be able to hold on in there and keep it going.” It is that instinct, that perseverance and drive, that brought her gold. And, she added before her Olympic final “I’ve had heartbreak. I know what it is to fail and I know how hard it is to pick yourself back up after that. This is why I am who I am, and why I am here today, because I’m not afraid of failure. I know what it is. I’m Kellie Harrington. I’m myself and I make my own pathway.”
Kellie became a double Olympian during the 2023 European Games – where she qualified for Paris and came home with lightweight gold. Throughout this series, as Kellie prepares for the Paris Games, she will share the habits she has built, in the ring, in training and in life, that set her apart.
This includes how she stays motivated, how she uses nutrition, S&C and roadwork to make the most of her boxing skills, how she plans her training within the High Performance framework, supported by Sport Ireland, how she balances a demanding training schedule, her self-care and mental health practices.
Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
In the first episode of The Last Mile, Kellie shared how she finds her motivation at this stage in her career “My motivation comes from the fact I have a target on my back at the moment – and I really need to work hard, as I am the target. I just wanna be better, every day. Not by a long mile, but by a very, very small percent; not even one percent, smaller than that. And, as long as I keep making those little small adjustments, then, I’ll be happy – but, if I can’t make the adjustments, then we have to go back and we have to wonder why and try and fix that problem but my motivation is that I am the target and I’ll have to keep getting better, keep improving. Bit by bit. Day by day.”
And in the second episode, Kellie shared her experience of roadwork, an element of her training she finds difficult “Honestly, roadwork, its not my cup of tea, at all. But, I know – actually, before I have a running session; if we have a running session on Wednesday, before on Tuesday, the night before, I’ll be tossing and turning with the anxiety of having roadwork on a Wednesday morning. It really isn’t my cup of tea. I’m not the worst at it but I get so – I get a knot in my tummy before I do it. But I also know that it’s so beneficial and I feel if I’m doing roadwork, it’s specific roadwork – I’m not going out and pounding the pavements. Everything is specific to what we are doing. Our (S&C) Coach, John Cleary, he would have our running programme sorted for us before we even turn up. So, it could be three 3 minutes – and you’ve to, not go all out because it’s impossible to do that, but go fast, maybe 90% of your pace for the three minutes. Other times, then, we’ll do 3 800s. So, we should be getting them under 3 minutes by the time it comes around to doing 3 800s. So, when I’m finished, after all that anxiety the night before and turning up and absolutely dreading it, I’m just so happy and relieved that it’s been and its done. But I also use it when I’m running – it’s a mindset thing, because running, for me, is extremely hard. So, I feel like, if I’m able to get up, drag myself to the running track and do that session then I can totally get up, drag myself to that ring and fight anyone in the world.”
In the third episode, Kellie spoke about mindset “Mindset is a really, really big thing in boxing because, at the end of the day, when you step in between those ropes, it’s just you and your opponent. The way I work with getting my mind right, and set, and straight before I get in in between the ropes – for instance, I spoke about running there and, I’m not gonna say I don’t like it, but how it really isn’t my cup of tea, and I use that, when I’m getting in to the ring. I’m like – I’ve done that, I’ve done the hard work; I’ve gone on to the running track when I know it’s something I struggle with and that isn’t my cup of tea. And, I wasn’t actually too bad on the track when I did it, so that’s money in the bank for my mindset. It’s about being in the gym, and doing the uncomfortable things to make yourself feel comfortable. Then mindset, then, is really really strong when it needs to be strong. When you need that to be strong and at its finest is just before you step in those ropes. 45 minutes before you get in there, you need to have a really solid mindset – and I find that my training backs up my mindset”
In the fourth episode, Kellie shared her love of Strength and Conditioning – “S&C has played a massive role in my journey – we do S&C all year round, but, particularly before a big tournament, we will start a bloc, staring 9 or 10 weeks out. And what I really like about it is that you start to see the difference in your body and the impact that strength and conditioning is having on your body and on your performances. There is strength work, which makes you stronger, and there is conditioning work which gives you better endurance. And then you also have explosive work, as well, which you also do in your strength and conditioning sessions, and that’s just making you more. The sessions aren’t overly long or anything like that, but it is smart training. They are compacted, get in, get out, get it done…And I LOVE strength and conditioning”. Kellie’s S&C programmes are designed, delivered and monitored by Sport Ireland Sport Institute S&C Specialist, John Cleary, who has over 20 years experience in working with Elite boxers.
In the fifth episode, Kellie focused on nutrition – “Nutrition plays a massive role in every athlete’s sporting career, especially with boxing having to make weight and maintain the weight over a period of days in the competition” – Olympic champion and double Olympian, Kellie Harrington, is highlighting the vital role nutrition will play in her #RoadToParis.
“I always find the better food that you eat, the more energy you have. It’s not that I always find that – it’s true. It’s the actual truth. The better food that you eat – if you’re snacking on chocolates and biscuits and stuff; it’s just a quick release energy and then you crash. Whereas, if you have a longer period of cutting weight and eating correctly, then your energy levels start to restore themselves and get better. It makes it a lot better for you, making weight when you need to make weight. You’re not doing that three weeks before a competition, trying to lose four or five kilos, which is absolutely crazy”
Kellie’s nutrition programmes are designed, delivered and monitored by Sport Ireland Sport Institute Dr. Sharon Madigan, who has over 20 years experience in working with Elite boxers.
“I always take advice from the Nutritionists out in the Institute and Sharon Madigan – I’ve worked with Sharon for many years now at this stage. She has always given me good sound advice, and I believe in what she is telling me. And it works. We work ha
The deadline for applications is January 31st. Clubs which applied to the scheme in 2022, are welcome and eligible to apply for Phase Three support.
This funding is designed to support boxing clubs with rising energy costs associated with operation
Increased costs between Sept 1st 2019 and July 31st 2020 vs Sep 1st 2022 to July 31st 2023
The Scheme is aimed at supporting Clubs in the Republic of Ireland only
This Scheme is aimed at covering the difference in energy costs during the above period – – so, if a bill in the period Sept 1st 2019 and July 31st 2020 was E100, and the same bill in the period Sep 1st 2022 to July 31st 2023 was E150, the eligible cost is E50.
Clubs applying for support must be able to demonstrate payment of these costs.
If your energy costs are included in your expenses (e.g. rent), you will need to demonstrate these costs separately
Eligibility is based on proof of payment
The scheme is subject to Sport Ireland audit
Deadline for submission January 31st 2024
Further Information
IABA National Development Manager, James Geraghty, hosted a webinar on the grant for interested clubs. You can watch back here:
Please note that:
General cost of living increases including increased costs in accommodation, rent, rates or labour costs are not eligible.
As per Government direction, fuel costs associated with machinery, vehicles, travel or transport do not qualify.
Non-Energy related increases or pre-existing debts or deficits are also ineligible.
IABA is creating a Safeguarding training series throughout 2024, which will see the delivery of three Safeguarding 1 workshops between January and March. All adults – coaches, committee members and non-coaching volunteers – in every club who have contact with children are required to have undertaken Safeguarding 1.
The calendar for the period April to December will be published in February. From April onwards, IABA will make available a minimum 2 workshops per month. Acknowledging that club members have a variety of schedules and that no one time will be best for all, a percentage of courses will take place in the evenings, a percentage during weekday lunchtimes and a percentage on Saturdays. Workshops on Safeguarding 2 and Safeguarding 3 will be made available later in 2024.
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 E15. Registration for each course will close 2 days before the date, and those who’ve registered will be sent payment information. The participation reservation will expire if payment is not received by 5pm on the scheduled day of the workshop.
86kg Tom Stokes (Athlone) beat John Phoenix (Four Kings), 5-0
92kg Brandon McKelvie (Clonard A) beat Paddy Sweeney (Galway), RSC2
92+kg Adam Olaniyan (Jobstown) beat Franco Ernjes (Saviours Crystal), RSC2
Watch Live – with StreamSport and JWPlayer
These championships marked the debut of IABA’s live-streaming partnership with StreamSport and JWPlayer – which means every national championship bout this year will be broadcast, here
This is a significant step in ensuring that the cream of Irish boxing is available to friends, family and clubmates who aren’t in a position to travel to the National Stadium, including to boxers’ supporters all over the world.
Irish boxing fans from throughout the island of Ireland have tuned-in, as have fans in the England, Scotland and Wales, the US, Australia, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Bout Footage:
We know that clubs and boxers need to review bout footage for performance analysis – so all footage of a given day of boxing will be available, and free to access, on IABA’s YouTube channel 3 days later. National U18 Championship preliminaries, quarter finals and day one of the semi finals have been up-uploaded.
