CEO Gary Stewart and President, Anto Donnelly, wish to invite you to the 2025 Club Forum. This is the first step in our renewed commitment to openness, engagement, and regular communication with our members. The CEO has shared this letter with all clubs, units and members:

The event is open to every affiliated club and provides the opportunity to debate, exchange ideas and elevate our sport, in a full day of in-depth discussion on youth development, coach education, R&J pathways, club support programmes, and governance. Up to four members of any affiliated club can attend.

Registration is available here https://shout.com/s/0XzEc5Jd and includes the facility for you and your club members to nominate topics for discussion that are important to you. Registration closes on November 10^th.

Club Forum

Date: Saturday, November 15^th

Location: Ringside, at the National Stadium

Start time: 10am

End time: 4pm

Lunch provided

The Boxing Congress will be held in the New Year where further discussion and formal votes on the IABA rule book may take place

A 19 strong team has been named to contest the 2025 European U15 Championships in Budva, Montenegro.

The team includes boxers from Antrim, Armagh, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Loais and Westmeath. The Team Co-Captains are Zach Creighton of Avona BC, Dublin and Roisin Hegarty, Twin Towns BC, Donegal. They will fly the flag for Ireland at Saturday’s Opening Ceremony.

The Team is being led by Team Managers, National Registrar, Stephen Connolly of Ballymore Hollywood Boxing Club and Bridget Scott of Glengormley BC. The team’s coaches are Karl McLoughlin, St. Catherine’s BC, Dublin; John Coffey, Sliabh Luachra BC, Kerry; Paul Simson, Saviours Crystal BC, Waterford; Tommy O’Donnell, Charleville BC, Cork and Lynne McEnery, High Performance Unit.

This comeptition, for boxers aged 13 and 14, is the inaugural championships held by World Boxing’s European confederation, European Boxing. These championships are being hosted by the Montenegro Federation, which has recently hosted the 2024 World Youth Championships and the 2022 Women’s European Championships.

32 federations are contesting the tournament alongside Ireland: Albania, Austra, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine

The President of the Montenegro Boxing Federation, Alexander Klemenko, has underscored the social and developmental importance of competitions at this age group: “Creating favorable and equal conditions for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding between children from different countries, in the context of international multinational competitions, promotes tolerance and respect for other cultures, develops strong friendships and constructs the foundation of social competence of adolescents in the modern international community.”

Competition Schedule

The Sport Entries Check and Draw take place on Friday afternoon. The Opening Ceremony will be held on Saturday, and boxing will take place from October 18th to 25th.

Team Ireland

40kg Ellie May Featherson, Mulhuddart BC, Dublin

40kg John Sweeney, Olympic BC, Galway

42kg Rosetta Casey, Portlaoise BC, Loais

42kg Ronan Charles, Mullingar Elite BC, Westmeath

44kg Ava Harford, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin

44kg Pa Casey, Sliabh Luachra BC, Kerry

46kg Kenia Flood Prado, Glasnevin BC, Dublin

48kg Macie Duffy O’Connor, Cabra BC, Dublin

48kg Zach Creighton, Avona BC, Dublin, Team Co-Captain

50kg Franky Mooney, Banbridge BC, Antrim

51kg Ellie Curtain Murray, Golden Gloves BC, Cork

52kg Patrick Hourican, Sean Doran’s BC, Armagh

54kg Charley Scott, St Catherine’s BC, Dublin

57kg Kieran McDonagh, Olympic BC, Galway

60kg Maicey Field, Baldoyle BC, Dublin

63kg Charlie Joyce Connolly, Jobstown BC, Dublin

64kg Roisin Hegarty, Twin Towns BC, Donegal, Team Co-Captain

66kg Eddie Sweeney, Galway BC

75kg Thomas O’Reilly, Portlaoise BC, Loais

Team Managers: Stephen Connolly & Bridget Scott

Coaches:

Karl McLoughlin, St. Catherine’s BC, Dublin

John Coffey, Sliabh Luachra BC, Kerry,

Paul Simson, Saviours Crystal BC, Waterford

Tommy O’Donnell, Charleville BC, Cork

Lynne McEnery, High Performance Unit.

IABA’s Safeguarding 1 and 2 courses for October, November and December are now available for booking.

In 2025, IABA is delivering 12 Safeguarding One courses, 4 Safeguarding Two courses and a minimum of 1 Safeguarding Three course.

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
Feburary	Wednesday 19th 18.30-21.30: Completed	online
March	Friday 28th 14.00-17.00: Completed	online
April	Tuesday 15th 18.30-21.30: Completed	online
May	Monday 19th18.30-21.30: Completed	online
June	Wednesday 25th 18.30-21.30: Completed	online
July	Saturday 26th 10.00-13.00: Completed	online
August	Friday 22nd 14.00-17.00: COMPLETED	online
September	Monday 22nd 18.30-21.30: COMPLETED	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: COMPLETED	12th 18.30-21.230	online
Quarter 2-May: COMPLETED	22nd 18.30-21.30	online
Quarter 2- August: COMPLETED	18th 18.30-21.30	online
Quarter 2- December	11th 18.30-21.30	online

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.

Ulster IABA, in partnership with SportNI, the Football Association of Ireland and Athletics NI is launching “Like a Girl”

Developed by Ulster Participation & Engagement Officer Louise McKenzie, Like a Girl is being out to Years 8 & 9 in St. Marys High School Newry and Newry High School, culminating in a joint celebration of the programme

The project aimes to reclaim and redefine the phrase “like a girl”—transforming it into a mark of confidence, strength, and pride. Through sport, teamwork, and personal development, participants will grow both physically and emotionally, building confidence, resilience, and essential life skills. Many girls disengage from sport in their early teens due to lack of confidence, fear of judgement, or limited access to opportunities.

This campaign is designed to address these barriers, encouraging young women to see strength, skill, and pride in doing anything “like a girl.” The four-week school programme will include:

• Three taster sessions delivered by Ulster Boxing, the Irish Football Association, and Athletics NI
• A confidence and self-esteem workshop delivered by Glow Girls with Gemma
• A final celebration event

The campaign will promote and empower girls through sport and movement, while also supporting mental health, wellbeing, and connections to long-term sporting opportunities.

This project is supported by the Rank Foundation.

Additional amendments have been made to the revised Garda Vetting process originally shared on July 30^th last. The up-dated form is available here.

To assist clubs in adapting to, and managing, these amendments, a series of 8 online workshops have been scheduled by National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn. Workshops will last 30 minutes, and will include a Q&A facility.

Registration – available here: https://shout.com/s/vEsw2G0f

Workshops

Monday, October 20^th at 1.15pm

Monday, October 20^th at 7pm

Tuesday, October 21^st at 1.15pm

Wednesday, October 22^nd at 7pm

Thursday, October 23^rd at 1.15pm

Friday, October 24^th at 1.15pm

Saturday, October 25^th at 10am

These workshops will assist clubs in a number of ways:

1. Introducing your club to the upgrade which means your club’s coaching and non-coaching volunteer profiles now include their Garda Vetting/Access NI check information. This means every club can see at a glance when their members’ vetting will expire.

2. The Garda Vetting process and how to complete the new NVB1 forms. 

3 The role of the Club Childrens Officer and Secretary

All workshops will be delivered by IABA National Safeguarding Manager Stephen Flynn.