To mark International Women’s Day, the IABA is launching a landmark drive to increase by 50% the number of women qualified to coach boxing by the end of the year – 50:24

The 50:24 campaign, led by IABA Women in Sport and Inclusion Officer, Sophie Doolan, will see IABA fund and deliver the Fundamentals: Assistant Coach course delivered to over 90 women by 2024.  Fundamentals is the first step on the IABA’s Coach Education pathway.

At present, 1 in 10 boxing coaches in Ireland are women. 50:24 aims to increase the proportion of boxing coaches who are women, which will have an immediate impact in clubs throughout the IABA. It will also set these newly qualified coaches on the path to Level One: Club Coach and Level Two: Performance Coach education.

Today, IABA is opening expressions of interest for Fundamentals courses to women who are registered club members in Ulster, Munster, Connacht and Leinster. Women can express their interest in coaching qualifications here

“50:24 is a vital initiative to increase the number of women in boxing in sporting roles. There is a long tradition in our community of women in leadership roles as club, county or provincial secretaries, treasurers, chairs, and as competition officials. Women boxers, at all levels, have excelled in recent years, but the number of women in coaching roles remains low. We want to change that, and in so doing, encourage more women and girls in to boxing”

IABA National Secretary and Coach Education Committee member, Coach Tutor & 2 Star Coach, Antoinette Faye McClean

“50:24 coaching courses will be offered to women in all four provinces, ensuring that women in boxing clubs throughout the IABA have the opportunity to qualify as coaches. They may already do so as part of the existing IABA Coach Education pathway, but we wish to increase the number of opportunities to qualify to coach boxing available to women. The Expression of Interest is open now, and I would encourage women club members who would like to coach to engage with the process.”

IABA Women in Sport and Inclusion Officer, Sophie Doolan

In tandem, the IABA is also launching a drive to increase the number of judge and referee qualification opportunities for women. Officiating is a pathway, and judges must be qualified for one year before they may begin their training as referees. The IABA is facilitating women in beginning that journey, and in progressing forward.

“Without judges and referees, there is no competitive boxing – and this programme will increase the number of women officials at all levels – club, county, provincial unit and national. Its important for the individual women beginning or progressing their officiating careers, and for the diversity of the officiating community”

IABA National Registrar, and 3 Star Referee, Philip Rooney

Women can express their interest in judging qualifications here and express their interest in refereeing qualifications here

“I’m very proud of these unprecedented programmes, both of which are ambitious, and both of which will have an immediate positive impact on our coaching and officiating communities – and, most importantly, in clubs across the IABA.

President of the IABA, Gerry O’Mahony

To mark International Women’s Day, the Irish Athletic Boxing Association is formally unveiling its inaugural Women in Sport policy.

This Women in Sport policy is rooted in the IABA’s core values of trust, teamwork, inclusion, respect, excellence, integrity, and leadership. We commit to leveraging these core values in the implementation of all aspects of this policy.

Context

The IABA is home to 355 boxing clubs on the island of Ireland, with more than 18,000 members.

• Between 75% and 80% of our members are under the age of 18.
• 12% of all qualified IABA coaches are women
• 5% of coach tutors are women
• 17% of participants in our sport are female.
• 38% of all volunteers are women.
• 26% of all committee members from club level, upwards, are women.

This policy will seek to ensure that every woman or girl who wishes to participate, at any level, in boxing is facilitated and supported in so doing.

And, the policy includes ensures:

• The IABA continues & develops its practice of providing leadership training & upskilling to women in sports administration, coaching and officiating roles.
• The IABA will promote & platform the visibility of women and girls in boxing across its social media platforms in participating, competing, sports administration, coaching and officiating roles.
• The IABA will create and deliver specific programmes and campaigns designed to support and encourage the participation of women and girls in the sport of boxing. This will include programmes and campaigns which are participation focused, and programmes and campaigns which are focused on competing.
• The IABA will fund and deliver coach education for women at all levels of the Coach Education Pathway.
• The IABA fund and deliver officiating education & training for women at all levels of the officiation pathway.
• Staff and members of the IABA Board will undergo diversity and inclusion training, so that these principles may inform decision making.
• The IABA will conduct Women in Sport policy audits of the organisation and its membership annually to form a greater understanding of the boxing community and to signpost the evolution of WIS actions.

This WIS policy was adopted by the IABA’s Board of Directors at its meeting on March 2^nd, 2023.

As part of our International Women’s Day events, IABA is delighted to formally welcome Women in Sport & Inclusion Officer, Sophie Doolan.

Sophie has spent much of her life volunteering in sport, as a coach and as an elected official– she is Head Coach of the TU Dublin Tallaght Campus Men and Women’s Volleyball teams and the first woman coach of the TU Dublin Men’s Varsity Volleyball team. She understands huge investment of time each IABA coach and elected official makes to ensure boxers are given the best possible training and clubs are run to the highest standard.

Sophie has previously worked as Operations & Competitions Coordinator in Volleyball Ireland, where she gained tournament and project management experience, was a member of Sport Ireland’s Physical Activity for Health & Well-Being committee and founded TU Dublin’s  Women in Sport & Physical Activity Society

Sophie’s dual role is to support increasing the participation of women and girls in boxing, in competing, participating, coaching, officiating and administrative roles, and to help and support clubs in becoming even more inclusive than they already are.

Today, she will be launching IABA’s first Women in Sport policy, and a ground breaking campaign women’s coaching and officiating programme. Sophie can be contacted on all Women in Sport and Inclusion matters through sophie@iaba.ie

An 8 strong Youth team has been named to contest a four nation round-robin.

The competition, being hosted by the Italian Boxing Federation, includes the home nation, France, Hungary and Ireland. It takes place across St. Patrick’s Day, from March 16th to 20th.

Team Ireland

48kg: Carleigh Maria Irving (Oakleaf)

50kg: Katie O’Keeffe  (Kanturk)

52kg: Esther Lambe (Setanta)

54kg: Niamh Keogh (Olympic Mullingar)

57kg: Natalia Fasciszewska (Castlebar)

60kg: Ava Rose Henry Lyndon (Dublin Docklands)

66kg: Gabrielle Mongan (WhiteChurch)

70kg: Nell Mc Laughlin (Eagle BC)

Coaches

William Brereton (St. Brigid’s BC)

Aoife Hennigan ( Swinford BC)

24 new U22 champions have been crowned at the home of Irish boxing, the National Stadium, Dublin:

1. 48kg   Nicole Buckley (DCU/St Carthages)   RED WIN RSC1  Roisin Fox (Virginia)
2. 48kg   Paudraig Downey (St John Bosco A)   W/O
3. 50kg  Chantelle Robinson (Saviours Crystal) W/O
4. 51kg   Clepson dos Santos (Holy Trinity) RED WIN RSC2   Corey Kehoe (Raging Bull)
5. 52kg   Chloe Gabrielle (Mulhuddart)  5-0      Robyn Murrin (St Brigids L)
6. 54kg   Rachel Lawless (Portlaoise BC/Defence Forces) W/O
7. 54kg   Gavin Ryan (Ratoath)   5-0   Mark Pabilona (St Saviours OBA)
8. 57kg   Robyn Kelly (Ballynacargy)   RED WIN RSC1 Dionne Hanifin (Neilstown)
9. 57kg   Donagh Keary (Rathfriland)  3-2      Jake McMahon (Liberty)
10. 60kg   Josefin Betist (St Brigids L)  5-0      Eve Woods (DCU/Defense forces)
11. 60kg   Brian Gilroy (Fr Flanagans)  1-4      Rhys Owens (Erne)
12. 63kg   Winnie McDonagh (Neilstown)  W/O
13. 63.5kg James McDonagh (St Pauls Waterford) 5-0  Jamie Gray (St Monicas)
14. 66kg   Leanne Murphy (Togher) 1-4  Kaci Rock (Enniskerry)
15. 67kg   Cian Duggan (Cabra)   BLUE WIN RSC2  Gareth Dowling (Dublin Docklands)
16. 70kg   Evelyn Igharo (Clann Naofa)  4-1 Linda Desmond (Rylane)
17. 71kg   Jon McConnell (Holy Trinity  5-0      Darragh Gilroy (Fr Flanagans)
18. 75kg   Bethany Doocey (Castlebar)  5-0      Molly Rowley (Swinford)
19. 75kg   Sean Murray (Navan)  0-5      Gavin Rafferty (Dublin Docklands)
20. 80kg   Luke Walsh (Raging Bull) 0-4       James Whelan (Dublin Docklands)
21. 81kg   Dearbhla Tinnelly (Clann Naofa)  W/O
22. 86kg   Richard Cummins (Tipperary Town)   BLUE WIN RSC2   Kian Hedderman (O.L.O.L.)
23. 92kg   David Nevin (Holy Family L)  5-0  Charlie Ward (Monivea)
24. 92+kg Martin McDonagh (Crumlin) W/O