IABA is launching the Strategic Plan 2024-2028, In Your Corner, today, as Irish Boxing prepares to celebrate its Olympic centenary.
Development of this strategy was driven by members and included an online member consultation, in October-November 2023 and 7 in-person member consultation workshops at locations throughout the Association, between November and February. Consultations also took place with key stakeholders, such as SportNI, Sport Ireland, and the Olympic Federation of Ireland.
- IABA’s Strategic Plan, In Your Corner, encompasses the period up to LA 2028, and key elements are:
- Provision for the reform of the Association’s internal architecture
- A High Performance Youth and Juniors Pathway, from grassroots to the top of the Olympic podium
- Ambitious targets for member, club and coach growth
- Redevelopment of the home of Irish Boxing, the National Stadium
- Identifying and actioning funding streams, to better support the development of our sport.
- Working to ensure Irish Boxing has visibility in the media outside the Olympic cycle
In Your Corner is Irish Boxing’s most ambitious strategic plan to date, a plan in which we safeguard our heritage, and shape our legacy – not only as Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, but as the heart of the communities in which our clubs are rooted.
This plan is published as IABA approaches the 100th anniversary of Irish Boxing’s participation in the Olympic Games, having qualified a team of 10 – the largest since Rome 1960. Our sport remains Ireland’s most successful Olympic Sport, winning 18 of Ireland’s 35 medals. Half of Irish Boxing’s Olympic medals have been won in an extraordinary 20-year period of international success. Our ability to contest and achieve on the international stage, relative to the size of our Association, is virtually unmatched. This talent must be supported and protected at every level through our High Performance Programme. In Your Corner includes a High Performance Youth & Junior Pathway process, and Coaching and R&J skill-building to ensure we can build, even further, on the international stage.
Chair of IABA’s Board of Directors, Niall O’Carroll, says” As our community evolves, the Association must further develop to meet the changing needs of the Irish Boxing Family. This includes streamlining structure, creating more and better skill building opportunities for members in every kind of role in our community – from boxer, to youth and club leadership, regional and national leadership. We must invest in our community to ensure it meets the needs members have shared with us, but also allows us to open the doors of our sport to wider society and grow the number of clubs, boxers – competitive and non-competitive, coaches, R&Js and boxing administrators.”
Niall O’Carroll adds “We have many challenges to face at home and internationally. Our Association cannot continue to rely solely on our funders to finance our future development. Revenue streams must be identified and secured for investment in our sport, our visibility in the media should no longer be tied only to our remarkable Olympic success, and we must invest in technologies to better serve our community. We must also decide where our future, internationally, lies. That decision is within the sole gift of our members.”
Interim CEO John Nangle says “Our Association would not exist without the thousands of people who give, relentlessly, of their time to their clubs, their boxers, and to local, regional and national competition. This strategy was created by the Boxing Community for the Boxing Community, and their support of it ensure a bright and certain future for our sport.”
John adds “Key elements of this strategy include be a needs analysis of clubs, the recruitment of staff in membership services management roles, and the implementation of a CRM that will best serve the needs of our members. We’ll also be seeking an academic partner to conduct long over-due research in to the profound benefits boxing clubs have within their communities. This is an exciting time.”
The creation of this far-reaching four-year plan was a highly collaborative process in which all members of the Boxing Community could engage in a range of in-person, remote and online settings. Each member of the Boxing Community who participated in this partnership process brought with them an intimate knowledge of our sport and invaluable sign-posting of our path forward, together.
Notes
Development of this strategy, over a period of 6 months included:
- Establishment of a Steering Group, comprised of members, staff and Board of Directors representatives.
- An online member consultation
- 6 in-person member consultation workshops at locations throughout the Association
- Consultation workshops with staff, funders and external stakeholders.
In Your Corner was developed with the facilitation of Maeve Buckley of Leading Sport
About IABA
Formed in 1911, the Irish Athletic Boxing Association is the governing body for boxing on the island of Ireland. IABA is home to more than 350 clubs and 17,000 members. Over 80% of our membership is under the age of 18. The IABA operates from the National Stadium in Dublin, the only purpose-built amateur boxing stadium in the world.