In this new Written series, Athletics Ireland wILL highlight clubs from across Ireland that are doing extraordinary things in their communities and for performance.

ferrybank athletics club, home of recently elected athletics ireland president brÍd golden, has been a stalwart of the sport since 1980. the success of the club continues today with its bright and vibrant contributions to the waterford community.

Ferrybank AC has achieved a lot in the 45 years since it was founded, with two Olympians hailing not just from the club but the same family, and multiple Irish vests claimed by its members.

The Waterford-based club has broken the mould of the Irish tradition of distance running, and boasts an impressive list of internationals who have donned the national vest in hurdles, sprints, field, and multi events.

Something club secretary Yvonne Nölke says is an intentional decision.

“It is starting them young. It really is about having the ability to offer multi-eventing to the kids and not deciding, like some clubs to really just be a distance club,” Nölke told Athletics Ireland. 

The club secretary credits Athletics Ireland’s newly elected president Bríd Golden, with ingraining a multi-event approach into their coaching systems.

Golden was an accomplished athlete herself, holding the national heptathlon record from 1990 until it was broken by Sharon Foley in 1997.

She also coached Kelly Proper, who brought the heptathlon national record back to Ferrybank in 2013.

Golden and Proper are synonymous with the club, but you can’t see the green and white Ferrybank vest without thinking of its most prolific member in recent years, Thomas Barr.

Barr is a perfect example of why the Ferrybank multi-event approach works. Barr dabbled in high jump and, by his own admission, wasn’t a spectacular youth athlete but certainly showed promise.

It’s easy to see for the likes of Barr, or Proper that without the start at Ferrybank, they may not have achieved what they did.

If they had ended up in a “distance club” and not learnt the skill of hurdling from Golden, which Nölke explains they track, it could well be a different story.

“We make sure that the coaches with the younger groups are preparing the kids because little things you pick up on sometimes, we find their hurdling isn’t good at all.

“So then we have to look back at the younger age group and say, ‘we need to be working more on their three striding’ and maybe do a little bit of training courses for the coaches.”

There is a lot for the Waterford club to be excited about, with youngsters coming through to fill the void Barr has left.

They recently hosted their Ferrybank Open event, which was well attended and the next focus for the younger athletes is the Irish schools on 30 and 31 May.

“We probably had nearly a thousand athletes that came and competed… all the athletes are training really hard for the schools at the minute.”

The club secretary explains they have a few that could make European underage championships this year, but is keen to emphasise that it isn’t viewed as important, and especially by Golden who values all the athletes she coaches.

“They maybe are trying to get qualifying standards for European competitions… I won’t go quoting any athletes, I won’t put anybody under pressure.

“It’s not just the top athletes that she thinks are going to be special… she’s spotting a new kid who’s come along, she sees something in everyone and she’s delighted that they do well at the counties.”

The club was an early adopter of the Athletics Ireland initiative to introduce women in sport officers to committees and since then have demonstrated commitment to the scheme.

Hosting menstrual health workshops with past member Orna Murray, and even having a detailed section of the website with resources aimed at girls and women, which Nölke says is very different from her own experience.

“I was an athlete a long time ago and stuff like that wasn’t talked about. Young girls just got on with it and stayed quiet.

“People like Orna are just, just amazing. You could just listen to her for hours…. The world is improving.”

Nolke shares that the club had previously experienced challenges in finding enough coaches, but they currently have a large group regularly giving their time.

“We were always struggling, you know, a little bit stressed at training. But I don’t know, all of a sudden we just have a really great group of consistent coaches.

“We have some ex-athletes, Olly O’Brien would have been a top thrower. They would have made European teams. They’ve come back now as a coach.”

It’s not just O’Brien who you can see at the track, Proper has also returned, but now with her children.

“Kelly Proper is standing on the sidelines with her children.”

There is a busy summer planned where they will host a primary school athletics event and summer camp, among all the usual events on the calendar, but before the summer season really kicks off, the club is hosting a celebration for Golden this weekend.

Nölke explains it was difficult to pin Golden down due to all her commitments as a headteacher, coach and now president.

“We’re going to have a nice night out for her this weekend that she can fit in, we’ll do that on Sunday.

“She’s got a school communion and you know all the things she has to do, so this was just one night that we could tie her down to come out with everyone.”

Check out the Ferrybank AC website HERE- Home – Ferrybank AC.