Sport Ireland (SI) invests in High Performance sports through the annual athlete carding scheme. Collectively as a joint programme SI and Athletics Ireland will manage and administer the 2026 senior athlete carding scheme.
Additionally, Athletics Ireland provides support from its own resources for u23 & Senior athletes who do not meet the criteria for individual SI carding (International, Podium, World Class) to athletes that are, or are likely to be, selected and make an impact at targeted international championships via Development and Discretionary categories of carding.
For U20 & U18 athletes, support is through the Performance pathway Programme.
Aims and objectives
Athletics Ireland’s Performance Pathway Programme aims to support the identification and development of athletes (ages 16-20) who have the potential to progress into successful senior athletes. The programme offers support to the athletes, their personal coaches and their parents.
The objectives of the pathway are:
To work with young athletes & their Personal Coaches to help them to progress and develop in order to achieve success on the senior international stage.
To provide performance support to complement their existing training & support services set-up
To support Coaches of young athletes
To help provide guidance to Parents of young athletes
To work with athlete’s existing support networks to ensure a holistic approach to their development
To increase the number of talented athletes medalling at youth, junior and senior internationals.
The Performance Pathway programme will complement the work being done by the respective National Event Co-ordinators and work with them to encourage athletes and coaches to develop their technical abilities. Both the Pathway Performance programme and the National Event Co-ordinators provide Mentoring and upskilling opportunities for the Coaches, and help them to develop their own Performance environment.
The Performance Pathway Programme aims to:
Support athletes’ long-term development and progression towards senior international performance.
Provide structured education, training, and competition opportunities aligned with world-class athlete development principles.
Foster a strong performance culture among Ireland’s next generation of elite athletes
Encourage athletes to attend and develop physically & mentally through a series of workshops and testing and information sessions.
The needs of the athlete at this stage of development are broader, requiring inputs such as ;
technical and sports science support
coaching and coach support
personal support
medical and physio support
third level transitioning support
career advice and professional development
A key strategic goal of Athletics Ireland’s High Performance Programme is to provide a world‐class approach to identify and develop talented athletes capable of winning at the highest level in their event discipline. The Performance Pathway Programme was developed and has evolved to select talented athletes and support this strategy to deliver on Athletics Ireland’s high performance goals and vision.
