Women in Sport Female Coaches Networking Day

Athletics Ireland, Cycling Ireland, Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA), Rowing Ireland and Triathlon Ireland have once again collaborated to bring an exciting and innovative event to the female coaches within their respective sports. 

The Women in Sport Female Coaches Networking Day will take place on Sunday 6th November at Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley, Dublin from 10am – 3pm. This event has come about from overwhelming feedback from coaches who have gone through the Women in Sport Coaching Pathway Programme over the last two years, another initiative the five National Governing Bodies collaborate on. The coaches have spoken about the need for more networking events and the benefit they get from meeting up and learning from one another.

Lisa Fallon has been confirmed as they keynote speaker. Lisa is currently working at the highest level of World Football in FIFA's High Performance Division in their Global Football Development Division, Fallon was Ireland's first ever female Head Coach of a men's professional football club when appointed by Galway United in 2021. In 2013 she became Ireland's first ever female manager of a men's football team. She also serves on the Board of Paralympics Ireland, is Chair of their High Performance Committee & is on the Olympic Federation of Ireland's Gender Equality Commission.

Dr Phil Kearney, Lecturer in Motor Skill Acquisition, Coaching and Performance at University of Limerick will be on hand to deliver an education session on “Layering 4Cs into your coaching for optimal athlete development”

Phil Kearney had this to say; “The female coaching networking day is a fantastic initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing coaches from Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Rowing and Triathlon coming together to share their experiences, learn from each other and build the connections that can help them achieve their coaching goals”

As well as getting to hear from Lisa and Phil, there will be ample opportunities for coaches to network throughout the day.

This event would not be possible without funding from the Women in Sport programme at Sport Ireland. Nora Stapleton, Women in Sport Lead at Sport Ireland had the following to say; 

“Through its Women in Sport Programme, Sport Ireland’s aim is to increase the number of female coaches from grassroots to high-performance. Recognising the importance of networking and peer support, it is fantastic to see each of the five sports come together for this Women in Sport Coaching Networking Day. Learning from coaches within your sport is beneficial but learning from those in other sports provides even more opportunity for upskilling and education. I want to congratulate each of the sports, and in particular their Women in Sport Leads, Elaine Cahill, Cycling Ireland, Louise McKenzie, IABA, Lilly-Ann O’Hora, Athletics Ireland, Anna Grealish, Triathlon Ireland and Ceara O’Connor, Rowing Ireland. It is because of their drive and passion, that programmes and events such as these take place. Through the supports provided by the sports, additional opportunities for coaches to upskill, learn and receive dedicated mentoring on their coaching journey, we hope to continue to progress females on the coaching pathway. “

Speaking at the official launch, Gerard O Donnell, Coach Education Manager had the following to say:

“Athletics Ireland are delighted to be involved with the Women in Sport Network Day, there has been major work being done in the Women in Sport space and with the help of Lilly-Ann, our Women in Sport Manager. We can see all of that reflected on the ground, in our clubs and regions, particularly those signing up to our higher-level courses, we have for the first time hit a 50:50 split in terms of representation at our most recent Level 2 course. This has never been seen before! It is great to see the amount of work going on, and we are delighted to be involved in the next step at the Women in Sport Network Day.”

Coaches from the respective sports are asked to sign up for this event via the following link https://eventmaster.ie/event/n8QPuplH0v