Director of Athlete Services Appointed at Irish Institute of Sport

For Immediate Release      May 15, 2007

Director of Athlete Services Appointed at Irish Institute of Sport

Sean Kelly, Executive Chairman of the Irish Institute of Sport, announced today (May 15, 2007) that Phil Moore has been appointed Director of Athlete Services at the Institute.

Phil Moore, one of four senior appointments to be made at the Irish Institute of Sport, will be responsible for delivering lifestyle support services to the elite Irish athletes supported by the Institute.  Successful athletes balance high commitment to training with education and career development in addition to family life. The concept of Athlete Services is to help develop the skills to do this effectively and to put systems and networks in place to allow our athletes to achieve their potential.
 
He will put in place a programme that will deal directly with issues arising for Ireland’s current crop of elite sports people. In addition he will work with governing bodies of sport, employers and educational institutions to develop a flexible support culture that accommodates the particular needs of elite athletes.
 
Commenting on the appointment Sean Kelly stated: “We appreciate that we have a particular duty of care to young people who come under the auspices of the Institute. Our international representatives make lifestyle choices that allow them compete for Ireland but also can have an impact on their personal, educational and career development. Representing Ireland is about fulfilling talent and not losing other opportunities. This applies across the sporting spectrum and Phil will work with all sports, including the FAI, GAA and IRFU, to ensure consistency of approach to athlete support in all agencies”.

Phil Moore (45) is one of Britain’s leading practitioners in the area of elite athlete support. With a distinguished career as a player, coach and academic, Phil has wide experience as a consultant within the Irish and British high performance systems, for example as the Psychologist and Science and Medicine Manager for Great Britain Hockey through the last two Olympic cycles. In recent years he has worked in senior positions with Irish hockey.

Short profile of Phil Moore

Phil Moore is an accredited sport psychologist (BASES, British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences) with 20 years experience working in a range of sports up to and including World and Olympic level. Phil has competed at international level as a lacrosse player and coach having been capped 46 times for Scotland, including as captain at two World Championships. He has served as head coach for both men’s and women’s teams. As a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University he has developed and delivered a distance learning sport science degree programme for professional sport performers from soccer, rugby union, rugby league and cricket, all in collaboration with the professional players associations and the governing bodies.

Note on the Irish Institute of Sport
 
The Irish Institute of Sport was established with its primary aim to provide services and supports to elite athletes. Launched by An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern T.D. in 2006 the Institute will identify Ireland’s top athletes and build individualised and intensive programmes of support around them.

The Institute, led by Executive Chairman, Sean Kelly, has begun the process of delivering individualised programmes for top athletes, including Joanne Cuddihy, David Gillick, (Athletics), Derek Burnett (Shooting), Eoin Rheinisch (Canoe Slalom) and the high performance boxing and rowing squads. Specifically this is achieved through the specialist delivery areas of sports science, medicine, coaching and lifestyle support.

2007 investment in high performance by the Irish Sports Council was announced in February. The process of appointing key personnel to the Institute is well advanced, with the appointment of Professor Greg Whyte as Director of Sports Science, Dr Phil Moore as Director of Athlete Services and the imminent announcement of the Director of Sport Medicine.

Draft legislation has been prepared which will give the Irish Sports Council the necessary powers to establish subsidiary bodies. When this legislation has been enacted the Council will formally establish both the Irish Institute of Sport and Coaching Ireland as wholly owned subsidiaries. In addition plans are advanced for the opening of Institute office premises in the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown. 
Ends

For further information contact;
Paul McDermott, Irish Sports Council  pmcdermott@irishsportscouncil.ie       

01-8608802; 087-6486295
Sinead McElroy, Irish Sports Council smcelroy@irishsportscouncil.ie  
01-8608804; 0876338512