Sport Ireland Coaching Girls Workshop Roll Out Commences

In support of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Policy and following on from the release of the Sport Ireland Girls Get Active Report, Sport Ireland Coaching has worked with a selection of National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships to roll out practical workshops designed specifically to support coaches of girls aged 12-17 years of age.

Developed by Sport Ireland Coaching in conjunction with the Federation of Irish Sport, the School of Health & Human Performance Dublin City University and Lifes2Good Foundation, the multisport workshops enable coaches to create a positive experience of sport and physical activity for girls in their formative years and provide an environment where girls and young women can develop holistically.

Following a number of pilot workshops with coaches and coach developers earlier in the year, the workshops will now be rolled out nationwide. Currently 55 workshops are scheduled to take place over the next two months, supporting over 1000 coaches across a number of different sports.

Director of Sport Ireland Coaching, Michael McGeehan welcomes the commencement of the workshops, commenting:  “The objectives and actions in Sport Ireland’s Policy for Women in Sport outlines a focus for Sport Ireland to reduce the drop-out from physical activity and sport in young girls and to establish supports which better assists coaches in supporting young girls who are at risk of drop-out. We believe these workshops can do just that. Empowering coaches to create a positive environment that encourages safety, fun, and healthy competition is a key part of our work in Sport Ireland Coaching. We are very proud of these workshops and are delighted to see the uptake of NGBs, LSPs and coaches to attend. Sports coaches play a key role in a young girl’s development. These workshops will help coaches to foster a positive and athlete-centred coaching framework, to support the development of the autonomy, capabilities, and sense of belonging that underpin lifelong engagement in sport and physical activity”.

Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead, Nora Stapleton added, “The creation of these workshops is a direct response to the research that shows higher dropout rates from sports for girls. The workshops show coaches how to create a positive environment that encourages safety, fun, and healthy competition. All things which we know young girls value in sport. By supporting and enhancing the knowledge of coaches we will in turn, promote the health and wellbeing of young female athletes and enhance their experience in their respective sport and hopefully retain them in sport throughout their lifetime”

The workshops are delivered by Local Sports Partnerships and National Governing Bodies of Sport. The Camogie Association of Ireland has seen a huge demand for the workshops with over 150 clubs and counties seeking to sign up their coaches.  

Niall Williams, Coach Education and Development Coordinator with the Camogie Association commented, “The Camogie Association are delighted to collaborate with Sport Ireland Coaching in the roll out and delivery of the Coaching Teenage Girls Workshop.  The importance of keeping girls in camogie, the importance of coaches understanding their role and the influence they have and how they can play a pivotal role in keeping girls engaged is vital to the future of our game. It is brilliant to have a workshop that has been designed through best practice, that sports can use for their coaches of teenage girls to upskill, educate, and support them in their coaching role. The response to from clubs and counties looking to host the workshop has been huge and we are looking forward to the national roll out.”

Any coach interested in attending a Coaching Girls Workshop should contact their Local Sports Partnership https://www.sportireland.ie/participation/lsp-contact-finder or their National Governing Body to find out about upcoming workshops.