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Athletics Ireland – News – 31 New National Irish Records Makes for Good Year for Irish Athletics
31 new National Irish records were set in 2013 along with 12 medals gained at Major championships which made 2013 a very positive year for Irish athletics on the track.
Off track, there were many positive developments including the introduction of the 2016 High Performance Plan and many coaching initiatives aimed at building Athletics Ireland’s capacity for future success and winning more medals on the world stage
The highlight performance was undoubtedly Rob Heffernan’s Gold winning performance at the World Championship in the 50km walk in Moscow.
Off the track the Athletics Ireland membership has increased to 49,500 up 17% on 2012 with 14 new clubs formed; making it one of Ireland’s fastest growing sports. The membership stood at just over 20,000 in 2007.
New product development by Athletics Ireland such as Little Athletics, Fit4life and Fit4Youth programmes have contributed to the growth in the association.
The membership of Galway City Harriers, Athletics Ireland’s biggest club is an impressive 1,091 followed closely by Kilkenny City Harriers with 995 members.
In addition to the launch of Athletics Ireland’s High Performance Plan, a number of significant coaching developments were also achieved:
• Appointment of its first full time coach Chris Jones, as National Endurance Coach.
• 30 coaches commenced the Performance Coaching Level 3/IAAF Level IV course which will be completed in 2014.
• 60 Coaches completed the Level Two Coaching Course where the focus begins to move to event specialisation.
• Over 1,200 coaches partook in Athletics Leader, Assistant Coach and Level One coaching education programmes which focus on the early stages of Long Term Athlete Development.
• In addition there were 41 National Event Development days and Regional Squads held to facilitate event specific coaching for development athletes.
Creating a safe environment for all to enjoy the sport continues to be of utmost importance to the Association with over 44 Code of Ethics and Child Welfare courses (Irish Sports Council Approved) held nationwide throughout the year.
Athletics Ireland ran over 27 competitions throughout the year including the European Team Championships in June which saw 700 athletes from 12 countries compete for honours in Morton Stadium, Santry.
John Foley CEO of Athletics Ireland said “2013 has been a good year for Athletics and the Association both at a performance and club level. Both the staff and volunteers can be proud of what has been achieved.
He added “We now need to look to 2014 to build on those achievements and to look for continuous improvements in our sport”
Athletics Ireland – News
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