PRESENTATION TO SPORTS DEVELOPMENT COACH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER NETWORK MEETING

1
By Diarmuid Cahill, Development Officer for the
Womens Network

• PRESENTATION TOSPORTS DEVELOPMENT / COACH
  DEVELOPMENT OFFICER NETWORK MEETING
• THURSDAY 10TH JUNE 2004,
• TEMPLETON HOTEL, TEMPLEPATRICK

2
Who we are
The Women's Network has been established as an
umbrella organisation representing a number of
field-based women's team sports. The founding
Governing Bodies of the network include

• Ulster Camogie Council
• Ulster Council for Ladies Gaelic Football
• Ulster Branch Irish Rugby Football Union
• NI Women's Football Association
• Ulster Women's Hockey Union.

3
Networks Aims
The Network aims to promote and facilitate the
overall development of opportunities for women to
take part in sport, recreation and physical
activity either as participants, coaches,
administrators or spectators to the level of
their choice. 
4
How will we achieve our Aims
The network shall achieve its aims through the
planned development, education and training of
women without distinction of age, ability,
disability, ethnic origins, marital status,
political opinion, religious belief, sexual
orientation, and socio-economic status. We
plan to work with all relevant organisations and
associated agencies with a common effort to help
ensure that the promotion of women in sport,
recreation and physical activity is achieved and
is acknowledged as central to the development of
opportunities for women and to the fulfilment of
individual potential.
5
Why the Need for such a Network
Theres considerable evidence to support the need
of an organisation like the Womens Network. For
example

• ONLY 3 of media sports coverage concerns women's
  sport
• ONLY 1 in 7 coaches across all sports are female
• There are NO female managers within the 3 biggest
  male dominated team sports - GAA, Soccer and
  Rugby
• Women's Rugby, Ladies Gaelic Football and Camogie
  have NO representatives or voting rights on the
  male parent bodies

6
Why the Need for such a Network

• MENS sport receives on average 1000 more
  commercial sponsorship than women's sports.
• Girls aged 7-11 are LESS than half as likely to
  take part in physical education and sport than
  boys (British Medical Journal 2001)
• Girls and young women NEED access to quality
  coaching and competitive opportunities if they
  are to fulfil their potential
• One in three girls aged 11 in the UK are
  overweight, and those between the ages of 16 and
  24 are twice as likely to be obese.

7
Structure
The Womens Network is a company by limited
guarantee with five directors one from each of
the five sports The Networks Committee consists
of the five directors, the relevant sports
development officers within each sport, along
with other interested people from within each
sport. The Network appointed a Development
Officer in May 2003 with the support of the
Sports Council for NI Lottery Fund through the
Starting Well Programme
8
What have we been up too
Over the last year the Network has been involved
with many projects and developments. These are a
few of them
Golden Cow Youth Games The Networks sat on the
project board of the Golden Cow Youth Games, as
the Governing Body representative since December
2003.
9
What have we been up too
Research The Womens Network has had a number
of meetings with representatives from University
of Ulster and Stranmillis College in relation to
Sports Studies Students carrying out research
into areas which effect female sport At present
students may be carrying out such research but it
is not readily available or being used by
sporting organisations. We hope that students
will be able to carry out specific research on
areas of interest to the Womens Network such as
the amount of media coverage in our national
press, Reasons for fall out in female sport at a
certain age level, etc.
10
What have we been up too
Womens Sports Conference A Level Playing
Field The Womens Network in conjunction with
Armagh Sport Forum organised a Women in Sport
Conference A Level Playing Field in February.
In total over 170 delegates attended the
conference which was supported by the Sports
Council for Northern Irelands Investing in
Sport programme.
11
What have we been up too
Media Training Courses The Network organised two
media training courses Making An Impact Through
The Media - What Are The Tricks Of The Trade?
This was one of the main areas in which
governing bodies had highlighted as a main
problem within their sports and female sport in
General. The people who attended were either
involved as PROs of a club and/or of a County /
Regional Board.
12
What have we been up too
Sports Injury and First Aid Training The Network
held seven first aid courses throughout Northern
Ireland between December 2003 and March 2004.
13
What have we been up too
Coaching Tutor 19 Development Course Through the
Networks Skilling Bid the Womens Network through
NCTC based in County Limerick has trained up two
Sports Coaching tutors Joy Sparkes (Womens
Rugby) and Lucy Fagan (Womens Soccer). Ladies
Gaelic FUNdamentals Coaching Courses Through
the Networks Skilling 03/04 application we have
been able too in association with Ladies Gaelic
Football Association to host another a number of
FUNdamentals coaching course
14
What have we been up too
Girls Wanna Play Too Schools Art
Competition Network organised a schools art
competition to help highlight women's sports as
part of the Year of Education through Sport. In
total their was well over 1000 entry's with Amy
Mulvenna, from St MacNissis College, Carnlough
winning the top prize of over 1000 for her
school in total 4000 worth of prizes were
presented to 18 individuals and schools.
15
Networks Objectives

• To increase the number of active femalecoaches
  in NI
• To increase the number of females involved in all
  sporting activities in NI
• To increase the level of promotion and media
  profile of all womens sport in NI
• Increase the resources available for female sport

16
What Next

• Coaching Courses
• Ladies Gaelic Foundation Coaching Course
• Womens Rugby Foundation Coaching Course
• Camogie Foundation Coaching Course
• Womens Football Coaching Course
• Womens Hockey Coaching Course
• Coach Resource Skilling Pack for Ladies
  Gaelic Coaches
• Inter-sport Coaching Youth Coaching
• Negotiation and Diffusion Course
• Analyzing Your Coaching / Analysis and Video

17
What Next
Other Areas we plan to work on

• Working with the five Governing bodies to look
  at areas such as insurance, promotion,
  facilities, relationships with the male governing
  body, participation levels and structures of
  their organisation
• Developing better relationships with media
• DatabaseCompile a database of people
  involved/interested in the five sports involved
  within the Womens Network
• ResourcesDevelopment of a Club Development and
  Planning Programme Resource Pack for
  Clubs/governing bodies

18
Questions And Answers
www.womens-sport.com