Vital role of volunteers hailed at Aviva awards

JIM AUGHNEY, the man responsible for founding and developing the Dublin Marathon and Race Series, was one of 11 volunteers honoured for their outstanding contribution to sports at a ceremony at the Aviva Stadium yesterday.

Just over 2,000 people signed up when Dick Hooper won the first event back in 1980 but it has since grown five-fold into the multinational event we know today, one which generates millions of euro per year for the local economy.

Another recipient and example of the inordinately influential role one person can play on the national sporting scene was Gerry Fleming, the head coach of Neilstown Boxing Club whose involvement with the club started some 31 years ago. Among the boxers to benefit from Fleming’s influence is Olympic silver medallist Kenny Egan who paid rich tribute to his former mentor.

“Gerry is not only my coach but a great friend,” said Egan. “He has pushed so hard in getting Neilstown its own boxing club. It has been over 20 years coming and is finally here thanks to the hard work of Gerry and his coaching staff.

“He has travelled the world supporting me which I am very grateful for and has helped me anyway he can. I hope one day at the end of my career, to take my place in the coaching staff at the club.”

Brian Craig from Dublin also received an award for the role he has played in the development of sailing in Ireland, specifically in Dún Laoghaire. The youngest recipient was 24-year old Doireann Ni Mhuirí from Cork, who has been involved in coaching at Blackrock Camogie Club since the age of 14.

The ‘National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sports’ are an initiative of the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport in conjunction with the Federation of Irish Sports, the body which represents some 68 sports in Ireland.

Sarah O’Connor, chief executive of the Federation of Irish Sports, said: “It is important that we are aware of the contributions made by so many people who freely offer time and expertise right around the country every week. This voluntary investment has been estimated to have an economic value equivalent of between €322m and €582m each year.

“Even more important however is the reality that without this voluntary investment in sport by so many, there simply would not be the same opportunities for the 1.7 million Irish people who actively participate in Irish sport, nor indeed would we have the many success stories that Irish sport continues to produce year on year.”

The Irish Sports Council published new research to coincide with the awards, the purpose of which was to provide insight into issues surrounding volunteering in sports and activity clubs in a child and youth context.

A total of 1,186 volunteers and 210volunteer administrators participated in the study which showed that the typical volunteer was a parent, aged between 35-54 years, working in a medium-sized club.

They commit one day per week to volunteering and remain in the role for between three to 10 years. Gender representation was balanced and, while volunteers have multiple roles, some stretch their skill set and act as a barrier to volunteer retention.

There are more than 400,000 people throughout the country who voluntarily dedicate their time every year through the involvement with sports clubs and organisations.

The one recommendation of this study is to invest in sport club development and the retention of their volunteer workforce.