Latest News May 08
IFA FOOTBALL FOR ALL 2008 AWARDS NIGHT
With support from The Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs, The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council, Sport NI, UEFA, The Special EU Programmes Body, Belfast City Council, Daily Mirror, Young Enterprise Northern Ireland and Podium 4 Sport, the Irish Football Association’s Football For All Community Relations Department invite you to join IFA Football For All Ambassador Colin Murray and Northern Ireland Football Manager Nigel Worthington at the:
IFA’s Football For All Awards Night 2008!
When? Saturday 21st June 2008 from 8pm til late!
(Registration from 7.30pm, Awards Ceremony/meal 8pm-10pm and Disco from 10pm to 1am)
Where? The Ballroom, Ramada Hotel, Shaws Bridge, Belfast
Why? To recognise, celebrate and reward Volunteers/Key Change Drivers, Exceptional Young People and Fans who have used the sport of football in Northern Ireland to break down barriers to inclusion!
Whats the cost? There are a limited number of free seats forCommunity Groups, Fans and Volunteers. If an organisation or company would like to secure a table for ten people in the VIP section at the event in support of the Football For All campaign it will cost £400 (this will include the awards ceremony, a meal and disco).
If you are interested in attending this event or booking a table in the VIP section please email Angela McKibbin at the Irish Football Association at amckibbin@irishfa.com by no later than 4pm on Friday 6th June 2008. Spaces are limited, so please act swiftly!
BASE STUDENTS ENJOY OVAL AND WINDSOR PARK EXPERIENCE
THE BASE (Business and Sporting Enterprise) project is well underway at present and has pupils from Ashfield Boys, Boys Model, Glengormley High, Monkstown High and Edmund Rice Schools.
The participants are currently undertaking their Official IFA Level One Coaching Certificates and have enjoyed practical and classroom based activities at The Oval and at Windsor Park.
Darren Nixon Project Coordinator for Young Enterprise praised the young people for their enthusiasm and commented how valuable the link between the IFA and Young Enterprise has proven to be.
"These young people have thoroughly enjoyed the activities of the Level One course and they are all going to be great coaches by the time they finish. The partnership between Young Enterprise and the Irish FA has resulted in a truly innovative project and has provided fabulous opportunities for the participants to undergo useful courses that will give them a great range of transferable skills when they enter the job market in the future".
Colleen Macauley, IFA Community Relations Officer also praised the project as providing a suitable platform for young people to understand the need for Good Relations within Sport and Business. She commented, "The BASE project uses sport as a medium to facilitate dialogue around issues of diversity and prejudice and it is an area where the young people can easily recognise the benefits of Interculturalism and equality of opportunity.
"It is especially great that the students will also undertake the Coaching Disabled Players Certificate and increase the numbers of those who can deliver quality coaching in this particularly important area of football".
The BASE project will continue for the next two months and will encourage students to recognise Sporting Clubs as businesses and understand the value of their community involvement.
For further information please contact Colleen Macauley at cmacauley@irishfa.com
IFA SUPPORTS ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE
THE IFA's Head of Community Relations Michael Boyd and Community Relations Officer Colleen Macauley supported a high profile Anti-Racism Conference held by the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities in Belfast on Thursday and Friday.
Michael explained why the IFA is keen to endorse the anti-racism message: "Racism is a serious problem in society and as the governing body for the sport of football in Northern Ireland we have a responsibility to help tackle this problem. We are currently the only sporting body in Northern Ireland represented on the Black and Minority Ethnic Network.
"In 2007 we helped set up the new UK and Ireland wide football specific anti-racism Football Without Frontiers Network to help share good practice tackling issues of discrimination through football. Through our World United football programme we have been actively out in the community encouraging greater understanding and participation of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the sport of football over the last six years," said Michael.
IFA SUPPORT KYLE'S MINI WORLD CUP AT MOYOLA
IFA Head of Community Relations, Michael Boyd, was invited as a Special Guest to Moyola Park Football Club on Saturday 10th May for a very special Under 13 Mini World Cup organised by 12yr old Kyle Bradley, a Moyola Park Youth Player.
Michael said, "Kyle is an exceptional person who deserves a lot of praise for organising this fantastic event. The Mini World Cup was a great way of bringing the community together and the atmosphere at the event was very much family orientated. Kyle organised this Mini World Cup to get out the message that there is no place for sectarianism, racism or bullying in the sport of football and over ten teams from the surrounding area supported the event.
Moyola Park Football Club is very much a community focused Club and the Volunteers who helped Kyle organise Saturday's highly successful event are a credit to football in Northern Ireland".
Kyle's event was supported by UnLimited's Sport Relief Awards. If you are a young person with a creative way of using sport to tackle racism or sectarianism please check out UnLimited's website - www.unltd.org.uk.
Cookstown FC (playing as Northern Ireland!) won the Mini World Cup beating Limavady FC two goals to nil in the final.
Michael, a European A Licence Coach, selected Cookstown Striker, Nicky Hutson as Player of the Tournament. Every Player that participated received a certificate and goodies bag.
For further information contact Michael Boyd on 07894614328.
