Allstars representatives attend IFA conference

Ballymena United Allstars club officials Nicky Stevenson and Vicky Carleton who attended the IFA Womens Football Club Development Conference.

Funded through the UEFA Women’s Football Development Programme the conference was delivered as part of the ‘IFA Reach for our goals’ initiative and was specifically targeted at girls’ and women’s football clubs.

Some 26 girls’ and women’s football clubs attended the event which was split into separate workshops for club administrators and coaching staff.

Stephen Garrett (IFA Volunteer Development and Policy Officer) and Diarmuid O’Carroll (IFA Club and Community Development Officer) facilitated sessions with club administrators in the areas of Volunteer Development and Club Development. Specifically, Stephen spoke about the recruitment and retention of volunteers and the need to implement processes to ensure their long term involvement in the game.

Diarmuid outlined the seven key areas of community focused clubs and highlighted the crucial components to consider when applying for funding including the necessity of a club development plan.