Foyle Ladies attend IFA 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.

An impressive 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.

O’Carroll 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.

The Crusaders striker concluded his session by presenting Mid Ulster Ladies with their equipment pack to acknowledge completion of the IFA Club Excellence Mark.

The Cookstown based team are the first women’s football club in Northern Ireland to achieve a 1 star award and are on course to complete the next stage.

Running concurrently with the club administration sessions, Jonathan Michael (IFA Primary School Coaches Manager) and Keith Gibson (IFA Football Development Manager) facilitated master classes to club coaches on futsal and small-sided games.

For further information please contact Sara Booth at [email protected].