The Pathway Development Lead and Pathway Strategy will bring High Performance and Boxing Ireland clubs closer together.
So says High Performance Director, Jon Mackey.
Daithi McCabe took up the Pathway Development Lead post this week. He is a former competitive boxer, and co-founder of Esker BC, Dublin. Daithi joins Boxing Ireland with over a decade of experience working within academy settings across sport, from sub-academy to elite academy spaces in Ireland and Australia.
This role is the first of its kind in Boxing Ireland and will ensure that youth and development athletes (U17, U19, U23) are supported with appropriate programmes, resources, and opportunities to transition successfully into senior elite boxing and the High Performance Unit (HPU).
The Pathway Development Lead will also enhance support for athletes beyond performance alone, with an emphasis on education, scholarships, and personal development, ensuring a holistic pathway experience.
Jon says the primary aim of the work of the PDL, and the goal of the forthcoming Pathway Strategy, provides a “shared understanding and a shared strategy about what we’re doing about bringing kids through the sport in to the senior ranks’
Jon adds “Like other sports, there is always a serious drop-off in participation around U19s and U23s – kids go to college, they get in to relationships, work, etc. Life pulls them in all different directions. The fundamental role of the Pathway Development Lead is to ensure there enough supports in the system is to try to styme that drop-off. To keep them engaged for as long as possible, to keep them participating for as long as possible.