Boxing Ireland today appeared before the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport to share our progress on governance, organizational restructuring, our corporate and sporting policies.
Our organisation last appeared before the JOC in November of 2021 and since then Boxing Ireland has expanded to 370 clubs, secured our Olympic future, made significant governance and commericial progress. We’ve re-branded and are restructuring our Development Department to better support clubs.
Boxing Ireland was today represented by President, Anto Donnelly, CEO Gary Stewart and Chief Operations Officer, Clare McCauley. You can watch the complete 90 minute appearance here.
The appearance also included Ciarán Shanley, Principal Officer Sports Policy, Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Colin Layde, Assistant Principal Officer Sport Policy Unit, Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, CEO of Sport Ireland Dr. Úna May, CEO, Sport Ireland and Sport Ireland Director of for High Performance and National Governing Bodies, Paul McDermott.
Boxing Ireland’s Opening Statement was delivered by President, Anto Donnelly:
“Cathaoirleach and members of the Committee – thank you for the invitation to appear before you today, to demonstrate the progress Boxing Ireland has made building an organisation better equipped to serve our clubs, athletes, and communities across the island, and to up-date you on the progress we’ve made related to our corporate governance.
Our success in the ring is admired around the world.
Boxing continues to deliver performances that inspire national pride and showcase the resilience, skill and determination that are synonymous with Irish sport.
We are proud that our athletes have inspired generations of children to participate in sport.
We are proud to be the nation’s most successful Olympic sport.
We are proud that one of the most high-profile sporting events in Ireland this year will feature Irish boxing’s first female Olympic gold medalist.
However, our greatest achievement extends beyond medals.
Every evening thousands of volunteers across 370 boxing clubs, often in the most disadvantaged areas of our society, provide safe, inclusive and welcoming environments where children and young people develop confidence, discipline, resilience, physical fitness, and respect.
In today’s world, these foundational values are vital.
Few organisations reflect the diversity of society in the way boxing does.
Within our clubs, people from all backgrounds train and compete side by side.
In an increasingly diverse Ireland, our clubs quietly demonstrate the power of inclusion, mutual respect and shared purpose.
Communities are better with boxing clubs.
Sustainable sporting success must be underpinned by strong governance, modern systems and a culture of continuous improvement.
We recognise that public trust is earned.
Good governance is about advancing an organisation which our members, funders and society trust to make fair decisions, protect its athletes, support its clubs and steward public funding responsibly.
That understanding has shaped our work over recent years, as we’ve undertaken a significant programme of organisational transformation.
We are proud of the progress we have made.
We know we have more to do.
We have mapped the governance road ahead.
Across the organisation, we have invested considerable effort in modernising our corporate governance arrangements, including the development of a range of new policies, the imminent achievement of governance code compliance, and the conclusion of the MacNiece Report recommendations.
Across our High Performance programme, athlete welfare has become a central pillar of our approach. We have strengthened safeguarding, integrity and welfare policies, appointed a dedicated Athlete Welfare Lead, and continue to invest in structures that better support athletes and coaches throughout the performance pathway.
Equally important has been the work undertaken to strengthen our organisational structure.
This includes the creation of a new Governance, Policy and Operations Department, and the establishment of a Commercial and Marketing Department to help generate sustainable revenues to support our work.
A permanent CEO, Performance Director, and Chief Operations Officer have been appointed.
We have recently recruited individuals highly skilled in their fields, both independent and from our community, to sit on newly established board sub-committees in areas such as HR, Commercial, Fundraising and Corporate Governance.
We have re-structured our development department to be more focused on club support and participation. The success of our sport is built on the work of our clubs.
Our most significant governance action in recent years, taken with the mandate of our members, has been the disaffiliation from the International Boxing Association, and the joining of World Boxing to secure our Olympic future.
None of these developments happen overnight, nor are they ever truly complete.
We remain committed to continuous improvement, learning from best practice both nationally and internationally as we continue to strengthen the organisation.
Looking ahead, our priorities are clear:
Embed governance excellence across the organisation, grow participation, and enhance our reputation as a modern, progressive and successful governing body.
The upcoming Community Sports Facilities Fund is a key enabler for our clubs to grow and serve their communities more.
We have a clear aim to triple the investment in boxing clubs from the previous funding round in 2024, and get important taxpayers’ money into the communities that need it most.
Furthermore, we wish to open dialogue with other Government departments outside of Sport Ireland. Our clubs provide a community service that can add further value to the vital work of government agencies in areas such as crime prevention, health improvement, and education.
We are uniquely placed to contribute more.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Government, the Department of Sport, and Sport Ireland for your ongoing support.
We are proud that our athletes inspire the nation, and proud of the role our clubs play in the community.
Go raibh maith agat.”
Anto Donnelly,
President, Boxing Ireland.