Retention, Election & Confidence | Women’s Commission Conference.

Representatives of almost 20 Boxing Ireland clubs attended today’s inaugural Women’s Commission Conference.

The event, at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin, provided an opportunity for female High Performance athletes, Referees & Judges, coaches, leaders and NGB staff to share their experiences as women in all facets of our sport.

Key themes of retaining girls in boxing, encouraging women in to elected positions at club, county and provincial levels, visibility, confidence building and providing education on the menstrual cycle and nutrition to all coaches emerged throughout the day.

Athlete’s Panel of Paris Olympian Daina Moorehouse of Enniskerry BC, multiple European medalist Niamh Fay of Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC and 2025 Elite lightweight champion Kellie McLoughlan of St. Catherine’s BC.

NGB panel of Boxing Ireland Chief Operations Officer Clare McAuley, Boxing Ireland Workforce & Participation Officer Bridget Scott and Boxing Ireland Education and Training Officer Nikki Foley. Bridget and Nikki are both active members of Glengormley BC and Tralee BC, respectively.

R&J Panel Margaret Lambe of Setanta BC Kildare & Louise Forde of Togher BC, Cork.

Leadership Panel: Anna Moore, Tara Robins Mari, Jenny O’Sullivan Coffey. Anna is Chair of the Women’s Commission and a member of the Championship Committee. Tara is the Boxing Ireland National Secretary and member of the Championship Committee. Jenny is the only woman County Board President. All three women are qualified coaches, run and administer their clubs and are deeply experienced Team Ireland Team Managers, leading at international benchmark competitions.

Coaches Panel: Val Hamilton of St. Francis BC, Limerick and Aoife Hennigan of Swinford BC, Mayo.

Chair of the Women’s Commission, Anna Moore, says “This was a wonderful event; it is very important to provide a forum for the women of boxing to come together, to share experiences and ideas. I would like to thank all of the women who attended today, travelling from every corner of the federation. We’ve gained valuable learnings, and I and the Women’s Commission will now look at how best to implement those learnings over the coming months.

Anna adds “I would like to extend my personal thanks to all of the guest speakers, and in particular, my fellow Women’s Commission members: Jenny O’Sullivan Coffey, Tara Robins Mari, Margaret Lambe, Aoife Hennigan, Bridget Scott and Mandy Douglas.’

Anna has also revealed that a tailored, two-stage in-person development opportunity for women coaches, led by members of today’s Coaches Panel, will open for registration in the coming weeks. It will be designed for early and mid-stage coaches to develop confidence and skill in all areas of their coaching.

Boxing Ireland CEO, Gary Stewart, attended as an invited guest of Women’s Commission Chair, Anna Moore. He shared the federations goal of 40% participation of women on committees and elected bodies, and an investment in promoting the visibility of women in all areas of the federation across social media channels.

National Registrar, Stephen Connolly, has announced the holding of a women’s officiating workshop, which will provide an in-depth guide to the acts of judging and refereeing. Registration will open shortly. All adult women in all successfully affiliated clubs will be eligible to attend.

High Performance Director, Jon Mackey, shared a forthcoming High Performance Unit programme designed to provide women coaches with the opportunity to experience coaching and skill building in a HP setting. This programme is expected to launched later this year.

Newly in-post Pathway Development Lead, Daithi McCabe, also attended to share his role in developing athletes from U19 through to transitioning in to Elite settings and the forthcoming provision of boxing technical and educatonal supports.