We have confirmation of the Week 14 Scores:
UCD 50-8 North Kildare Reapers
Trinity College 6-20 UL Vikings
Dublin Rebels 8-7 Belfast Trojans
Waterford Wolves 24-5 West Dublin Rhinos
Meath Bulldogs 13-0 South Kildare Soldiers
North Dublin Pirates 6-0 PSNI Razorbacks
Confirmation of the Week 13 scores:
Craigavon Cowboys 51-0 South Dublin Panthers
Cork Admirals 22-9 Louth Mavericks
Belfast Trojans 2nds 19-6 Westmeath Minotaurs
Report from www.belfasttrojans.com
It was a valiant effort from the four-time reigning champions, a performance and scoreline that will go down in the history of the game on these shores. The NCAA Div III Tigers were impressive with both sides of the ball performing at a level rarely seen in this country. Their defence gave the Belfast offence difficulties all day, while their offence was relentless in pounding the ball as well as finding tall receivers on the outside.
It was Sewanee who opened the scoring a superbly thrown deep ball caught by a wide receiver in the corner of the endzone. In the 2nd quarter and it was 14-0 on a similar play, with again their receiver who eclipsed the 6 foot mark going up and snagging the ball despite the blanket coverage by Trojans cornerback James Gallagher. However the Trojans showed they weren’t here to be in awe of the American squad and responded before the break. James McKelvey found rookie Jack Millar in the corner of the endzone and the rookie did the rest to cut the deficit. Into the 2nd half and it was the Tigers who added to the scoreboard first, with a tough run from their running back punching it in from close.
The moment of the game, however, was soon to follow and if you see a better touchdown in any form of football this year you will be doing well. On the ensuing kick off, Matt Armstrong fielded the ball and took a few steps forward. He then hit the brakes and laterally passed the ball to Jona Siri on the other side of the field. Siri then put the foot on the gas and weaved through the Tigers kickoff unit with some fantastic blocking. The home crowd went wild and Siri’s highlight went viral (video from nfl-ireland.com):
Trojans Kick ReturnIf you didn’t see this today, watch it now! Belfast Trojans
Posted by NFL-Ireland on Saturday, 14 May 2016
David Colvin scored with less than two minutes remaining to make the score 27-20 to Sewanee, a smart grab on a post route with McKelvey putting the ball on a dime.
That was all she wrote, though, as Sewanee ran out the clock, handing the Trojans their first loss of the season, albeit a heroic performance from Belfast against a team with such resources and knowhow. A fantastic day was had by all the visiting Tigers squad, staff and parents and indeed the hundreds of spectators that enjoyed their day out at Deramore Park watching American Football in Ireland.
We had a busy weekend of football last weekend – as well as the Week 9 fixtures, the Belfast Trojans hosted the Sewanee Tigers. We’ll have a report on the game soon, but for now here are the Week 9 scores:
Westmeath Minotaurs 37-16 South Kildare Soldiers
West Dublin Rhinos 14-36 Cork Admirals
Wexford Eagles 27-6 PSNI Razorbacks
Galway Warriors 29-6 North Dublin Pirates
Over the weekend, the Ireland Flag Football programmed worked with selected athletes to get to the 20 players that will compete in a friendly fixture later this year. These 20 athletes came from a wide range of clubs, some dedicated Flag clubs and others linked to kitted clubs. This is a great step forward for Flag Football in Ireland. Thanks to every player who turned up to the tryouts and training sessions, and congratulations to all the players that will represent Ireland later this year. The full list of these players are as follows:
| Player | Number | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Grey | 1 | Dublin Vipers |
| Danny Lucas Johnson | 5 | UCD |
| Conrad Cook | 8 | Dublin Rebels |
| Andrew Bracken | 10 | Dublin Vipers |
| Sean Douglas | 11 | Dublin Vipers |
| Conor Brennan | 13 | Westmeath Minotaurs |
| Paul Grogan | 18 | Dublin Rebels |
| Jason Owens | 20 | Westmeath Minotaurs |
| Conor McGroarty | 22 | Dublin Vipers |
| Bobby Smith | 27 | Dublin Vipers |
| Ben Arulogun | 32 | Dublin Vipers |
| Michael Sykes | 36 | UCD |
| Darren Byrne | 42 | Dublin Vipers |
| Gavin Quirke | 85 | UCD |
| Peter Loughran | 87 | Craigavon Cowboys |
| Niall King | 91 | Westmeath Minotaurs |
We have the scores from yesterday’s Week 8 fixtures:
SBC
Carrickfergus Knights 26-16 North Kildare Reapers
Dublin Rebels 56-13 Craigavon Cowboys
South Kildare Soldiers 0-13 Belfast Trojans 2nds
Cork Admirals 20-13 Westmeath Minotaurs
Meath Bulldogs 20-13 Waterford Wolves
In January this year, a series of open sessions were held to recruit players to try out for the Ireland Flag Football team. 78 players turned up for those try outs, and 35 were selected from these sessions by the Ireland Flag Football coaching staff; Head Coach Joe Grey, Assistant Head Coach Anne Gaule, Offensive Coordinator Dermot Corroon, Defensive Coordinator Steve Walsh and Assistant Defensive Coordinator Paul Kirkwood.
The selected players met for the first time in April to begin the process of refining the final selection. This Saturday sees the next step in that refining process to get to the final 20 players, who will train over the Summer to play International friendlies in September in Dublin.
The friendlies in September mark the end of the first of three phases in the development of an Ireland Flag Football programme. Phase two will be entering the European Championships in 2017 and the start of a Women’s Ireland Flag Football squad and the third phase will be entering the World Championships in 2018.
We have the scores from the Week 7 fixtures:
Belfast Trojans 25-8 West Dublin Rhinos
Carrickfergus Knights 41-0 South Dublin Panthers
Meath Bulldogs 10-13 West Dublin Rhinos
Wexford Eagles 34-8 North Dublin Pirates
Donegal / Derry Vipers 24-6 Galway Warriors
Today’s IAFL1 game between the Louth Mavericks and the Tyrone Titans was cancelled. A result for this fixture will be determined later this week.
We had five games last Sunday in our Week 6 fixtures – results below:
SBC
Trinity College Dublin 24-25 North Kildare Reapers
UCD 8-24 UL Vikings
South Dublin Panthers 7-63 Belfast Trojans
IAFL1
West Dublin Rhinos 29-0 Tyrone Titans
Westmeath Minotaurs 12-9 Waterford Wolves
We had four games last Sunday, and the results are below:
Craigavon Cowboys 7-28 UCD
Carrickfergus Knights 0-36 Dublin Rebels
Louth Mavericks 6-24 Belfast Trojans 2nds
Cork Admirals 50-0 South Kildare Soldiers
Today saw five games take place, including the first game of the IAFL2 league:
North Kildare Reapers 0 – 36 UL Vikings
Belfast Trojans 62 – 0 Craigavon Cowboys
West Dublin Rhinos 14 – 2 Meath Bulldogs
Waterford Wolves 11 – 9 Westmeath Minotaurs
PSNI Razorbacks 0 – 27 Donegal / Derry Vipers
On August 26th, the Senior Ireland American Football team will travel to the Netherlands to take on the Dutch National team in a friendly fixture. This fixture is the first time an Irish National American Football side will take on another country’s National team and marks a significant forward step for our Ireland programme.
The Ireland programme is a country-wide and cross-border initiative that was started last year to develop competitive teams to represent Ireland at the International level. The programme includes a Senior and Junior team full contact team and a Flag Football team, all with the goal of competing in friendly fixtures as well as European and International competitions.
“I am delighted that our senior team will be playing in their first friendly game against the Dutch Lions later this year” said Ireland General Manager Orla McAleese. “Our coaches and players have worked extremely hard over the past few months and they are really looking forward to putting that work into practice. The work and efforts to get the national team programme up and running by all involved is looking positive for the future and it is our hope that this will be the first of many games to come with our neighbours in Europe. Our senior players and coaches are looking forward to playing the Dutch Lions in September and I know our entire organisation is behind them. This is a great boost for the programme as it leads us closer to joining the leagues in Europe.”
At the signing of the agreement, Irish American Football Association President, Michael Smith, reinforced the importance of this game. “We have a fantastic relationship with the AFBN, having competed in many European competitions with Dutch clubs, and we’re very much looking forward to playing against their National side. This game marks a significant step for us on the International stage and, combined with the significant increase in membership and followers we are experiencing, makes this a very exciting time for American football in Ireland”.
Players on the Ireland squad come from the 22 Senior American Football clubs currently active around the country. Players are scouted by the Ireland coaching staff, comprised of the most experienced coaches in the Irish league, and invited to a number of assessment and training sessions before being
Tickets will be made available for Irish fans closer to the game and further information will be available here on our website
This Saturday we are running another Level 1 Officiating Clinic for any club who needs to have additional officials trained for the 2016 season. Individuals can sign up using the form below and the clinic will take place in Rooms 5 – 7 of the UCD Student Centre, Dublin.
After a break of a few weeks, we’re back with Week 3 of the 2016 season. We had four games take place today – the Louth Mavericks vs. Westmeath Minotaurs fixture couldn’t be played due to a flooded pitch in Dundalk RFC so will be postponed.
On to the scores:
UL Vikings 15-13 Trinity College Dublin
Dublin Rebels 60-6 South Dublin Panthers
Belfast Trojans 49-0 Tyrone Titans
South Kildare Soldiers 0-24 Cork Admirals
Last Saturday saw the first fixture of the 2016 European Football League (EFL) take place. Tony Rivers, one of IAFA’s most experienced officials, was the head official in for this fixture. Tony led the five-person crew in a game that saw the Dracs beat the Panthers 46-41.
We had six games taking place yesterday around the country, with the results as follows:
Craigavon Cowboys 20-26 Trinity College
North Kildare Reapers 2-39 UCD
South Dublin Panthers 0-14 Carrickfergus Knights
Cork Admirals 30-3 Waterford Wolves
Tyrone Titans 6-18 South Kildare Soldiers
Belfast Trojans 2nds 0-6 Meath Bulldogs
Current IAFA Board Member Matt Craig has taken up the role of Business Development Manager with Learfield Sports and will be representing the Penn State sports brand. Learfield represent over 120 college sports programs and conferences in the NCAA including a lot of the nationally ranked teams in college football and organisations such as the Big 10, Big West conferences. Matt, in his IAFA capacity, assisted the GAA with the promotion of the Croke Park Classic between Penn State and UCF. We’d like to congratulate Matt on this new role and wish him the very best of luck.
Sport Ireland, the newly created agency for the development of sport in Ireland, announced a comprehensive package for sporting organisations in 2016. The announcement was made by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring T.D. in Westport today.
To support Irish participation at the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games in August and September, a total grant package in excess of €10 million was announced. In addition, with the supports of the services of the new Institute of Sport High Performance Training Centre, at Sport Ireland’s National Sports Campus, the total investment in High Performance Sport for 2016 will be well in excess of €11 million.
In addition, there was a package of €10.6 million invested in National Governing Bodies of Sport with a further €5 million investment through the National Network of Local Sports Partnerships. Speaking at the announcement, Minister Michael Ring said: “I am pleased to announce this significant investment in Irish sport for 2016, through Sport Ireland’s package of grants for the National Governing Bodies of Sport and the Local Sports Partnerships. The grants announced today will not only support the core activities of sports bodies, including their administration, they will also support very important sport programmes such as the Women in Sport and High Performance programmes, and the full range of services provided by Local Sport Partnerships around the country. I am delighted to have been able to increase Sport Ireland’s budget by €3 million this year, which has enabled Sport Ireland to support High Performance sport in what is a very important year, with the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place”.
Chair of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, speaking at the announcement added: “We are delighted to announce a wide range of grants for Governing Bodies which cover the critical period of 2016 towards Rio but also a wide range of important programmes which are covered by the National Governing Bodies of Sport and the Local Sports Partnerships. Sport has flourished over the past number of years despite financial difficulties and have continued to expand their services”.
The Irish American Football Association’s grant was also increased to €23,000, which includes additional funding towards our Women In Sport initiatives. Commenting on this increased funding, IAFA Commissioner Cillian Smith said, “IAFA welcomes the decision by Sport Ireland to increase the investment in NGBs and is appreciative that our core grant has increased for 2016. These grants are critical to assisting us in delivering enhanced training to officials, training two new coaching tutors and improving player skills via the National Programme and we look forward to improving our programmes over the coming season”.
Mayo All-Star Aidan O’Shea will be heading stateside to try his hand at American Football as part of AIB’s The Toughest Trade, a TV documentary, commissioned by AIB, which will take a fresh, in-depth look at how professional sports compare to the amateur AIB GAA Club Championships as Irish players trade sports and clubs with international athletes.
Weighing in at the 15 and-a-half stone mark the 25-year-old is as big and as strong a player as you get in the GAA. But on the gridiron, he’ll be dwarfed by much bigger men and he knows that he’s in for some tough times. “Yeah, it’s a different ball game,” he smiled at the thought of being on the receiving end for a change. “Even just the pure technique of what they are doing. I’m going to be small basically, to be honest about it. I expect to be anyway. Looking at some of the weights and my size, I’m 6’4″, some of them could have 20kgs on me which is just insane. I’m just around the 100kg mark.”
O’Shea says he’s a casual fan of the NFL, watching it at the weekends on television, but that basketball is his second sport after Gaelic football. He still hasn’t gotten his full itinerary yet, so he doesn’t know what team he will be training with, what level he’s likely to be competing at or which NFL star will come to Ireland to try his hand at Gaelic Football.
Along with O’Shea, Tipperary hurler Brendan Maher was in Australia trying out cricket with Big Bash League franchise Adelaide Strikers. This year is the documentary’s second season – last year’s film featured Kilkenny hurler Jackie Tyrrell, retired Armagh star Aaron Kernan, former England soccer international David Bentley and baseball great Brian Schneider.
The documentary will air ahead of the AIB GAA Club Championship finals on St. Patrick’s Day, and will subsequently be available to view on the AIB YouTube channel.
Last weekend we held the the first phase of the Level 2 Officiating clinic in the Crowne Plaza Northwood. The course was tutored by Christian Henrich and Heinz Sauer from the German Football League (GFL). Both Christian and Heinz are extremely experienced officials, having officiated over 1,350 games between them. Christian and Heinz have also ran a number of officiating clinics throughout Europe.
20 IAFA officials attended the course, including both full-time officials and Team Provided Officials (TPOs) from clubs in the SBC and IAFL. This phase covered the theory of a number of officiating concepts including penalty enforcement, crew mechanics and expectations and how to improve the running of games. Director of Officiating Derek Ward commented, “I’d like to thank Christian and Heinz for travelling to Ireland to present this clinic. We constantly strive to improve the standard of officiating in Ireland, and clinics like this go a long way to ensuring Irish officials are some of the best in Europe”.
Last weekend’s clinic was the first phase of the multi-phase Level 2 course. Subsequent phases, which will cover more on-field training, will be announced in the coming weeks as well as a Level 1 officiating clinic for new officials.
We are delighted to announce that Doug Platten, a long standing member of the Irish American football community, has been appointed as our first ever Senior Alumni Officer. Doug has been involved in the sport in a variety of roles over the past 25 years; he has sat on many league committees prior to the current structure, he has served as Team Ireland General Manager and has been involved at club level.
Since the sport first started in Ireland in the 1980s, several thousand people have passed through the sport. Over the years, most of these Irish football alumni have drifted off into other walks of life or into retirement, yet many have made significant contributions to the sport in past years. The establishment of an Alumni organisation will allow these past members to reconnect with the sport. For some it will be an opportunity to reconnect with old friends or foes to talk about the halcyon days of the past and for others, it will present an opportunity to get back involved with IAFA going forward.
One of Doug’s roles will be to reconnect with these past members, especially with a special anniversary taking place this year, Shamrock Bowl 30, where we plan to hold a special alumni event in conjunction with the game.
All past members of the sport, be that of the current IAFA organisation or of any of the previous Associations and Leagues which existed in Ireland in the past, e.g. AFAI, Combined Gridiron League, original IAFA, original IAFL, etc., are welcome to join. Those interested should forward contact Doug directly at alumni@americanfootball.ie.
Looking for somewhere to watch Superbowl 50? Well you’re in luck as there’s a number of Superbowl events being held around the country and we’ve compiled a list for you to find the one closest to you. Use the map above to find the event closest to you – events with the IAFA logo are hosted by our clubs, so if you’re thinking of starting to play football, it’s a great opportunity to join up and support the Irish league!
We’ll continue to add events to the list, but if you know of a venue that’s hosting a Superbowl event and isn’t on this list, or you manage a venue and want to be added, please email maurice@americanfootball.ie with the details.
Last Saturday, 43 flag football players gathered at the National Sports Campus to take part in the first try outs for the Ireland Senior Flag Football team. Led by an experienced coaching staff, the players were put through their paces. Players first underwent a series of combine drills to assess their athleticism and stamina, before running through drills focused on testing flag football skills. The session finished up with a scrimmage where players could put the skills they learnt into practice.
Last weekend’s try outs were the first of two try outs planned for the Ireland team, the next being March 19th, again in the National Sports Campus. The Ireland coaching staff will select the final 40 players to make up the squad. More information on these tryouts can be found here.
Last Sunday, we held our AGM in CityWest Hotel where a number of topics were discussed and approved for implementation. Every club and department is represented at the AGM and allows them to raise proposals to the Board and discuss matters arising from last season and the coming season. The following are the major highlights from the meeting:
All 22 clubs hoping to play competitive kitted football next season attended their annual face to face audit meeting at CityWest in Dublin yesterday. These meetings serve as an important quality control measure to ensure that each team playing competitive football has everything in place and is competing at the appropriate level. They also afford each club an opportunity to give the IAFA feedback.
Several weeks ago, each club had submitted a detailed audit/application form concerning their club covering topics such as administration, finances, home ground, playing roster and coaching squad. After having reviewed these forms, each team was given the opportunity to discuss the status of their club and any issues arising in a confidential face to face meeting with IAFA Board members/Directors. Three groups of IAFA Board members/Directors each met with 7 or 8 allocated teams during the course of the day, with each meeting taking c.1 hour. Newcomers North Dublin Pirates, PSNI Razorbacks and Wexford Eagles all attended.
The AGM of the IAFA will take place on Sunday 6th December 2015 at CityWest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin – commencing at 1pm.
Proposals:
Proposals for the AGM must be submitted in writing to the commissioner by Sunday 22nd November 2015. [by email to commissioner@americanfootball.ie or by post to 19 Castle Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22].
Elections:
There are three Management Board positions up for elections as follows:
2 x Positions up for election as part of the regular 3 year cycle – currently occupied by Cillian Smith & Matt Craig.
1 x Position up for election as a result of the resignation of John Judge – the replacement Management Board member will be elected for the remainder of Mr. Judges term i.e. 1 year.
There will be a single election at the AGM. The 2 x candidates receiving the highest will be elected for a 3 year period and the 3rd placed candidate will be elected for the remainder of Mr. Judge’s term i.e. 1 year,.
Candidates who wish to put themselves forward for election shall complete the attached candidate for election form [see below] and submitt it to the Commissioner by Sunday 22nd November 2015. [by email to commissioner@americanfootball.ie or by post to 19 Castle Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22].
Constitutional Amendments:
There are two Constitutional Amendments proposed for the upcoming AGM as follows:
The following clause to be inserted to replace the current 5(e) clause.
“5 (e) The Management Board shall meet at least six (6) times each year. If any individual member of the Management Board attends less than 50% of the Management Board meetings between the date of the most recent AGM and the date of announcement of the next AGM, their Management Board position will be automatically deemed to be vacant and the vacancy will be filled as per the procedure outlined in 5 (d).”
Rationale – there is no set procedure for replacing Board members who have been unavailable for Management Board meetings.
The following clauses to be inserted to replace the current 14(a) and 14(c) clauses.
“14(a) With effect from 31st August 2015, the financial year of the Association will end on 31st August in each year.”
and
“(c) A copy of the audited accounts for the financial year ending on the previous 31st August shall be circulated to the Officers, Management Board and Designated Official of each club at least seven (7) days prior to the AGM.”
Rationale – Sport Ireland (which now includes the former Irish Sports Council) requires accounts to be passed before their mid year review date. Changing the financial year allows the accounts to be passed at the December AGM. Alternatively, the IAFA would have to move it’s AGM to late Spring, which is not practical given that our kitted seasons starts in early Spring. Starting a new financial year on 1st September also fits in with our cycle of work i.e. the old season ends in August and preparations for the following season start in September. The reduction in the time for circulating the accounts is to allow sufficient time for the accountants to produce the accounts given the much shorter timeframe between the end of financial year and the presentation of the accounts at the AGM. Sport Ireland has permitted the IAFA to make these changes to the financial year.
Documentation:
All relevant documentation for the AGM will be circulated 1 week in advance of the meeting. Delegates should take care to read the parts of the IAFA Constitution concerning the AGM and elections.
Cillian Smith
Commissioner
IAFA
Candidate for Election Form – to be submitted on a single A4 sheet of paper.
Candidate for Election
Election Type (e.g. IAFA Board):_____________________Date:_______________
| Name: |
| List Board Position(s) candidate is standing for: |
| Team Affiliation (if any): |
| Previous teams: |
| No. of Years as IAFL member: |
| Official (Y/N) Coach (Y/N) Player (Y/N): |
| Committee Experience | ||
| Organisation/Club | Positions | Dates |
| Additional information to be circulated to Team Managers
|
Here’s how the 2016 flag football season is going to work.
What do we know so far: 4 divisions. 18 teams. Each division has its own schedule. Regular season games will run until January 30th 2016 after which we go into playoffs mode with the top two teams of each division squaring off for a place in the semi-finals and final in March 2016.
Nothing much different from last year’s run.
The playoffs schedule is as follows:
Saturday 20/02/16
Playoff 1 – Seed 1 v Seed 8
Playoff 2 – Seed 2 v Seed 7
Playoff 3 – Seed 3 v Seed 6
Playoff 4 – Seed 4 v Seed 5
Saturday 5/3/16
Semi 1 – Top Seed v Lowest Seed
Semi 2 – Second Top Seed v Second Lowest Seed
Final
Now where things become interesting.
2016 will not see the IFFL run two but rather just one season (currently running) and will end with a National Championship final (EBC II) in March 2016 and not in August as previously done.
Instead, we will keep to one season every year as to give more room and time for other important initiatives. Some of these initiatives will take place throughout the spring and summer of 2016.
These comprise of creating a competitive Irish National Team, running certified Flag Football coach and officials training programmes, re-vamping and focusing on a “flag football in school” programme, and creating an all-women’s flag league.
Because of the amount of work these projects will require and the number of people who will be involved in making it work, we had to drop the summer season to deliver a high quality of execution and focus in order to safeguard the success of these programmes.
Ultimately, the main objective of these changes is to guarantee the strong but steady growth of Flag Football in Ireland. To that end we are looking for anyone willing to help out be it in coaching, admin work, first aid, marketing, etc. If you feel you could contribute in anyway fill out this form.
http://bit.ly/IFFLApplication.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for all your support thus far and looking forward to see more of you be part of the growth of the Flag Football in Ireland.
Update 29/10/15: DTTAS changes Head of Tourism Division.
The IAFA welcomes the decision of the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport to move Mr. Ray O’Leary, Assistant Secretary from the Tourism Division.
Mr. O’Leary had a central role in some of the issues which have been highlighted by the IAFA in recent years. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary in charge of Tourism – replacing Mr. Maurice Quinn – he had worked as the Principal Officer in the area.
The IAFA is of the view that the replacement of Mr. O’Leary presents an opportunity to change the work practises in the Tourism Division to ensure compliance with public service best practice going forward.
IAFA disagrees with view expressed in Sunday Times that it has an entitlement to run the €100m events.
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport covers up unsavoury interactions with organisers of substandard events.
On Sunday 11th October, the Sunday Times published a disjointed and confusing article concerning the IAFA’s interactions with the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport. The IAFA would like to clarify some of the issues raised.
The IAFA is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport in Ireland. It is regarded as one of the most successful sporting organisations in the country having exponentially expanded its membership in recent years. The IAFA actively promotes Ireland as a destination for major American football events. In addition to performing a regulatory role, the IAFA has a policy of supporting the organisers of such events and assisting them with promoting the sport locally. The 2014 Croke Park Classic – which is the most successful of the large scale events to visit Ireland to date – is a very good example of this policy working well.
The IAFA strenuously disagrees with the statement in the Sunday Times that the IAFA itself should run the “€100m” events. The IAFA has never sought to directly run any such events nor is it planning to do so in the future. On the contrary, the IAFA believes that it is inappropriate for a voluntary NGB to take the commercial risks associated with such large scale events. If, as suggested in the article, the IAFA were to exercise an ‘entitlement’ to run such events, it could also severely limit the number of events coming into the country. The IAFA’s own rules currently envisage that these events will be run by those parties who own the event.
The IAFA can confirm that it has had a disagreement with the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport on an important issue impacting on many sports in Ireland. All games and events run by the IAFA and its members must comply with specified ‘best practice’ requirements in areas such as health & safety, player welfare and child protection.
In recent years, the Irish sporting scene has seen significant growth in commercial organisations running sporting activities that are not linked to any sporting NGB or affiliated club. Most of these are small scale organisations in areas such as sports tourism, sports camps and independently run games/tournaments. Many involve children and young adults.
The IAFA is firmly of the view that all American football activities in Ireland should comply with the same minimum health & safety, player welfare and child protection standards as its own activities. It refuses to sanction the activities of, or provide assistance to, operators who do not comply with these standards.
Officials in the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport have sought to put pressure on the IAFA to sanction and force its members to participate in third party run events which do not meet our safety and welfare standards. Officials, such as Maurice Quinn, who is quoted in the Sunday Times article, have cited the less stringent requirements in “other countries” – e.g. Tanzania and Mexico – as the rationale for seeking to force the IAFA to facilitate substandard events.
The IAFA has refused to compromise its standards and will not expose its members to potential harm by participating in such events.
The Irish Sports Council has told the IAFA that it fully supports its refusal to sanction substandard events.
In recent months, the Information Commissioner has conducted a number of investigations in the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport at the request of the IAFA. Arising from these investigations and the consequential documents released to the IAFA, the following facts have come to our attention:
We understand that Maurice Quinn has now moved onto another Government Department. We also understand that the above mentioned organiser has been active in other sports in Ireland in recent times.
This unsavoury incident is symptomatic of a disconnect between the Department and the sporting community in Ireland. Departmental officials should make greater efforts to directly engage with sports organisations, particularly where they propose to intervene their activities. They should take more care in checking the bone fides of parties they interact with and information they receive. They should also be conscious that as citizens and residents of this country, members of voluntary sporting organisations such as the IAFA, have the right to enjoy their activities without fear of being coerced into putting themselves and others at risk to provide commercial income to unconnected third parties.
On 17th September last, the IAFA asked the Department to undertake a formal investigation into this incident.
The 2016 Emerald Bowl Conference has kicked off!!
This year we see the number of teams participating increased to 18 playing across four divisions as follows:
Dublin: NUI Maynooth Buuls, South Dublin Panthers, Dublin Rebels, DIT Spartans, UCD and Dublin Vipers.
Midlands: Edenderry Eagles, Mullingar Minotaurs, Athlone Minotaurs, North Kildare Reapers, Roscommon Rogues.
Munster: Cashel Crusaders, Wexford Eagles, Marble City Muddogs, UL Vikings.
Ulster: Craigavon Cowboys, Coleraine Elks, PSNI Razorbacks.
Each division will see the top their top two teams going into Divisional playoffs in February 2016.
This year also sees the introduction of an all Irish squad with plans to compete on the international scene in 2016 and 2017. This automatically adds a real competitive dimension for each player taking part.
Please find the scores and stats on the flag football website:
At its Board meeting on October 11th, the IAFA Board decided to allow registration for the 2016 season to commence immediately. It past years, registration did not open until mid-December. There were a number of factors in favour of this including the following:
Additionally, the online registration system has been extended to include Coaches and Officials in addition to players and non-playing members (e.g. administrators). Players, Coaches, Officials and other members can register at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/iafa-senior-registration-2016-registration-19030608061