Last October, Sport Ireland endorsed a Women in Sport Leadership Programme which was being ran by Swim Ireland. As a result, AFI recommended 3 female candidates who were accepted onto the 8-week programme and who successfully completed the course.
Now this same opportunity has arisen again for 2021 and AFI would like to put forward more female candidates to participate in this prestigious programme. Please see further information about the course as well as testimonials below.
This programme is open to all female members of AFI. Participation in this programme will be funded by AFI pending successful completion of the course.
Due to time restraints, interested candidates should complete the form at this link and submit it by 10pm on Monday 18th January 2021.
This eight-session course will take place online over an eight-week period from 7pm – 8.30pm.
- Course 1 – Commences Monday 1st February and finishes on Monday 22nd March
- Course 2 – Commences Tuesday 2nd March and finishes on Tuesday 20th April
The aim of the course is to provide training, guidance and expertise to support women to thrive in leadership positions in sport. The interactive practical classes allow each participant to work and focus on their own development while learning from others as part of a team over an extended period. There will be some group and individual exercises during the programme and the size of the class is limited to 16 to ensure everyone has the opportunity to fully engage and reach their full potential.
The course is specifically designed for female leaders within your organisation. Those selected should already be in a leadership position or be a female recognised by your organisation as having the potential to take on a leadership role in the near future.
Course Content
The course modules include the following core topics:
- Leadership and Values
- Networking and Collaboration
- Handling Challenging Situations and Developing Resilience
- Crisis Management and Influencing in leadership
- Communications and Developing Your Personal Brand
- Wellbeing
- Change Management
- Governance
Participants will also receive a one-on-one coaching session and support in producing their own Personal Development Plan. Modules will also include inputs from guest speakers relating their own personal leadership experiences.
Frieda Gallagher, Donegal/Derry Vipers & AFI Diversity and Inclusivity Committee Member
A lot of effort was put into this course from Lisa Clancy and Sarah O’ Shea. Well researched and interesting guest speakers attended every class. Each session was a networker’s heaven, with so many NGB’s represented on the course. It gave female leaders and administrators the tools, techniques and skills necessary to undertake senior positions efficiently and a greater confidence within clubs, leagues, regional and national level.
Helen Smyth, Belfast City Lions & AFI Flag Football Committee Member
The course was really good! I got a lot more out of it than I expected and it was useful for career/personal development kind of things too, not just sports related things. Lisa and Sarah who ran it were great and really helpful and all the guest speakers they had on were all so interesting and had a lot of brilliant advice. It was so nice to get to meet lots of other women from different sports and backgrounds and I’ve definitely made connections that will hopefully be useful for flag and I think some of the girls would be up for giving flag a go too! Was honestly such a good experience!
Kelly Dwyer, Louth Mavericks & AFI Officiating Committee Member
Throughout the course, I was impressed with the level of knowledge, experience, openness and honesty of the women delivering the course; Sarah O’ Shae and Lisa Clancy. I felt the course content was educational and empowering for participants. I enjoyed that the course was delivered through a variety of means including zoom, one-to-one mentoring, guest-speaker talks, group tasks; thereby keeping engagement and interest in the course content high. Having completed the course, I feel that my contribution to AFI will be more impactful, refined and better-informed. Overall, I felt the course was as follows:
- Excellent in educating, upskilling and preparing it’s participants for leadership roles.
- Excellent in tackling and dismantling some barriers to female participation in sport and leadership, examples include low confidence and Imposter Syndrome
- Excellent fostering many positive relationships within the Irish’s sport community and within the AFI female community.
- Excellent at motivating it’s participants to continue and increase their engagement with sport.
- Excellent at encouraging it’s participants to take up leadership roles within sport and/or professionally.
