Sport Uniting Communities Host Inclusive Clubs Workshop

On Thursday night past, Community Sports Development Officers, Daniel Chambers (Irish FA) and Proinsias O’Kane (Ulster GAA) hosted an Inclusive Clubs workshop to football, GAA and rugby clubs from the west of the province involved in the PEACE IV Sport Uniting Communities (SUC) project. SUC is a collaboration between the Irish FA, Ulster GAA and Ulster Rugby, using sport to promote meaningful, purposeful and sustained contact between 16,996 individuals from different backgrounds particularly across the religious divide, resulting in a change in perception and relationships. The virtual workshop staged over Microsoft Teams attracted over 30 participants from 17 different clubs who listened to the presentation and took part in the discussion from the comfort of their own homes. The workshop was titled ‘Maximising Community Links’ and focused on how clubs can become more engaged with their local communities. The workshop aims were as follows:

• Clubs motivations for being involved in sport
• Where are you currently in relation to your community
• Potential benefits for both club and the community
• Case studies of inclusive community clubs from all 3 sports
• How to maximise links with your community
• Practical ideas on how to engage with your community

During the workshop, the participants were given the opportunity to share best practice from their clubs on how they engage with their community so other clubs could take back some ideas to implement in their own clubs. Feedback from the participants was extremely positive and they were very grateful for the workshop as it gave them additional skills and knowledge in the area. One participant remarked ‘it was a good opportunity to learn from other sports or clubs to improve community relations’ while another commented ‘it was an opportunity to engage with other sporting societies that I would not normally engage with and learning that we have a lot in common. Clubs who participate in a series of workshops and events will be eligible to receive a small equipment pack containing training aids as part of the Sport Uniting Communities PEACE IV Project. There will be another opportunity to take part in the Inclusive Clubs workshop entitled ‘Maximising Community Links’ in November, to register your interest please click the link below. Inclusive Clubs Workshop - November Sport Uniting Communities is supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).