Wrapping Up

Dave here...sorry for the delay. Apparently the one thing the Europa has failed to repair is its internet connection.

Caitlin and I wrapped up our exploration of Irish sport with the Northern Ireland leadership team of the GAA and the community development department at the Irish Football Association (the FAI's equivalent in Northern Ireland). The GAA presented us with similar information that they had revealed at Croke Park. We learned how many folks participate in Northern Ireland. We continue to be baffled by the numbers involved in GAA sports - exceeding 1,000,000. When you consider the total population of Ireland/Northern Ireland, this is HUGE. Any given club might have 600+ participants from youth through county levels. Not surprisingly, just about everyone at the meeting had a wedding to attend this weekend.

We did probe further to see what, if any, disparities existed between opportunities for men and women. There was one woman present at the meeting and it was helpful to get her feedback. She and her colleagues are very proud of the fact that since GAA sports are so culturally ingrained that they really do emphasize sports and resources for all, and so girls and women were getting opportunties similar to those of the men. I also got the sense that there was more televised opportunities for women's GAA sports than we would see with women's sports in the States. This was all reinforced later on Friday by the Irish Football Association, who rarely rush to compliment the GAA as they are viewed in some ways as competitors. But they felt the GAA did do a lot for women's sports.

The IFA is an interesting organization. Sandwiched between the football giant that is Britain and the much larger Republic of Ireland's FAI, they have made great strides to establish their own place in the world of sport. Here, progress seems aligned with how the sport and the people of Northern Ireland evolve from identifying as 'British' or 'Irish' to identifying as 'Northern Irish'. This is starting to become more prevalent among IFA participants, but the process is slow as sectarian beliefs are not only still present in Northern Ireland, but descriptions of the leadership group of the IFA suggest it is an older, homogenous group of men that can get bogged down in the past. Observations of women's participation in IFA activities, and certainly at the leadership level, revealed that women still did not have an equal place in the game. I sense this is why the community development folks that we met with were complimentary of the GAA, as they aspire to acheive similar equalities in their own activities. We did have some discussion regarding Title IX in the United States and how a similar policy might be implemented in ROI/NI. Caitlin and I were encouraged when two senior managers at the IFA began debating the feasibility of this happening in Northern Ireland. Ultimately, it became a brainstorm of possibilities rather than a rejection of ideas.

During our travels, I found Irish sport in many ways to be grounded more solidly on culture and values than American sport, and superior in terms of organization and structure from youth through professional divisions. In other ways, I found American sport superior, largely due to the resources involved and to advancements related to policies like Title IX. Yet I question whether those vast resources are a greater benefit or a hinderance to the progress of sport in America. This has been an amazing opportunity for us to grow and evolve our own mission and programs at Sport in Society. I look forward to following up with all our Irish colleagues to expand education opportunities for our respective networks through improved graduate and undergraduate coursework, through sharing of best practices on how to structure and operate youth sports programs, and through improved impact evaluation of all our efforts using sport to bridge deep rooted cultural divides.

Sectarianism in sports: deep roots and great potential

Over dinner tonight, Dave and I learned more about how the sectarian divide is being managed in Northern Ireland, but we were told that it is actually being swept under the rug in many ways. There is much marketing of the current peace, but some people we’ve met in Northern Island state that the sectarian divide and violence is still a huge problem. The divide even infiltrates the world of sports, as some teams and organizations are considered almost exclusively Protestant, and others Catholic and this may be hindering the growth of sports and participation rates.

As a result of these observations, we are particularly interested to meet with the Irish Football Association (IFA) tomorrow. This organization would be the Northern Ireland equivalent to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in the Republic. We’d suspect that these two organizations are not communicating with each other as productively as possible and would like to explore some of the specifics on why that is. Beyond the obvious reason, we’d like to know more about the history of these two organizations and how their respective dynamics mesh or clash. In addition, we will delve more into Meghan’s inquiry about the actual benefits of the development programs to women and disabled athletes, compared to the perceived benefits.

Our experience in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has been remarkable in terms of partnerships and collaboration. The State Department’s attempt to promote these relationships is so important; we’ve learned from colleagues in both the north and south, and they’ve learned too. Many seem particularly interested in how we’ve used sport to transcend cultural differences, engage in dialogue, challenge stereotypes, and inspire leadership.

We also noticed signs in a Belfast pub prohibiting team jerseys, and seen less revelry around sports. Not because there isn’t as much pride or fan commitment but perhaps its acted out differently. These meetings have introduced us to people with differing passions for applying sport to social issues—not unlike our efforts in the US—and sense that they face many similar challenges in trying to promote these values.

A sister sports leadership program

Today we were hosted by David, Shane, and Dierdre from University of Ulster’s Sports Management program. We presented to a group of undergraduates who are studying sport development. This group was the most similar we’ve seen in terms of values around what sport education should be. They are interested in promoting education based on leadership rather than management, which would mean that students are focused on values and community impact than on management and the business side of sports. This was exciting because the University of Ulster is trying to maintain its reputation as THE leading university in sport education.

After the presentation we had a lengthy conversation with David, who oversees graduate program, and Dierdre who oversees some of the undergrad over some courses or a full degree program out of our MSL curriculum. Dierdre is really interested in getting sport management students and athletes in service and volunteering and felt that our programs and Master of Sport Leadership program would benefit their students.

Incidentally, Dierdre is the coach of the men’s semi-professional basketball team that operates out of the university. This is a unique model in that they have semi-pro status even though it’s at a university level. She has shown her commitment to partnering with the US in that she invites former Division 1 basketball players join her team and assist with community outreach efforts as part of completing their Masters program at Ulster. Both David and Dierdre expressed interest in expanding their programs, but that they haven’t had the capacity to take on large increases in student enrollment. This is where our MSL seems so valuable to them, because they’re just getting into the idea of online education platforms, and are interested in providing courses from both sides of the pond that would combine the best parts of our programs in some type of student exchange program.

Now off to dinner at the world famous Deane’s restaurant.

Welcome to the beautiful HOTEL EUROPA!!!

Dave and I are just settling in to the Europa Hotel in Belfast. Earlier today we spoke at University College Dublin to students in the Masters in Sports Management Program, and then were hosted by Fiachra and Cathy at SportsHQ.

The international call is clear..."Measure impact." Folks we met with today just presented to the Irish government to fight for their lives. They presented a report entitled "Sport Matters" in an effort to avoid an anticipated 30 percent budget cut for sports across the board. They want to know what we do to measure impact and they reminded me that it is not an option. Measuring impact must be a core function of our operations.

UCD houses two Graduate Sports Studies Programs and 4 Undergraduate Sports Programs. These cover areas including sports management, sports science, and golf management. Sports HQ houses all other sports governing bodies in Ireland after the big three (soccer, rugby, and GAA). We have one big presentation mid morning tomorrow then a networking lunch, and meetings on Friday.

Today was a good, full day. There is a lot of interest in the Masters in Sports Leadership program, and they love the outreach. We are so eager to see the results of these meetings down the line.

PS - Pop Quiz!!! The hotel Europa is the most bombed hotel in A) Europe B) the world?

A new possibility for US sports?

Last night we dined with Fiachra and Cathy, who lead Community Games and Irish Squash, respectively. In our conversations, Dave and I find ourselves increasingly envious of the level of sport participation in Ireland. The structure of sport is just so different. While both the US and Ireland have highly competitive teams at the older age levels, in Ireland you do not have to be on an elite team if you want to play a sport throughout your life. There are opportunities for all abilities at almost every age level. And it’s not just the big sports (Gaelic football, hurling, handball, soccer, and rugby) it’s also basketball, squash, handball, gymnastics...you name it! Moreover, because of the way sports are structured and governed, they don’t have to sell the ideal of inclusiveness—whether race, ethnicity, gender, ability. The inclusion and appreciation of all is actively promoted.

We want to see this model of sports in the US. There are vast shortages of participation opportunities on all levels that could be remedied with a more community or club-based system.

GOOOALLL...FAI leads the way in fair play

This afternoon we ventured north of the River Liffey to the headquarters of the Football Association of Ireland. Liam McGroarty was our host and was joined by his development team, Paul, OShane, Paul, and Des. They explained the structure of football in Ireland and the incredible expansion from a staff of 4 to a force of 160, and the growth of their leadership and positive social influence over the last seven years.

Today’s meetings the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Football Association of Ireland were invigorating because they gave us an opportunity to speak with people who are working to promote the same ideals that drive us at Sport in Society – community, inclusion, health, and leadership. At the same time, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the structure of Irish sports is vastly different from the structure in the US—and that difference is indicative of the barrier to full integration of these values in US sports.

Liam was energetic and gracious in spite of his full plate...Ireland will face France in the World Cup qualifier on Nov 14 at Croke Park. And he is celebrating the birth of his first child! Congrats to Liam and wife!

Out of the blocks at Croke Park

We first met with Kieran, Ryan and Tony from the Gaelic Athletic Association. They presented on the structure and training models of the GAA, and it is clear that the organization is highly advanced in coaching training and volunteer management.

The culture of the GAA is clearly discernable in its staff, and it is inspiring. One of their mottos is that “you don’t join a team, you inherit it,” and this reflects the strong localized commitment of participants at every level – village, town, county. Participants stay with their club for life, there is no trading or free agency. Most impressive about their model is that community galvanization and inclusion are embedded as core tenets along with sport. This holistic approach to sport as a resource for communities makes GAA activities a one-stop shop for physical health and life skills development.

The GAA is a purely amateur organization, with 6 core values – community identity, amateur status, inclusiveness, respect, player welfare, and teamwork. Everything they invest seems to be on behalf of these values and their mission, and the imparting of each to every new generation. The GAA creates highly competitive and strenuous sporting events. They can serve as an excellent example for other leagues and teams because they do not sacrifice the holistic development of individuals, communities, and the nation for winning at all cost.