Our National Programme of Events can all be found by visiting our Events Page but we've also prepared a handy document that you can save and print for your own Area and County so you can see at a glance what's on our programme for 2022 (panel details, age groups etc).   You can view it below or Click HERE to download it as a pdf. 

We are delighted to offer you the opportunity to take part free of charge in one of two pilot Coaching Children Courses. These courses are certified by Sport Ireland and Community Games. There is a maximum of 30 places on each course and the places will be offered on a first come, first served basis (see registration form here)

All too often, programmes offered to children in sport are scaled down versions of adult activity without regard for the different needs of children. Children want different things from their sport participation and require different approaches given their stage of development both physically and mentally.
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The Coaching Children Programme aims to equip coaches with specific knowledge, skills and competencies to cater for the needs of children.

Creating good coaching children practices at an early stage will result in a higher proportion of children gaining both movement skills and love of activity that we hope will remain with them in to their teenage and adult years.

These courses will be via a hybrid model of learning - Workshops 1 and 2 will be delivered online over a series of 3 evenings and Workshops 3 and 4 will be full days (Saturday) in either Ballinasloe or Cork. 

For more details visit our Volunteer Training Page 

Community Games launched its 2022 to 2024 Strategic Plan in the grounds of Visual Carlow on Sunday 13th March.  A fitting location considering Visual Carlow and St Patrick’s College Carlow will play host to Aldi Community Games Arts and Cultural Weekend from 26th to 28th August 2022 where over 1,500 children will be painting, drawing, singing, dancing and much more as they represent their counties.

Gerry McGuinness, President of Aldi Community Games commented:
“It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Board and our Strategic Planning Group, to present our 2022 to 2024 Strategic Plan. Organisations such as our own, which provide sporting and cultural opportunities to children in Ireland, have become even more important to society post COVID-19 and the necessity to have a clear, realistic, and executable strategic plan to continue to do what we do has never been more important.
 
This robust strategic plan, will ensure the sustainability and growth of our organisation and is the culmination of an extensive and far-reaching process of consultation and engagement throughout 2021.
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Guided by Senan Turnball, an independent consultant, this process included several surveys, online workshops and face to face focus groups (when feasible).  We sought input from all members of our organisation and I was delighted to see such a high level of commitment and indeed lively debate!

In addition, we consulted with key stakeholders including our main sponsors and Sport Ireland.  All of this very valuable feedback was carefully collated and helped form this Strategic Plan.

The five pillars, which form the mainstay of our plan, will place a particular emphasis on volunteer support and training and development and I, along with my fellow Committee Members, believe that supporting our volunteers at every level will help Community Games continue to thrive and be an essential part of Irish society by being a source of fun, sport and culture for every child in Ireland for years to come.”

David Hoysted, Chief Executive added:
“I am delighted with the release of Community Games Strategic Plan 2022-2024, which provides a roadmap for the short to medium term future of Community Games. I look forward to working with the Board, Staff and Volunteers to implement this plan across all its pillars within Community Games. 
 
I am thankful to the Strategic Planning Group for their unfailing commitment to engage with all our members to ensure that we asked the right questions and that every voice was heard, resulting in an ambitious yet feasible living document that addresses the needs of our organisation.  The implementation of this plan will ensure that Community Games not only stays relevant but continues to grow and develop, while as allows, staying true to our mission.”  

On the 11th of March 2022 Aldi Community Games launched their Women in Sport toolkit for young girls in sport at John O’Sullivan Athletics Track, Ennis, Co. Clare.
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This unique toolkit was developed with teenage girls and their coaches in mind after a series of very successful #ownit workshops run by Community Games in conjunction with Move2b. The kits are proudly sponsored by Aldi Ireland.

Community Games announced today that each coach or parent who attended the series will receive a starter toolkit with the necessary items for teenage girls, such as sanitary pads, tampons, hygiene products and informational leaflets.  These kits will be used to support coaches of teams, individual sports in encouraging young girls to continue to join in sporting activities during a menstrual cycle. It is a simple yet effective way to help retain girls in sport and remove the stigma of the menstrual cycle in sport.

Orna and Niamh Murray - founders of Move2b said:
"We loved the opportunity to partner with Aldi Community Games in their innovative series of #ownit workshops. Our goal at Move2B is for teenage girls (and their coaches) to have enough resources and evidence-based information to help them work with their bodies and discover their athletic and personal potential."
 
We’re grateful that the coaches who attended the #ownit series of workshops will receive this kit sponsored by Aldi with menstrual cycle products such as pads and tampons so that girls can get active and stay active, any time of the month."
 
Fiona Shannon, Recruitment Training and Development Director, Aldi Community Games commented:
“We are pleased that Aldi recognises the need for supporting Women in Sport. I would like to thank Aldi for sponsoring the toolkits and thank the Orna and Niamh Murray the founders of Move2B for their creative ideas and workshops. Their advice and knowledge is invaluable and I hope that our coaches around the country can benefit from this initiative. As an organisation, we are striving to ensure that women are visible and heard at all stages within our structure.  Our aim is to distil to every member the availability and content of existing research and tools as well as deliver training in the sector."

Lianda d’Auria - Community Games volunteer said:
“As a parent of a daughter who is very interested in sport, Aldi Community Games has made me realise the great benefits that the games offer young girls for their sporting, educational and own personal well-being. Aldi Community Games has a large variety of exciting events and competitions that cater for all girls from 6 years old to 16 and I feel that their new promotional initiative for teenage girls will be of great benefit to all those that take part this year.”
 

We are delighted to announce our increased programme for 2022!

Some major changes: 
Up to 4 children from County Finals can now take part in the Athletics Regional Finals
The first 4 children from those Regional Finals will take part in our National Finals
For Field Events, the first 2 children will take part in our National Finals
 
The programme will deliver in excess of 6,000 participants to our National Events which will more than match other large scale Festivals this year.  
 
To get in touch with your County Secretary to see what events are available in your Area - please visit this page 

To find out more about the Events that we are offering for 2022 (including Rules and Age Groups) click here or take a look below!

Community Games EGM took place on Saturday 4th December via Zoom with the unanimous passing of a special resolution to allow our constitution to be amended. The members also voted unanimously to approve the new Strategic Plan which will be launched in early 2022. 

Gerry McGuinness, President commented "I'm delighted that our membership voted unanimously on these very important changes for Community Games as we continue to modernise and revamp our oganisation.  The biggest changes are the reduction of Board size to a maximum of 14 members consisting of 12 elected members and 2 independent members appointed by the Board and the introduction of term limits for elected members.  I'm extremely honoured today that the organisation is 100% on board with the direction we are going in and I look forward to the future of Community Games as we continue to grow and adapt."

Shirley Maloney, Company Secretary stated. "The confidence that the organisation has shown in a unanimous vote in both our special resolution and new Strategic Plan shows us, as a Board, that we are on the right path.  I very much look forward to the future of Community Games and the reinforcement of our core values where children and community are at the centre of all that we do."

David Hoysted, Chief Executive commented "Our organisation has shown tremendous resilience and fortitude over the last couple of years and I'm delighted that all our delegates voted to implement our new Strategic Plan and amend our constitution.  We used a 360 feedback approach to ensure that all voices from all our stakeholders were heard and had input into the new Strategic Plan.  We now look forward to its implementation over the next 3 years."

Community Games volunteer, Nicola Lalor (Shinrone-Coolderry Community Games) will receive nationwide recognition next week for her dedication to sport, as she has been awarded the Offaly award for the 2021 Federation of Irish Sport Volunteers in Sport Awards, proudly supported by EBS.
 
The awards will take place virtually on December 7th, 8th and 9th and will see Nicola, along with volunteers from across the country, honoured for their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports.
 
Nicola has dedicated 27 years to the Community Games in her area. She has introduced children from across the Shinrone and Coolderry areas to a host of different sports and activities that they can take part in other than the traditional sports. Throughout her time, she has ensured every single child has been offered equal opportunity to engage in the various sports and cultural activities with emphasis placed on the importance of sportsmanship, enjoyment, confidence, developing friendships and creating lasting memories. Nicola dedicates hours of her time into being a teacher, trainer, mentor, costumes and wardrobe organiser and - especially during the last 18 months - an IT expert, to ensure the Community Games experience is a fun and enjoyable one for all involved.
 
The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year. This equates to approximately 37.3 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 13,000 registered sports clubs and associations and, according to Sport Ireland's 2021 'Researching the Value of Sport in Ireland' report, is worth an estimated €1.5bn to the exchequer.
 
Throughout September and October members of the public, sports clubs and governing bodies were invited to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport and physical activity in Ireland has made a real difference to their community, club or county. The nominations and award recipients were selected by a judging panel consisting of 12 individuals drawn from sports administration, the volunteer community and media, and included former Director General of the GAA, Paraic Duffy, RTÉ broadcaster, Marie Crowe and CEO of Gaisce, Yvonne McKenna.
 
In addition to the 32 county-level award winners, Amina Moustafa, a volunteer across many different sports including football, basketball and swimming, received the overall Outstanding Achievement Award for her incredible service to the promotion of sport amongst women of diverse ethnic backgrounds, as well as her continued support of Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI).
 
Máire Allen and Jacqueline McCormack have also received a Special Recognition Award for their amazing work with Roscommon Special Olympics Club. They have dedicated their time tirelessly over the last number of years and more recently, in the face of the challenging circumstances caused by Covid-19, did everything to ensure the club’s members remained fit and active throughout the various lockdowns.
 
Pádraic Kearney (RIP) has been honoured with a Special Recognition Award for his commitment to Gaelic Games in Adare GAA Club (Limerick). Pádraic was incredibly committed to his community, with his volunteerism going far beyond sport. His untimely passing earlier this year has been felt by everyone in the club, especially the younger members, who Pádraic coached for many years. 
 
Commenting on the awards, Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, TD, said: “It is an honour for me to support this year’s Volunteers in Sport Awards and help recognise so many fantastic volunteers in our community. These awards have a special place in the sporting calendar as they recognise those who have given an incredible amount of time throughout the year who have ensured that sport can takes place in our communities, and they do so without the expectation of gratitude or reward. The amount of hard work and dedication that these volunteers give to sport in Ireland is quite truly astonishing and I am privileged to support both the volunteers and these awards.  I would also like to thank the Federation of Irish Sport and EBS, and all who will help make these virtual ceremonies a memorable occasion for all.”
 
Speaking about the awards, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor said: “Despite another very challenging year for sport, we have once again seen how important volunteering has been to communities across Ireland. We have an enormous amount of gratitude for the army of volunteers who have ensured that sport could take place in a safe and controlled manner. Whether it be on pitches, courts, tracks, pools or even community halls across the country, the volunteers are always there to make sure sport and physical activity continues to take place around Ireland. It gives me immense pride to be able to recognise so many of these volunteers at next week’s virtual Volunteers in Sport Awards and I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all of this year’s recipients. I would like to also thank EBS for their continued support in bringing wider recognition of volunteers in sport in Ireland to life. I would also like to express my gratitude to Minister Jack Chambers who will be taking the time out of his schedule to attend our virtual ceremonies next week and helping us to champion and celebrate the recipients.”
 
Managing Director of EBS, Paul Butler, commented: “EBS is delighted to partner with the Federation of Irish Sport once more to honour and recognise the everyday heroes around Ireland who make sure sport happens every day. EBS has been involved in local communities around Ireland for over 80 years and we are delighted to showcase the tremendous work these volunteers do for sport throughout their communities.  These volunteers truly are the backbone of Irish sport, and we are proud to support them. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the recipients of the 2021 Volunteers in Sports Awards and thank them for all of the tireless work they do to ensure sport in Ireland continues to flourish.”


The awards will be streamed live each evening from 7pm on the Federation of Irish Sport’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/federationofirishsport/ with the awards schedule listed below:

• Tuesday, December 7th: Leinster and Special Recognition Award
• Wednesday, December 8th: Munster, Connacht and Special Recognition Award
• Thursday, December 9th: Ulster and Outstanding Achievement Award

 
For more information on the awards, visit http://www.volunteersinsport.ie/

Full list of winners for the 2021 Federation of Irish Sport Volunteer in Sport awards proudly supported by EBS:
 
Antrim
Frank Stevens
Swimming
Leander ASC

Armagh
James Daly
GAA
Silverbridge GFC

Carlow
Vinnie Homan 
Basketball
Carlow Basketball Club

Cavan
Sean Smith
GAA
Crosserlough GFC

Clare
Deirdre Coleman
Athletics
Derg AC

Cork
Marie Clancy
Camogie
St. Catherines GAA & Camogie Club

Derry
Geoffrey Bones
Rowing
Bann Rowing Club

Donegal
Frank McGhee
GAA
CLG Ard an Ratha

Down
Donna Mullan
Camogie
Darragh Cross

Dublin
Julie Conroy
Baton Twirling
Northern Star Twirlers

Fermanagh
Stephen Hetherington
Rugby 
Clogher Valley RFC

Galway (Joint winners)
Katie Coughlan
Evelyn Burke
Basketball
Titans Basketball Club

Kerry
Anne Scanlon
Basketball
St. Joseph’s Basketball Club

Kildare
Dilys Lindsay
Horse Riding (RDAI)
Riding for the Disabled Association of Ireland (RDAI)

Kilkenny
May Hutt
Athletics
Kilkenny City Harriers A.C.

Laois
Maggie Murphy
Ladies Gaelic Football
Timahoe Ladies Football Club

Leitrim
Eamonn McGowan
GAA
Allen Gaels

Limerick
Denis Martin
GAA
Staker Wallace GAA

Longford
Liam Forde
Ladies Football
St Helens Ladies GFC

Louth
Peter Callan
GAA
Naomh Fionnbarra & St. Anne's GFG

Mayo
Peter Mullen
Boxing
St Anne's Boxing Club

Meath
Brian Matthews
Soccer
Balrath Girls & Boys Football Club

Monaghan
Brendan Lillis
Gymnastics
Border Bounce Gymnastics Club 

Offaly
Nicola Lalor
Community Games
Shinrone Coolderry Community Games

Roscommon
Joe Moore
GAA
St. Aidan's GAA

Sligo
Veronica Hunter
Surf Lifesaving
Sligo Surf Lifesaving Club

Tipperary
Pat Hennessey
GAA
Toomevara GAA Club

Tyrone
Damian Mór Ó Néill
GAA Hurling
Naomh Colum Cille

Waterford
Tricia McCarthy
Camogie
Cappoquin Camogie Club

Westmeath
Karen Goldrick
Camogie
Ringtown Camogie Club

Wexford
Pat Furlong
Para Athletics
IWA Sport

Wicklow
Ed Randolph
Basketball
Dublin Raiders Basketball Club

Outstanding Achievement Award
Amina Moustafa
Multi Sports
Diverse City FC Club

Special Recognition Award
Pádraic Kearney (RIP)
GAA
Adare GAA

Team Recognition Award
Jacqueline McCormack
Máire Allen
Special Olympics
Roscommon Special Olympics Club

 

The last of our "Physical Events" for 2021 took place this weekend with Swimming in UL and Mixed Distance Relay and Cross Country in Navan.  

While there were medals galore, it was all about participation, so well done to all the children who took part in all events and a huge thanks for making the effort on a cold wintry day to be part of the action!

Sincere thanks to Brendan Hyland (Olympian) for visiting  UL to chat with and cheer on all the children!

1. Clare 
2. Kerry  
3. Mayo  
4. Meath  

 Mixed Distance Relay Under 12 Girls

1. Tipperary
2. Clare
3. Kerry
4. Wicklow

Mixed Distance Relay Under 12 Boys

1. Tipperary
2. Kerry
3. Meath
4. Cork

Mixed Distance Relay Under 14 Girls

1. Kerry
2. Clare
3. Longford
4. Tipperary

Mixed Distance Relay Under 14 Boys

1. Westmeath
2. Kerry
3. Limerick
4. Clare

Our Swimming, Cross Country and Mixed Distance Relay events will take place on the 27th November 2021. 

Venue: Navan Adventure Centre, Proudstown, Navan, Co. Meath - CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

UL Sports Arena, University of Limerick, Dublin Road, Co. Limerick - CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

Well done to the very energetic and resilient 700 children who participated today in Camogie, Gaelic Football, Hurling, Rounders, Tag  Rugby, Skittles and Soccer at the University of Limerick.​

All the Results are below: