The sunshine beamed down over SETU Sports Campus in Carlow for the 2022 Aldi Community Games National Track and Field finals on Saturday 13th August.
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2,000 children, along with their families and supporters, totalling over 4,000, travelled from all over Ireland to the event to represent their County with pride.  The event was livestreamed to an audience of over 30,000 on both Facebook and YouTube.

Throughout the day, 28 different track events from mixed relays to 100m race events and 14 field events from ball throw to long puck took place in the beautiful surrounds of SETU Sports Campus Carlow in the blistering sunshine. A host of experienced Community Games volunteers were in attendance to make sure the day ran smoothly and to hand out over 7,000 bottles of Aldi water ensuring everyone was hydrated on a very warm day in the sunny south east!

For the children taking part, it was a day of excitement and nerves. These children aged from 6 to 16 already have a lot to be proud about having qualified in their Area final, then County Final then Regional Final (for track events) to make it to the National Finals.

Community Games Ambassadors and past participants - Jesse Osas, Sarah Quinn, Adeyemi Talabi and Conor Cusack were present on the day to celebrate and encourage the children taking part.
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SETU President Professor Veronica Campbell attended on the day along with Mayor of Carlow Fintan Phelan and Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Brian O’Donoghue.

Being able to attend a large physical sporting event again brought huge joy for the children and communities of Ireland and everyone at Community Games

President of Aldi Community Games Gerry McGuinness said ‘This was a marvellous event showcasing the talent from every County in Ireland for track and field. Every child was a credit to themselves and their locality. Congratulations to one and all. I would like to thank SETU Carlow for the use of their amazing facilities and their support in the organising of this event. I would also like to thank our outstanding volunteers, who as always make these events possible, and our sponsors Aldi Ireland and Bus Éireann and Transport for Ireland. We look forward to hosting our next event, the National Cultural and Arts Finals on the 27th and 28th of August at the VISUAL Centre and St Patrick’s College in Carlow. This will be a celebration of the Arts and Culture and will be a colourful and entertaining weekend for everyone attending. It’s a date for the diary and open to the general public.”

David Hoysted, Chief Executive of Aldi Community Games added: “The event today was a great success! The atmosphere on the ground was electric with children and families from all over Ireland enjoying a colourful and exciting day out! The event was live streamed to an audience of 30,000 people and it was lovely to see families  from all over the World reconnect over social media as they commentated on their nieces or nephews running on the track.  Looking forward to next year already.”
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Eleanor Farrell, Chief Commercial Officer, Bus Éireann said: “Bus Éireann is at the heart of communities throughout the country. We are proud to be Aldi Community Games official travel partner for the third year and to see so many local communities coming together and showing their support for the games is really something special. Today’s events highlight the remarkable talents of over 2,000 children in communities across Ireland.”

As you may be aware, there is a yellow warning in place for parts of Ireland this Saturday due to extremely hot temperatures. After considerable thought and deliberation we have decided to alter our timetables to allow for the hottest part of the day to be avoided.  We believe this modification is in the best interest of our participants and their families and prioritises their safety and welfare.
 
As such, the Track and Field events will now commence at 9am with the longer distance races taking place first.  Please see below the revised timetables taking all changes into consideration.
 
As the day is forecast to reach temperatures of up to 31 degrees we would like to advise you of the following:

• We are supplying 3,000 bottles of water to our participants
• We will have shaded areas set up in the Assembly Area for our participants
• We will have 2 indoor areas available as “cool down” zones if anyone is in need of shade/break – these will be signposted – 1/Tyndall College 2/Sports Campus Changing Room
• We will have 2 Ice-Cream Vans on site
• There are 4 fresh water taps available for you to fill up your own reusable water bottles
• We are offering a shuttle bus service from SETU Carlow/Tyndall College and SETU Carlow Sports Campus – this will allow you to park and ride rather than walk any long distance to an overflow carpark
• We have First Aid on site who are fully briefed on the situation
• Areas may put up tents as well as Counties – please note there are two Areas for tents - which will be signposted

Our National Athletics Track and Field Finals are taking place on Saturday 13th August 2022 in SETU Carlow Sports Complex. 

To take part in this event, your child will have qualified already at either County or Regional events.  For more information, contact your county secretary. 

Best of luck!

To find out more, click here

We can't wait to welcome children and families from all over Ireland to our Arts and Cultural Weekend in Visual Carlow from Saturday 27th to Sunday 28th August.

Stay tuned for more information about this fantastic weekend with lots of fun and exciting entertainment planned!

Tickets are now on sale for our Regional events!  

​By clicking into each of the following images you will find more information including an FAQ and map/directions and you can purchase tickets (scroll to the end of the pages when you click into them).   

​You will also find the Timetable below which you can download and print for your convenience.

3,500 children will be descending on Carlow this August as they take part in Aldi Community Games’ National Festivals over 2 weekends. 

Launching the events at the stunning Delta Sensory Gardens, Carlow was former Community Games participant Olympian Marcus Lawler alongside current Community Games participants Chloe Ryan (Discus & Model-making), Cormac Nolan (Music & Long Puck) and Anna Byrne (Skittles & Art). 

Speaking at the event Marcus Lawler commented: “I have very fond memories of taking part in Community Games when I was younger and it’s inspiring to see volunteers continuing to put in so much time and effort when time is at a premium, making sure that taking part in Aldi Community Games is a fun and inclusive experience for every child.
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Fintan Phelan, Mayor of Carlow added: “Community Games is a fantastic organisation that provide young people with an opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities, from sporting events to the arts, Community Games has something for everyone. In Carlow we have a rich Community Games history and thousands of children participate annually. We are delighted to be able to host the Community Games National Finals in August and I look forward to welcoming competitors, volunteers and their families to Carlow.”

The first of the events is the National Athletics Track and Field Finals in SETU Carlow Sports Campus on 13th August where children aged six to sixteen from all over Ireland will take part in 28 different Track Events and 14 Field Events.   This is a major achievement for these children and a day of celebration for them, their Areas, their coaches and their friends and families - no matter the outcome. These children first took part in their local Area Finals, they then went to the County Finals, progressing on to the Regional Finals (for Track) and culminating in the National Finals. ​

The second event is the Aldi Community Games Arts and Cultural Weekend from 27th to 28th August.  This will be a colourful and lively occasion and is a celebration of culture and creativity.  The children involved will be taking part in Finals in Art, Handwriting, Model-making, Dance, Drama, Chess etc.
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Gerry McGuinness, President of Aldi Community Games commented: “There is something for everyone at this year’s Arts and Cultural Weekend and we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that these will be family-oriented days out with lots of magical and fun elements including: Stilt walkers, Magic Acts, Face-painting, Giant Board Games etc.  As always, the children are the main stars and we will be displaying over 200 works of Art as painted/drawn by the children that same weekend in Ireland’s premier modern Art Gallery – VISUAL Carlow. Any member of the public can come along on the 27th and 28th August to experience some of the fun and action.”

Jane Walsh, PR and Marketing Director added: “We're back to what we do best and are looking forward to a summer of fun, entertainment, friendly competition and maybe even a little sunshine with friends old and new!"

David Hoysted, Chief Executive commented: “It’s a very exciting time for children and volunteers alike as we get back in the Games and we’re looking forward to an action-packed and fun-filled August in Carlow.”
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To find out more visit www.communitygames.ie

See below the list of Community Games Counties who applied for funding and the funding they were allocated based on the following critiera: Verifiable Information, Merit, Public Health Objective, County Weighting

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.”