Sport Ireland’s Changing the Game campaign
Sport Ireland has launched the Changing the Game campaign to support Sport Ireland’s Diversity & Inclusion Policy in Sport, which expresses its vision for a sport sector that celebrates diversity, promotes inclusion, and is proactive in providing opportunities for lifelong participation for everyone.
The Diversity & Inclusion policy identified a number of strategic pillars which will guide Sport Ireland in the implementation of the policy. Those pillars are: change, communication, access, capacity and leadership.
At the campaign launch, Kerry footballer Stefan Okunbor said: “There were never any hurdles put in my way playing sport, from Gaelic, to athletics and soccer. When I was younger though I was always encouraged to play Gaelic football. I was a local kid; football is all we talk about in Kerry, and that's what you play. It strengthened my feeling of being part of the community.”
He added: “I believe we're going to see so many inter-county players in the future on the pitch, reflecting the Ireland we live in today. I see it in my own home club now – there are about five kids playing on one underage team who like myself have African heritage. That’s massive stuff.”
Irish international football player Savannah McCarthy commented: “Before me, you'd never hear of a Traveller girl playing football. I was very unusual. Now I hope young Traveller girls and boys will say: 'Look what she did, I want to do that'. And clubs and coaches need to help them to achieve that.”
Savannah continued: “I was raised never to judge anyone until you speak to them and get to know them. So, I'd encourage clubs to welcome and be open to everyone in their community because kids are all the same – all they want to do is play sport and have fun.”
Michaela Walsh, one of Ireland's leading Olympic boxers who recently won gold at the Commonwealth Games, is backing the campaign too. Walsh is a proud member of the LGBT community and is currently preparing for the upcoming European Championships.
She said: “I'm proud to be myself, and that allows me to perform to the best of my ability in my sport. I've always found acceptance in boxing and boxing clubs. I would say to anyone interested in boxing to go to your local club – you'll find a home there, and you'll learn one of the world's hardest sports in a supportive space.”
Speaking at the launch, rising Paralympic swimming star Róisín Ní Ríain, who recently won two bronze medals at the World Para-Swimming Championships, said: “In Limerick, where I train, all high-performance swimmers train together. I thrive in being in a big group of people with so much competition. You have swimmers preparing for the Olympics and the Paralympics all training together; that is a wonderful thing. I'm treated the same and I like that.”
Róisín provided advice on how clubs could be open and inclusive: “You mightn't know anything about an athlete's specific disability so ask the athlete to tell you what they're experiencing and learn together and see what works.”
The Changing the Game campaign calls all those involved to consider how they can play their part by visiting sportireland.ie/sportforall.