Boxing Clever: IABA publishes its four-year strategic plan

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has published "Boxing Clever" – a strategic plan for the next four years, 2017-2020 and has set out a number of key objectives for the association.

Following on from the debacle that saw Billy Walsh leave the Irish boxing system to join the US Boxing programme, two of the key recommendations are to "establish more robust governance" within Irish boxing and to "communicate more effectively".

Other aspects of the plan involves increasing participation in boxing by 15 per cent, increasing and diversifying income streams to 25 per cent of overall income, putting Ireland among the top five ranked countries in the world and for Ireland to be in the top three countries with boxers qualified for Tokyo 2020.

The strategy was formulated following extensive consultation with boxing stakeholders and members as well as focus groups and individuals in the media.

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The IABA has acknowledged that it must strengthen and improve the organisation to ensure it operates as a modern fit-for-purpose sporting body.

It also recognises that it must respect its members and volunteers and provide the right environment to help grow the sport.

Road show

It is expected that the strategic plan will be rolled out to members through a nationwide road show in 2017.

“This plan charts the way forward for the Association. It is now time to come together, to listen to each other so we can ensure a very positive future for Irish boxing. Everybody involved in Irish boxing now has a sense of what we are about and what we are working towards,” said president Pat Ryan.

Irish boxing has had a highly successful past at European, World and Olympic level and despite the failure at the Rio Olympic Games this summer and the scandal triggered by the positive drugs test delivered by Irish middleweight Michael O’Reilly, the sport has won more Olympic medals than all of the other sports combined.

The case of O'Reilly has yet to be determined as have the full details and a police report on the assault of an Irish teenage boxer representing an Irish underage team in Germany.

“We are proud of our past but as we look forward we need to continuously improve and operate as a modern day fit for purpose national sporting body. This plan forms the pathway for implementing the changes necessary to deliver on all our goals,” said CEO Fergal Carruth.