Matters are beginning to build up a momentum within the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) as the administration of the sport moves rapidly into a new era with a new board of trustees expected to be ratified at the annual general meeting early next month. Efforts are now also being made to get support from the Irish Sports Council with a view to the appointment of an "executive officer" who would take overall control of the commercial affairs of the association to take it into the next century.
The president of the IABA, Breandan O Conaire, has been in contact with John Treacy, the chairman of the Sports Council, with this in mind. O Conaire has outlined the value of the IABA to the social and sporting life of the entire island of Ireland and nobody can disagree with his emphasis.
In a lengthy letter to Treacy, O Conaire points out that "it is generally known and appreciated (that) the IABA is a 32-county organisation dedicated to the development of the social, moral and physical education of its members throughout the island of Ireland . . .
"It performs a major and essential service to Irish society, running a multi-layered domestic programme as well as a highly successful international programme from youth up to and including Olympic Games level." He goes on to point out that practically all of the people who run the IABA and the associated National Stadium, Ringside Club and new gymnasium are voluntary workers. O Conaire's letter goes on, "have also served to increase duties and pressures on a small officer board e.g modern advances in sports science requiring constant re-appraisal and reform of coaching methodology and procedures; the arrival of the new re-vamped Sports Council and its re-organisational agenda and efficient management prioritise, the new legal and procedural requirements on issues such as illegal substances, child protection, personal injuries, insurance etc.
"Attempting to respond to these and other new demands - many of which are of an administrative/ management rather than a sport/ recreational nature - makes it extremely difficult for our small cadre of committed and motivated workers to continue to devote sufficient time and attention to what always must remain as the primary focus of attention: the coaching, education and personal development of all our members".
The IABA president also points out that although the association draws members from all areas of Irish society, North and South, "a significant sector of its total membership emanates from areas marked by poverty, deprivation and endemic unemployment with its attendant social and domestic problems.
"In addition, in recent times a sizeable and increasing section of our membership are members of the travelling community, a phenomenon due in no small way to the exploits of Francis Barrett at the European championships, and Olympic Games in Atlanta. "We are also subjected to mounting pressure, internal and external, to provide proper facilities to cater for the increased interest and participation of females in our sport both at recreational and competitive level".
Warming to his subject, O Conaire says that the time has arrived for a complete and professional analysis and assessment of the situation which faces the IABA. In short, he is asking the Irish Sports Council to oversee this "to ensure that the IABA is satisfactorily equipped to enter the new millennium." Unfortunately, as with most really good ideas, bureaucracy has raised its head. It can be accepted that John Treacy is not responsible for this, but in a reply to O Conaire he points out that the "funding of an executive officer cannot be considered in isolation, as an increase in administration funding will need to be linked to a clear management structure".
What is encouraging is that the idea is not rejected out of hand and that it will be viewed with some sympathy in the context of the restructuring of athletics and swimming that is under way at present.
