Home Resident ABC Sports Forum

ABC Sports Forum

The Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum are a voluntary body that provide a voice for local sport. They work closely with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and in particular the Sports Development Department to further aid the development of sport in the Borough. They do this through the delivery of the following key areas:

  1. Affiliation
  2. Grant Aid
  3. Coach Education Programme
  4. Sports Awards
  5. Sport Directory
  6. E-Zines
  7. Bursaries

Affiliation to the ABC Sports Forum includes many benefits such as access to 4 Club Development Grants including – National Governing Body Quality Accreditation/Reaccreditation Grant; Volunteer Development Grant; Grant Aid for Coaches & Umpires/Referees; and a Representative Sporting Teams Grant.

Eligible individuals can also apply for a Talented Athlete Grant and a Leisure Access Card.

Affiliated members will also receive free places on the Coach Education & Club Development Programme and receive regular Sports Development ezine which will include information on available grants, programmes and events including the annual Junior and Senior Sports Awards.

Members will also have the opportunity to be elected to represent their sport on the ABC Sports Forum at the Annual General Meeting. Clubs can also have their details published on the Council’s Sports Directory page on the website.

Affiliation for the 2023/24 is £30 for Clubs and £20 for Individuals.  Members wishing to affiliate must be affiliated to the Sport NI, Sport Ireland or UK Sport recognised Governing Body. Clubs and Individuals must reside in the Borough. Clubs must submit a copy of their club constitution as part of their affiliation to the Sports Forum.

Affiliation Forms

The purpose of the sports grant aid scheme is to provide financial support to help athletes, coaches and sports clubs from the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area to attain their full potential. To be eligible, clubs or individuals are required to affiliate to the Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Sports Forum.

There are seven award schemes available:

Club Development Grants
Club Development Grants focus on increasing the quality of provision by local sports clubs and improving their operation. The elements are:

  • National Governing Body (NGB) Quality Accreditation/Reaccreditation Grant and Advancement Grant
  • Volunteer Development Grant
  • Grant Aid for Coaches & Umpires/Referees
  • Representative Sporting Teams

Individual Grants
In recognition of the commitment needed to participate at an elite level in sport, the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum have grants to assist amateur athletes who reside in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area with inherent costs in training, competing and accessing training facilities (Leisure Access Card). The two elements are:

  • Talented Athlete Grant
  • Leisure Access Card

Guidance Notes
Please ensure that you read the guidance notes below for both Club Development and Individual Grants Schemes.

Other Financial Assistance available:
Sports clubs are also eligible to apply under the following Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council Grant Programmes:

  • Seeding Grants
  • Community Development Grants
  • Capital
  • Community Events Fund
  • Good Relations Grants

For further information, please visit:
https://www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/resident/community-grants/

Our Coach Education Programme provides opportunities for sports coaches, volunteers and administrators to further develop their knowledge and skills, relevant to these roles, in enjoyable and engaging environments.

The programme for 2023/24 takes a blended approach to delivery with a mixture of online workshop and webinars as well as practical workshops.

The programme offers a mixture of minimum operating standards that are required for good club governance, and club and coach development workshops to support coaches in the day-to-day running of their club sessions, which are practical in nature, relating to achieving optimal performance.

To download a copy of the programme along with details of each course, please click HERE

BOOKING
Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis, however priority will be given to coaches and clubs within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area.

Only 3 spaces per club can be registered to ensure as many clubs as possible avail of the opportunity to take part. Should demand be high, a subsequent course will be organised.

All courses have a minimum number and therefore are subject to cancellation should they not be met.

Please note we require 48 hours notice of any cancellation. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in your club being charged at the full non-affiliated rate. Consideration will be given to participants under exceptional circumstances who cannot attend and inform us of these reasons.

Affiliated clubs of the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum can avail of free courses as part of their affiliation. For details of this voucher code please contact Sport Development.

For more information relating to any of the workshops, please contact Laura O’Hagan at  

Course:           Autism in Sport Training (Face-to-Face)

Content:         The Autism and Sports Coaching Couse is a 3 hour course designed to give people a basic understanding of Autism and the potential challenges for inclusion in sport. Participants will learn through practical examples, way to include people with Autism in their sessions and look at potential strategies and support for keeping people with Autism engaged in sport and active recreation.

Course:            Designated Safeguarding Officer (Online)

Content:         This workshop aims to support those undertaking the role of Designated Safeguarding Children’s Officer in sports clubs including creating an awareness of key legislation and good practice, how to respond in a range of situations of concern and how to develop the standards of safeguarding within a club environment. Attendees must have attended ‘Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport’ prior to attending this workshop and must be over 18 years of age.

Course:           Growing Your Club (Face-to-Face)

Content:         People are the success of any club. Whether helping run the club, taking part in the sport’s activities or any number of other tasks, having the right people in place generally means a healthier and happier club.

 Course:             Emergency First Aid for Sport (Face-to-Face)

Content:          This 6 hour workshop will cover elements of First Aid applicable to anyone who is responsible for coaching/supervising a team or individuals. A 3 year certificate of competency will be issued following successful assessment.  Attendance at both sessions is compulsory.

Part 1: Face-to-face 3 hr theory session

Part 2: Face-to-face 3hr practical session

Course:           Generating Club Income (Face-to-Face)

Content:         Having a realistic and clear understanding of the likely sustainable income your club can generate is a vital ingredient of good financial management. A great way of ensuring your income is sustainable is to get it from a variety of sources including membership fees; sponsorship; fundraising; commercial partnerships; and grant funding.

Course:           Safeguarding Children & Young People in Sport (Online)

Content:         This workshop aims to raise awareness of Child Protection issues in sport and introduces participants to the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport. This workshop is important for all adults involved in children’s sport, but is particularly recommended for Coaches, Leaders, Administrators and Officials. The workshop which has been adapted for online learning is now delivered in two parts.

Part 1: Mandatory pre-learning that consists of a 25 minute video which is required to be undertaken in advance of the online workshop.

Part 2: Online virtual workshop via Zoom.

Course:            Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport (Face to Face)

Content:         This workshop aims to raise awareness of child safeguarding issues in sport and introduces participants to what is good practice for children’s sport and how to report any concern. This workshop is important for all adults involved in children’s sport, but is essential for Coaches, Leaders, Administrators, and Officials.

Part 1: Mandatory pre-learning that consists of a 25 minute video which is required to be undertaken in advance of the online workshop.

Part 2: A tutor led face-to-face workshop.

The Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Sports Forum in association with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council host both the annual Junior and Senior Sports Awards. Both events bring together athletes, teams, coaches, clubs and volunteers, recognising and rewarding their achievements and celebrating commitment and excellence in service, participation and performance.

Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Senior Sports Awards 2024

Nominations for the 2024 Senior Sports Awards are now open!

Taking place on Wednesday 27 March 2024 at Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre, these annual awards recognise elite sportspeople who have excelled in their chosen sport, and at the same time, acknowledge the outstanding contribution of coaches and volunteers who have helped build on the borough’s reputation for sporting excellence.

Award categories include:

  • Sports Person/Team with a Disability.
  • Sportswoman of the Year.
  • Sportsman of the Year.
  • Senior Team of the Year.
  • Senior Coach of the Year.
  • Service to Sport.
  • Volunteer Award
  • Club of the Year.

For information on the selection criteria and award categories please click on the guidance notes below.

Senior Sports Awards Guidance Notes

Please note, the closing date for nominations has been extended to Friday 12 January 2024 at 5pm.

For further information please contact Sarah Aiken, Sport Development Assistant Manager at

Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon Junior Sports Awards 2023 

The red carpet was rolled out at Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre on Friday 13 October as 170 guests attended a glittering awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the borough’s high-performing athletes and hear the winners of this year’s Junior Sports Awards announced.

Organised by Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum and sponsored by Manfreight Limited, the event showcased the wealth of young sporting talent in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough with many of the 57 short-listed nominees representing Ulster, Ireland and Great Britain and competing at European and world level.

Winners 

Volunteer Awards sponsored by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
Emily Reid (Banbridge Hockey Club) and Hannah-Rose Grady (Banbridge and Rathfriland Karate Club)

Junior School Team of the Year sponsored by Total Hockey
Ulster Junior Cup winners and All-Ireland Junior Silver Medallists at the June Smith Schoolgirls Championships – Banbridge Academy U14 Girls Hockey Team.

Junior Club Team of the Year sponsored by Armagh Sports and Trophies
All Ireland Champions, Portadown Ladies Hockey Club’s U14 Team who qualified and represented Ireland at the European Hockey League Tournament.

Junior Male of the Year sponsored by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council
All Ireland U13 Shot Putt Champion from Armagh Athletic Club, Ethan Connolly

Junior Female of the Year sponsored by Manfreight Limited
All-Ireland and Irish National Cadet Champion Cassie Henderson from Phoenix Boxing Club

Youth School Team of the Year sponsored by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
All-Ireland Schoolboys Championship Banbridge Academy 1st XI Boys Hockey Team

Youth Club Team of the Year sponsored by Manfreight Limited
Ulster Provincial League and double Cup winners Banbridge Rugby Football Club’s U18 Boys Team

School Coach of the Year sponsored by Sport Northern Ireland
Award winning coach Arnold Morgan who led multiple individuals and teams from Ballydown Primary School, Banbridge Academy, Banbridge High School and Killicomaine Junior High School to Ulster Championship wins and All Ireland Silver medals.

Club Coach of the Year sponsored by Sport Northern Ireland
Head coach at Banbridge Amateur Boxing Club Jason McKay who had boxers claim 4 All-Ireland National titles and 54 titles from County and Provincial fights.

Youth Male of the Year sponsored by McKeever Sports
Irish Junior Champion Seth Dunwoody who in his first stage race in Europe for his new team Cannibal B-Victorious U19 Development came away with a classification winner’s jersey. At the UCI ranked stage race in France it was victory again as he claimed 2 stage wins and the overall win. He is currently ranked 20th in the World UCI Rankings

Youth Female of the Year sponsored by Donaghy’s Shoefair Sports
Ballyvally Archer Sinead Byrne had international success representing Great Britain at the European Youth Cup where she won individual silver and team bronze in Leg 1 and a team silver in Leg 2. At the European Youth Championships, the Team claimed a New European Team Record and a silver medal. Sinead is the current Senior and Junior Northern Ireland Indoor Champion.

Chairman’s Award sponsored by Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum
Two times Irish Open 200m Fly Champion Alana Burns-Atkin who was selected to represent Ireland at the European Junior Championships and Northern Ireland Youth Commonwealth Games.

 

Welcome to the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Directory of Sport. Here you will find a list of affiliated sports clubs to the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum offering a range of sporting and physical activity opportunities across the area.

View ABC Directory of Sport >>

The Sport Development E-Zine contains all the latest information about sports development programmes, funding grants, coach education and club development workshops and any other information that may be of interest to sports clubs.

Please see below to access our previous Sports Development E-zines.

Previous Issues

If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive our e-zine, please complete the form here

Or alternatively, contact

The Sports Bursary Scheme was introduced in November 2018 to facilitate the further development of aspiring athletes who have the ability and potential to bring credit to the Borough with success at Provincial level or higher.

Applications should be from athletes who have the potential to compete and achieve success at a very high level within their sport.

For more information please contact Sarah Aiken, Sports Development Assistant Manager at

The Sports Bursary Scheme is now closed