No Funding for Ireland to send team to European Schoolboys/girls Championships

29 Irish boxing teens look set for a massive out-of-the-ring European fight over the coming weeks.

News spread quickly through the boxing fraternity on Tuesday that, allegedly, the IABA couldn’t commit to sending a team to the European Schoolboy and Schoolgirl (Under-14) Championships next month.

The Irish Junior Cadet Championships, typically a selection tournament for the European Schoolboys/girls Championships ran last month. After emerging on top of a brilliant domestic competition, which was entered by 230 boxers and was keenly contested over six days, 39 young talents across the country collected well-deserved Irish titles.

29 of these were at weights that would be contested at the Europeans which glove off in the Turkish city of Erzurum on August 10th.

However, the closing date for entries for this tournament was July 16th and it now appears that no Irish team will be sent.

Alan Doyle, father of Calvin Doyle of Olympic Boxing Club Mullingar and 48kg Irish Junior Cadet champion, posted on social media stating “terrible news circulating around that this team was never registered to go to Turkey for the European championships. It’s looking doubtful that will they will be sent. I feel so sorry for each and every one of the kids that were entitled to go and represent their country, all the hard work they have put in over the years, what has become of Irish boxing?”

The posting provoked outcry and it appears that funding was the issue. The newly elected national president of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, Gerry O’ Mahony, has made contact with clubs to confirm that is the case but has also informed them it’s something the IABA is trying to resolve.

Amanda James of Jobstown BC posted on social media stating that “I’ve had a very promising phone call from our new president Gerry & Antonette [Faye, new IABA National Secretary]. They are working behind the scenes to get the team over. It’s an issue with funding, the full amount of funding for the whole team is not there, and clubs might have to pay towards their boxer to go.”

Irish-Boxing.com understands that a team was in fact registered with the EUBC before the deadline (and, regardless, late entries are permissible). The main issue now is finding funding.

The Irish Junior Cadet Champions at the eligible European weights are:

36kg Kristian Jubani (Crumlin)
38kg Carley O’Herron (Rochfordbridge)
40kg Elma Barry (Setanta)
40kg Kalib Walsh (Wexford CBS)
42kg Abbey Molloy (Sacred Heart)
42kg Lochlainn Began (Sean Dorans)
44kg Lauren Crinnionn (Fr Horgans)
44kg Daniel Joyce (Elite Mullingar)
46kg Alanna O’Brien (Setanta)
46kg Jamesie Casey (Sliabh Luachra)
48kg Mary Furlong (Na Fianna)
48kg Christian Doyle (Olympic Mullingar)
50kg Brandon Geoghegan (Sacred Heart)
51kg Donna Marie McCarthy (Mayfield)
52kg Cian Stapleton (Marble City)
54kg Robyn Carlyle (Crumlin)
54kg Danny Mahon (Fr Flanagans)
57kg John Donoghue (Olympic Mullingar)
57kg Faith Kileen (Jobstown)
60kg Cassie Henderson (Gilford)
60kg Edward Harty (Portlaoise)
63kg Broderick Adbuire (Jobstown)
64kg Alannah Kenny (Clonmel)
66kg Rocco Dempsey (Avona)
70kg Chloe Poleon (Dunboyne)
70kg John Mongan (Rathkeale)
75kg Callum F Barret (Olympic Galway)
80kg Ricky Kiely (Midleton)
90kg Jordie Cooke (Gleann)

Ireland have traditionally sent full squads to the Schools championships and the roll of honour is impressive with the likes of Carl Frampton, David Oliver Joyce, John Joe Joyce, Tommy McCarthy, James McGivern, Lewis Crocker, Joe Ward and many, many, more medalling in previous editions. In total, Ireland have won 119 medals at this level.

A team was not sent to the 2021 edition in Bosnia and no tournament took place in 2020 but the boys and girls in green won a record 18 medals at the 2019 Championships.

With Russia currently in exile, a huge haul could again be plundered – although development and experience is the number one goal.

Clubs and boxers now face a race against time to fund the trip to Turkey, with flights and accommodation spiralling into the thousands. Self-funding has happened in the past with teams going to the Women’s World Championships but, such is bureaucracy, it brings with it a lot of headaches and hoops.

The Senior Cadet Championship winners crowned last weekend, also rejoiced in the belief they would travel to the European Juniors (Under-16) in Italy later this year. They may now also have concerns but the clubs could be forewarned in terms of generating funding.