Girls get active at the Exercise: Energise Multi-Sports Day in the NIA

Fingal County Council’s Sports Office were delighted to hold the Exercise: Energise “Come and Try” Multi-Sports Day on November 23rd for the first time since 2019.  Deputy Mayor of Fingal Councillor Cathal Boland and Director of Housing and Community Robert Burns were in attendance at the National Indoor Athletics Arena in Abbottstown to see over 300 teenage girls from eight secondary schools from across Fingal take part in the day. The participants got to try out twelve different fun sports activities ranging from Frisbee Golf, Olympic Handball, Basketball, Uni-hoc, High and Long Jump and Tug O War.   

The girls are all participants in this school year’s Sports office’s Exercise: Energise Programme which had a record thirteen Fingal Secondary Schools taking part in the initiative this year.

The Programme is aimed at girls aged 12-15 years who are not involved in sport or physical activity and has been running for over ten years with financial support from Sports Ireland’s Women in Sport funding stream and from the Fingal Sports Office.

It is the PE teachers in the schools who co-ordinate the activities provided and the teachers are the backbone of the success of this programme by agreeing to co-ordinate the extracurricular activities in lunch time and after-school. The girls are involved in selecting the activities and over the years the activities the programme has delivered have ranged from; judo, martial arts, dance, futsal, basketball, hip-hop, zumba, circuit training, ice-skating, dance and gym workouts.

Deputy Mayor of Fingal Councillor Cathal Boland commented ‘I was delighted to attend the “Come and Try” Multi-Sports Day and see so many girls taking part in new sports and really enjoying them. The programme helps open their eyes to how much fun can be had while taking part in healthy physical activity.’

Director of Housing and Community Robert Burns said ‘Our Fingal Sports Office are committed to increasing participation in sports and physical activity for all and I am delighted to see the continued success of the Exercise: Energise Programme which was very evident at the Multi-Sports Day.  This couldn’t be achieved without the great work of the teachers involved with the support of our own Sports Office team.’          

‘The Come and Try Multi-Sports Day is a great opportunity for the girls to participate in sport in a State of the Art facility such as the NIIA’ said organiser, Caitríona Geraghty, Fingal Sports Development Officer