Ireland’s first Family SportFest will take place at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus on Sunday 1st October.

It will be a key element of Ireland’s participation in the #BeActive European Week of Sport and will provide opportunities for people of all ages to come and see the world class facilities available at the Campus as well as sample some of the 30 different sports and programmes that are accommodated there.

Irish Boxing High-Performance Director and former World Champion, Bernard Dunne, All-Ireland winner with Dublin, Alan Brogan, dual Dublin GAA star Conal Keaney, Irish, Connacht and Leinster player, Mike McCarthy and Athletics great, Catherina McKiernan were among 20 athletes who supported the launch of the family SportFest yesterday.

It is hoped the new event will attract more than 2,500 people of all ages and abilities and that it will become an annual event celebrating the variety of sports available in Ireland and promoting the many benefits of sports participation.

Trial

Along with getting the chance to trial the sports, children and adults will get the opportunity to meet a range of Irish sports heroes. There will be question and answer sessions with top athletes and coaches, a trophy zone with some of Ireland’s most famous silverware and a skill zone where parents and children alike can test their skills in a fun and non-competitive environment.

“The Family SportFest will give children and adults of all ages and abilities a chance to sample sports they may never have dreamt of trying, or never had the chance to,” said Sport Ireland Chief Executive John Treacy.

“They will get a chance to meet some of Ireland’s top sports stars and lift some famous trophies.”

“The Family SportFest is an opportunity to highlight the fact that the facilities and sports here are for everyone,” added Michael Murray, Chief Operations Officer at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.

“We set out to build a National Sports Campus of which the country could be proud and SportFest provides an opportunity to tell people from all over Ireland that they are welcome to come and enjoy these world class facilities.”

“It’s important to us that the general public understand that this is their Campus too. We have some of Ireland’s best known athletes training here every day and yet the Campus is open to everyone to come in and enjoy.”

“Since the National Indoor Arena opened in January we have hosted a wide variety of sporting programmes and events.”

Impressive

The campus boasts an impressive array of world class facilities including the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena, the National Aquatic Centre, the National Modern Pentathlon Centre, the National Horse Sports Arena, the National Dry Land Diving centre as well as Multi Sport Synthetic pitches, Turf Pitches, the Campus Conference centre and the Sport Ireland National Cross Country Track. All of the facilities are open for public use throughout the year.

The campus is also home to Sport Ireland Institute of Sport, FAI Headquarters, the GAA Development Centre, and Irish Sports HQ, the home of 23 sports National Governing Bodies.

The Republic of Ireland Senior Men’s and Women’s football teams are based on the campus as is the Irish Boxing High-Performance Programme, Swim Ireland’s National Training Centre as well as Sport Ireland Institute of Sport which provides sport science and other support services to Ireland’s High-Performance Athletes.

The inaugural Family SportFest takes place at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus on Sunday 1st October from 11 am to 4 pm. The event is open to the public of all ages and abilities. Tickets are priced at €10 for a family ticket (Two adults and up to three children), €5 per adult and €3 per child. For more information on the Family SportFest log on to www.nationalsportscampus.ie

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