The 2026 Sport for Business Children in Sport Conference will place the voices of teachers and children at the heart of the event, taking place at Trinity Comprehensive School in Ballymun on Thursday, October 22nd.
Allianz and the Olympic Federation of Ireland will also present new research at the event.
Hosted by Sport for Business in partnership with Allianz, the morning gathering will bring together representatives from schools, sporting organisations, business, and wider society to examine how to improve children’s experience of sport.
Under the theme of Brighter Futures, the conference will focus on the people who see the opportunities and the challenges most clearly: the children taking part and the teachers working with them every day.
We’re pleased to reveal the full line-up for a different kind of Sport for Business event, one we are really looking forward to on Thursday.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS CHILDREN IN SPORT CONFERENCE
9:30–10:00 Arrival, coffee and networking
10:00–10:10 Welcome — Rob Hartnett, Sport for Business
10:10–10:30 The Past, Present and Future of PE in Schools — Dr Frances Murphy in conversation with Rob Hartnett
10:30–10:50. Schools at the Centre — teachers and school leaders discuss the realities of delivering PE and positive sporting experiences
10:50–11:05. Through Their Eyes — students discuss what they enjoy about sport and what can cause children to disengage
11:05–11:25. Community Games: A First Step into Sport —Gráinne O’Shea
11:25–11:45. New research from the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Allianz, alongside Dare to Believe and Olympians
11:45–11:55 Young Ideas in Action — PExpo student showcase
11:55–12:15. Five Ways to Make Children’s Sport Better — practical commitments from the speakers, teachers and young people
12:15–12:230 Closing remarks
We are going to the source: how Children see sport, engage with it, and might want it to be. We don’t know what the answers will be, but we expect them to be instructive.
Listening to Teachers
The opening part of the conference will include a dedicated Schools at the Centre conversation involving teachers and school leaders.
It will explore the reality of delivering sport and physical activity in schools, including pressure on facilities and teaching time, the importance of creating positive first experiences, and the challenge of providing meaningful opportunities for children with different abilities, interests, and levels of confidence.
Teachers are often among the first to recognise when a child is beginning to disengage from sport. Their contribution will help move the discussion beyond participation statistics and towards practical changes schools, clubs and communities can make.
Listening to Children
Students from Trinity Comprehensive School and other young participants will take part in a session entitled Through Their Eyes.
They will be invited to speak about what they enjoy about sport, what makes them feel welcome, what discourages them from participating and what they would like adults to do differently.
This will not be a discussion about children among adults only. Their experiences and ideas will directly inform the five commitments to improve children’s sport that the conference will develop at the close.
Young people will also feature in a Young Ideas in Action showcase, highlighting projects developed through PExpo and other student-led initiatives.
“The aim of the morning is to listen as much as it is to speak,” said Sport for Business founder and CEO Rob Hartnett.
“Research can show us where the challenges lie, but teachers and children can tell us how those challenges feel in the real world and what might make a genuine difference.”
“We want the conference to conclude with practical commitments that schools, sports, businesses and communities can take away and act upon.”
Registration and coffee will begin at 9:30 am, with the conference programme running from 10:00 am until 12:20 pm.
Tickets start at €40 plus VAT for Sport for Business members and can be booked below.
Allianz, the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the PExpo are among the many sporting organisations who see the value of a Sport for Business membership. If you would like to join them and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible, or sign up straight away from the link below.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
ABOUT SPORT FOR BUSINESS
Sport for Business is Ireland’s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport. It connects decision-makers across governing bodies, clubs, brands, agencies, and public institutions through high-quality content, events, and insights.
Sport for Business explores how sport drives economic value, participation, inclusion and national identity, and how your story can be part of ours.
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