Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Irish Flying Disc Association Newsletter
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Introduction Dear IFDA Members,
Welcome to the first ever IFDA Newsletter. How exciting! In this issue you will find reports on recent events in Irish Ultimate, details of the progress of the committee on numerous fronts, photos of players strutting their stuff, results from various tournaments and much other disc-related news. Everything in this newsletter has been compiled by the current committee, both photographs and articles!
It is the hope of the IFDA to develop channels of communication between the committee and the paying members. Often there has been confusion as to what the committee does and as to where the membership-generated funds go. These issues are clarified below in some detail along with a summary of some of the tasks being worked on as of late.
Should this endeavour prove to be a popular one, the committee are looking to develop it further. Current thought points towards having it as a quarterly publication. As this project is in its infancy the committee would appreciate your understanding and support as we iron out the small details. For any advice, comments, feedback or ideas please email ifdanewsletter@gmail.com
This newsletter is designed to be as informative as possible. If you feel some areas have been neglected, please let us know. Although there was little interaction with the IFDA community for this edition, that mantra is a one off. Whether it is an article you are interested in submitting, photographs you want included, a topic you want to be covered or simply offering to help out, we want to hear from you.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
The Aims and Role of the IFDA The question that inevitably (and rightly) follows the request of IFDA Membership is what these fees are used for. The following is a list of the aims and objectives of the IFDA as well as its financial commitments. This document is designed to outline how your governing body is currently run, show where your money goes and show you why your membership is important to us.
It is important to understand that all of the money received by the IFDA goes back into
Irish
Ultimate.
Similarly,
the
committee has, year on year, strived to improve many aspects of the game. The work they do is tedious and time consuming but they do it for the love of the sport. Without their drive, ambition and dedication the future for Irish Ultimate would be uncertain.
These voluntary workers, along with the many Tournament Directors, Club Committees, Photographers, and National Teams Fundraisers are doing an immense amount of work in furthering the sport. The IFDA is committed to being open and transparent with all its endeavours
and
is
readily
committee@irishultimate.com
available
for
questions
or
comments
at
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Aims: The aims of the IFDA committee are: o To facilitate the growth of Ultimate Frisbee in Ireland o To promote, encourage and further establish Ultimate at a schools level o To increase participation in the sport at all levels o To ensure all adults playing the game are registered o To increase the profile of Irish Ultimate o To work with South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council at 'Family Days', taster sessions, activity days and other such workshops, further raising the profile of Ultimate. o To bring about the coaching of PE teachers to further schools growth o To offer its expert advice to any budding tournament directors o To formulate tournament guidelines to help new tournament directors & to standardise the way tournaments are run in Ireland
Finance: Each year the committee uses the fees collected from players, clubs and universities for many tasks. Examples of these are the following: o The preparation and production of starters packs for new clubs o The organisation of a number of tournaments throughout the year for IFDA members to participate in including (but not limited to): o several hat tournaments o Indoor Regional’s (Open & Women) o Outdoor Regional’s o The inaugural Mixed All Ireland Championships o The funding of Women’s Indoor Regional’s o The promotion of the National teams through fundraising and sponsorship o The insurance of its members with Alliance o The payment of WFDF affiliation fees o The buying of Discraft discs to sell on to individuals, clubs and schools o The purchasing of EUC DVDs for resale
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Further Work: The committee endeavours to increase playing and learning opportunities for its players each year through various initiatives including:
Irish Sports Council Recognition The committee have been in contact with Federation for Irish Sports with a view to becoming members of this organisation. The committee received a positive response from them and will contact them again in the summer as they are currently reviewing their constitution. Last year the committee set in motion a 3 year plan in order to fulfil ISC criteria on becoming an officially recognised sport on behalf of their members.
The plan is on track to fulfil requirements of ISC recognition in 3 years, with fee paying members and a ratified constitution being two of the measures introduced to help with this process. The plan also involves the auditing of the IFDA accounts, the gathering of accurate censuses and the development of Ultimate across the country. Once recognised the IFDA will be able to work with the Sports Council, apply for grants, register with the National Coaching Training College amongst many other benefits. The criteria for ISC recognition can be made available on request by emailing committee@irishultimate.com
Discs More discs were purchased to keep a supply for our members. Many of these discs will be sold as part of a Schools Kit in an attempt to facilitate the growth of the Schools sector of the IFDA. There are plans to make further orders of discs to ensure that we have a constant supply which is readily available at a competitive rate.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
University Affiliations University fees were collected at the start of the year and were spent primarily on WFDF Affiliation fees and
Insurance
fees.
Individual
membership fees have been collected, and will continue to be collected throughout the year. These fees are necessary to help fund a lot of the committee projects currently in place for the Irish Ultimate community. They are also a prerequisite for Irish Sports Council funding as well as a way of ensuring accuracy in the annual census of Irish Ultimate. For
any
further
queries
about
Finances
contact
SĂŠamas
Kinsella
at
treasurer@irishultimate.com
IFDA Kit Bag The committee sent out a request to its members to donate their old discs back to the IFDA. These discs were gathered together in order for them to be used as a kit bag which could be used by coaches going out to do sessions in schools or coaching clinics elsewhere.
First Aid Kit The committee are in the process of sourcing a First Aid Kit which can be used specifically for its events, and those member events that request it. It will be as comprehensive as possible and it is hoped that it will be maintained by concurrent committees on a regular basis.
Coaching Course The committee attempted to facilitate the running of another Level 1 UKUA Coaching Course in Ireland. When it became apparent that this course would not be happening, the committee decided to develop its own coaching course for its members. This course is currently a work in progress and it is hoped that it will be rolled out before the next University season.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Schools A schools clinic took place on April 19th in which 11 PE teachers attended. Schools from Dublin, Limerick, Meath and Kildare were represented. The IFDA subsidised coaching packs consisting of a coaching manual, 8 discs and a DVD for each school. A forum has also been set up for schools around Ireland to encourage and promote the development of Ultimate in schools in the future.
This clinic will now take place annually if not twice each year. This is the first step towards Ultimate being played throughout schools in Ireland.
Further, the first Schools Tournament will take place on Wednesday 14th May. This event will be hosted by UCD and the IFDA and will bring together new and existing schools ultimate players for an afternoon of open, women’s and mixed games.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
New Pick-Up Coordinator appointed Eoghan Barry recently stepped down as Pick Up Coordinator. The committee would like to thank him for his continued efforts. In a bid to revitalise Pick Up, a new coordinator was appointed. Keith Coleman (pictured) is the new coordinator and the committee would like to wish him all the best in developing pick up, and offer him any assistance he may require in his efforts.
Tournaments The IFDA committee organised the following tournaments for its members:
Indoor Regional’s
Beer Bowl
Rose Bowl
Mixed All Ireland Championships
The running of Outdoor Intervarsities was tendered out and ran by an independent group on behalf of the IFDA. A document outlining Eligibility Guidelines for University events was developed by the committee so as to clarify any questions or problems that its members may have on the matter.
The committee also set up a TD mailing list. A selection of experienced TDs were approached to be members. It is hoped that this will provide a forum for new TDs to ask for help or advice on how to run a tournament. If you wish to avail of this service email td@irishultimate.com
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Beer Bowl & Rose Bowl Both these events ran quite successfully. The committee organised these events on behalf of the IFDA. Although the Beer Bowl was cut short by one game per team due to weather issues, everyone had a good time at both events and the tournaments both more than covered costs. Spring league There was a Spring League planned until UCD Winter League was announced. As the UCD league fulfilled many of the goals of Spring League it was decided to abandon the idea of an IFDA Spring League.
Regional leagues Due to the introduction, and success, of the UCD Winter League a new approach was sought to cater for regional teams. In the past Cork had travelled to Dublin to play in Winter League but this was no longer feasible under the new format.
As such, a regional league idea was developed in conjunction with the teams involved. This proved to be quite successful, especially with the Coaching Clinics which accompanied them. It is hoped that these leagues will be further developed in the next few years with increased participation and frequency.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Mixed All Ireland Championships Saturday 26th April saw Frisbee players from all over the country descend upon St. Anne's Park in Raheny, Irish Ultimate's newest venue, to compete in the first Mixed All Ireland Championships. After a week of speculation from an anonymous e-mailer, it was time for the six teams entered to let the ultimate do the talking.
Pool A saw number one seeds Mixed Veg taking on Last Minute Dropout and Jabba the Huck. Veg started with an 8 - 2 win over LMD, whose next game was against a wellorganised Jabba team. This proved to be one of the many great games of the day, with Jabba scoring the last two points to earn an 8 - 8 draw. This meant that Jabba knew what they had to do against Veg to progress as second seeds in the pool. A strong performance by the vegetables was countered by some great long scores from Jabba and, although they lost, they had done enough to finish ahead of LMD in the pool table.
Pool B started with a comfortable win for Throwing Shapes over Galway. Galway fought hard in the second game against Captain Drinking Binge, but it wasn't enough, as the Binge clinched a tight game in the end. The pool decider came next, with Shapes putting in a strong performance to beat the Binge. Lunch was eaten.
The crossovers followed, and served up a fantastic game between Jabba and Galway. Galway powered into a 10 - 6 lead going into the cap, thanks to some spectacular grabs. Jabba, with their never-say-die attitude, rallied to bring it to 10 - 10. In a tense final point, Jabba got the D and converted to complete a fantastic comeback. In the other crossover, The Binge beat LMD to set up a semi-final with Veg.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
In the semi-finals then, we were treated to a youth against age match in Shapes v Jabba (the TS youth policy has recently seen them recruiting Rickard, enough said...). Age triumphed.
On the other pitch, 'fun' was up against 'success', with Binge trying to prove a point to Mixed Veg. Both teams cracked out a zone, and Veg got a crucial score to make it 9 - 7 after time had been called. Binge responded with the next two points to make it 9 - 9. As the other semi-final had finished, the sideline for the sudden-death point was packed, and the heckling was most impressive. Binge snatched the sudden death point to complete the second remarkable comeback of the day and reach the final.
In the placement games, Last Minute Dropout defeated Galway to take 5th and Mixed Veg completed their second win over Jabba to take third. So, into the final, where Shapes were hoping that their experience would tell, while Binge used some more experimental tactics such as an impressive Iso play that had reaped rewards against Veg. After trading points early on, Shapes pulled away and kept on sticking in the points against a dogged Binge defence to take the final 12 - 5.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
The final standings were as follows:
1. Throwing Shapes 2. Captain Drinking Binge 3. Mixed Veg 4. Jabba the Huck 5. Last Minute Dropout 6. Galway
Spirit winners were Jabba, while Robert Kane was voted MVP of the final.
Hopefully this tournament will give club teams the impetus to follow Jabba's lead and start training more often. Ultimate in Ireland has been dominated by universities thus far, but we are now entering a stage where more and more players are graduating and looking for an outlet. A thriving club scene will accommodate these people as well as anyone else whose only chance of a game is Sunday pickup.
Issue 1
Volume 1
May 2008
Miscellaneous Some other developments which the committee have been involved with were the
creation
of
Deadly Buzz,
the
facilitation of a Mixed Murphy team for Tour and the coordination of friendly matches during the Mohawks visit for the IFDA.
A series of pre-pick up clinics were run over the late winter and early spring. These were geared towards providing skills coaching to everybody who wanted to participate. Following their success in Dublin, an amalgamated version was run prior to the South West league days in Galway and Cork. In addition, only a late cancellation prevented a similar session being run in Letterkenny at the Northern league.
These clinics will resume, along with further IFDA training sessions, in the autumn in preparation for the new university season.
The committee also purchased a batch of DVDs of the European Ultimate Championships 2007 for resale. These can be purchased for â‚Ź10 by contacting any member of the committee or emailing committee@irishiltimate.com The IFDA website is currently being updated and it is hoped that the new version of the site to augment the facilities available currently