Dealgan Boxing Club coach Anto Donnelly has been returned as the President of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA), Anto also became a member of the Board of Directors of the IABA at the central council meeting.
Anto, has been a boxing coach for 32 years and along with his fellow coaches has helped thousands of kids both young and old inside the walls of Dealgan Boxing Club which is located in Marian Park.
Having been both the secretary of the County boxing board as well as sitting on the Leinster Provincial Council, Anto decided to put his name forward for the top job in Irish boxing. According to Anto, there has been a lot of turmoil in the association over a number of years and rather than moan about it he decided to try and step up to the plate to try and get Irish boxing back on track.
“It’s well known in boxing circles that the association has been through many years of turmoil and I thought it was about time I try and step up to the plate to try and fix things rather than sit back and moan about it. I contacted a number of clubs across the country and set out my stall. I explained what needed to be changed in my opinion to get the association back running functionally again and obviously what I said struck a chord as was shown by my election as President,” explained Anto.
“I want to stand up for boxers and coaches. There has been a breakdown in communication between the hierarchy in the IABA and the volunteers on the ground who give their time freely a number of nights every week. We need to build bridges and I am painfully aware that I have a big job in front of me but I’m passionate about this and determined to fix the problems,” he added.
“I’ve been coaching 32 years and it can be tough when you are being overlooked for grants or struggling to pay the bills. A frustrating week can be followed by a positive week and that can be through seeing the enthusiastic faces of the young kids coming through the door and getting exercise in a happy friendly environment. That is why we keep fighting to improve things for them.
“Boxing is our most successful sport but there is a stigma attached to boxing as primarily the clubs are generally situated in low economic areas. The funding we receive from government simply doesn’t reflect the work we are doing for them. The general public only think about boxing every four years when it is time for the Olympics. That is only the tip of the iceberg. 99% of the iceberg is under the water and happens in the clubs around the country four or five nights a week thanks to the dedication of volunteers.
“The general public don’t see what we do for the HSE with our anti-obesity programmes. They don’t see the work we do to help young kids mental health. Without boxing many kids would be lost and tempted to go down the road of anti-social behaviour. We are curbing anti-social behaviour in low economic areas where 99% of boxing clubs are situated. We strive for the scraps in government funding after the GAA and soccer clubs are getting the majority of the funds. Nothing against either of those sports as they do great work too but we have to be fair about this.
“”Through those storms we are still here. From here on in I will try to ensure that everybody involved in boxing in this country is pulling in the same direction. If we all pull together and don’t dwell on the past we can learn from mistakes that have been made and create fairness for everybody.
“Boxing clubs, boxers and coaches are the fundamental building blocks of the association. We must increase transparency, communication and policy and protocol and make everything fair. Maybe I’m a fantasist but isn’t it better we try and strive for this than not try at all? Respect is a motorway. It goes both ways. If we can do all of what I am saying we can make a hell of a go at improving the Association over the next two years,” concluded Anto.
