Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - News - As Barack Obama Becomes President the Irish FA Look to America for Inspiration

21 January 2009

As Barack Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president - and its first African-American leader, The Irish Football Association is spreading its wings to America in an attempt to improve its image and Community Relations.

Selected representatives from rugby, the GAA, Sport NI, the IFA, University of Ulster and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure all recently participated in a study trip to Boston and Houston in December.

The trip was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and organised by the Boston College Irish Institute. Irish FA Senior Manager and Head of Community Relations, Michael Boyd, was selected to represent the football body.

Particular emphasis of the trip focused in on community building, encouraging Volunteer participation and fundraising.

This once in a lifetime opportunity involved meeting with among others, senior management representatives from The Boston Celtics, The Boston Red Sox, Reebok, The Houston Rockets, The Houston Dynamos, the North Eastern University, Rice University and The Houston Astros.

Michael explains why the trip was a success for the Irish FA and how learning from the trip will assist football in Northern Ireland to improve its image and promote positive Community Relations:

“The learning and network of contacts developed on this trip are very valuable to the Irish FA as we continue to develop our Football For All Community Relations strategy which aims to strengthen the identity of Northern Ireland Football and make the sport of football here more inclusive.

With support from the European Union the IFA’s Community Relations Department will use this new learning to further mainstream Community Relations at the Irish FA and to work with all key partners to create a more fun, safe and inclusive culture throughout the sport of Football in Northern Ireland. Key aspects of learning from the trip include the importance of celebrating shared heritage and the importance of empowering Volunteers. The Irish FA has a very rich heritage that all Football Fans from Northern Ireland should be proud of; we must celebrate this shared heritage together in a strategic manner and build a shared future for everyone from Northern Ireland to enjoy the sport of football in a fun and safe environment. With some fresh and exciting new ideas from the American Study Trip we look forward to working with all our partners to meet this challenge”.

For further information contact Michael Boyd on 07894614328 or mboyd@irishfa.com