Thursday is the best day of the week. 

It's the night Timekile Hiana plays volleyball at the local Edenderry Volleyball Club as part of a programme developed through Sport4Empowerment. In her own words, even the stress of a hard week “just vanishes into thin air.” Timekile came to Ireland through the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) system. Through playing volleyball with locals and new friends, a foreign land has started to feel like home.

The Co-Designed Programme

Sport4Empowerment (S4E), Sport Ireland’s ESF+ programme supports people at risk of social exclusion and poverty. In Offaly, the Sport4Empowerment programme helps connect residents of a local IPAS centre to integrate with the local community through involvement in a volleyball club. Delivered by Offaly Local Sports Partnership’s ESF+ Social Innovation in sport Officer David McCaffrey, and co-designed with participants, the programme’s aim is to “pilot and implement a range of new innovative programmes that enhance wellbeing, training, education and the economic prospects of all the participants. IPAS residents now feel valued, this is testament to a local social innovation piece.” 

At the Court

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, the court is busy, filled with different nationalities and languages and players of every level of experience. English has improved, friendships have formed, and people who once felt isolated now look forward to coming down every week.

“Thursday is the best day of the week. Even if I’m stressed…it vanishes into thing air. I love volleyball with the core of my heart!” said Timekile Hiana, participant in the ESF+ programme. 

What began as an integration initiative is now something bigger: a fully inclusive club where everyone is valued and included. “Tuesday and Thursday nights here are a fun night, we look forward to them coming down every week, it's like a big family club”. Eddie Hurst Chairperson Edenderry Volleyball Club. 

About Sport4Empowerment

Sport4Empowerment is a national programme led by Sport Ireland that uses sport and physical activity to support social inclusion. Delivered by Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland and co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the programme works alongside people who face barriers to participating in sport, ensuring their stories are shared with care, consent, and dignity.

This project is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.