Coaching the Female Athlete: Unlock expert insights with our online seminar

Tonight (Tuesday March 4th), as part of Women in Sport Week, Sport Ireland is hosting a free online seminar that brings together leading sporting experts to discuss knowledge gaps and share strategies around coaching female athletes. 

More than 500 people have already registered to attend ‘Coaching the Female Athlete’, which runs from 8-9pm. To book your place click here.  

The online seminar will be hosted by Bethany Carson, Women in Sport Manager (WIS) at Sport Ireland and a former Irish international swimmer.  

Among the topics that will be discussed will be Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). RED-S is a condition of low energy availability affecting all athletes but more commonly seen in females of all levels and ages. We will look at the warning signs, how to support the athlete and when to look for further help. 

The panel will also discuss the importance of appreciating your body for what it can do, not what it looks like.  

A recent Sport Ireland video, Body Composition: More than a Number, focuses on that topic. 

Bethany will be joined by Danielle Logue, Performance Nutritionist at Sport Ireland Institute and sports lecturer at Ulster University.   

Danielle has worked with athletes in sports such as hockey, gymnastics, athletics, Gaelic games and cycling. Her role orientates around the detection and prevention of RED-S.   

Also on the panel is SarahJane Cullen, Associate Professor in Sport & Exercise Physiology in the School of Health & Human Performance in DCU and Sport Physiology Senior Consultant at Sport Ireland Institute.  

SarahJane has previously prepared a wide range of athletes for competitions, including multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

SarahJane chaired the multi-disciplinary working group in Body Composition in the Sport Ireland Institute, raising awareness and understanding of the complexities of body composition as a performance variable.  

Mark Kenneally, Performance Endurance Lead at Athletics Ireland, will also join the discussion. Mark competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in the men’s marathon and has a Masters in sports and exercise medicine.   

Sport Ireland is today also launching its redeveloped Coaching Teenage Girls workshop. 

This workshop is aimed at supporting and educating coaches to specificities of teenage girls and sport.  

Delivered in an interactive format, the workshop offers opportunities for experience sharing while equipping coaches with best practice solutions they can adapt to their own setting. Our video explores how the workshop benefits coaches and their athletes.