Gymnastics Ireland hits 20,000 Members

Membership for Gymnastics Ireland has, for the first time, surpassed 20,000 direct members. This is a reflection of the ever increasing popularity of the sport amongst both children and adults in Ireland and further solidifies gymnastics as one of the largest Olympic sports in the country. 
 
The membership base of Gymnastics Ireland is nationally spread and engages in the sport from participation through to performance levels. Outside Gymnastics Ireland’s direct membership gymnastics is one of the few mandatory sports in the Physical Education curriculum in Ireland. The combination of the two in addition to the huge public profile of our sport both nationally and globally is helping to fuel growth & interest and new clubs are springing up nationwide. 
 
Through our recently launched Strategic Plan for 2016-2020, we aim to continue the impressive development and growth of our sport nationally while establishing Ireland as a leading gymnastics nation internationally. Ciaran Gallagher, CEO of Gymnastics Ireland feels that the future is bright and full of opportunity as we look towards the next Olympic Cycle...
 
“Hitting 20,000 members for the Sept 2015-2016 membership year shows our sport is in a state of growth. This is an increase of approx 4000 members on the previous membership year and as we move post Rio all signs point to further growth for this new membership year. This is important as it isn't just a number, it shows a growing & engaged community of gymnastics fans who's passion for our sport is driving its development in Ireland. This trend of growth is replicated the world over, our sport is now a category 1 Olympic sport and one of the most watched sports during Games time with huge global TV audiences. The dedicated coverage this year from our own national broadcaster RTE clearly highlights the popularity of the sport among the wider general public in Ireland plus the media coverage of our own Kieran Behan & Ellis O'Reilly was superb from print through to online & TV media outlets. Its a good time to be involved in our sport as we head towards Tokyo 2020, a key aim for us now is in this new cycle as per our new strategic plan is to help our clubs grow so they can begin to provide for the many waiting lists that exist for our clubs nationwide.”