‘Elevating Coaching’ – Event Invitation
Ulster University, in partnership with Sport Northern Ireland and NISF, is hosting a Knowledge Exchange Event on Friday 29th May 2026 (09.00–13.00) at the Belfast Campus — and we’d love for you to join us.
Following the success of our 2025 seminar, ‘Advancing Sport Coaching and Development’, many of you will be familiar with the conversations and ideas that emerged on the day. This event has been designed to bring those threads together — to continue the conversation, consolidate key learnings, and, most importantly, co-create actionable solutions for the future of sport coaching in Northern Ireland.
On the day, we will work collectively toward four key objectives:
• Elevating the prominence of coaching within sport and physical activity policies and strategies.
• Researching and promoting the impact and value of sport coaches and coaching.
• Advocating for equitable entry into the sport coaching workforce.
• Advocating for positive operating conditions for sport coaches.
We will also welcome a keynote address from Ciaran Ward ‘Head of High-Performance Coaching at Sport Ireland’, who brings a wealth of experience across coaching, sports development, and research from grassroots to elite level.
This event is proudly sponsored by Connected NI and Ulster University’s School of Sport and Exercise Science, with ambitions to develop a collaborative funding application to support the sector over the next 3–5 years.
If you are involved in sport coaching, coach development, or sport policy in Northern Ireland, we encourage you to register your interest today. This is your opportunity to help shape what comes next.
We very much hope to see you there.
To register for the event – visit: Elevating Coaching – Knowledge Exchange Event | Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
Please do not hesitate to contact myself or other members of the team if you have any questions and please circulate to others who may be interested in attending.