Ulster Sports Academy

the fusion project - with Carberry Holiday Parks

The Ulster Sports Academy is engaged in a 2 year cross border knowledge and technology transfer project with Carberry Holiday Parks funded by Intertrade Ireland. Carberry Holiday Parks offers 385 mobile homes and 42 holiday cabins for sale and rent to visitors and tourists to Kerrykeel, Co Donegal and Clogherhead, Co Lough. The aim of the project is to design and build a sport complex at Rockhill Caravan & Cabin Park, Kerrykeel. Co Donegal and to implement innovative sport and recreation programmes that will integrate with the needs of both customers and the local community.

This FUSION project provides the University with a unique opportunity to work in a cross border partnership to disseminate the innovatory practice that it demonstrates in its Sports Outreach Programmes. Its’ programme has been used by Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) as an exemplar of good practice in good school-community youth sport development and by Sport Relief for its contribution to cross community sports development.

The project proposed aims to develop the principles and best practice of community sports development by engaging in consultation with all possible user groups in order to determine the best possible facility design to maximise community usage and ownership. The facility will respond to holiday park visitors and local community sport, exercise and leisure needs. It will do this by designing and constructing a Sports Complex that will meet the needs of the variety of user groups.

In conjunction with the facility construction an innovative community sports outreach programme will be established in order to offer the local community and visitors to the park participation opportunities that have not existed before. The latter will include the initiation of a Community Sports Club, which will offer a range of activities for the local and Holiday Park population of all ages and traditions. By engaging in this project the University of Ulster will contribute to the economic, cultural and social development of Kerrykeel, Co Donegal. It will succeed in transferring knowledge and expertise in the area of sport to the Republic of Ireland.

Project Staff

Dr Deirdre Brennan Senior Lecturer in Sports Studies

Dr Brennan has experience working in the secondary and tertiary education sectors. Her subject specialisms include Physical Education and Women in Sport. She has experience working with National Governing Bodies of Sport particularly in the area of basketball development. She is currently programme director for the very successful University Sports Outreach Programme an innovative programme of activities which is designed to widen access to the University of Ulster for children, young people and adults across Northern Ireland. Dr Brennan is a trained and active coach educator and basketball coach.

Mr Shane Mc Cullough Lecturer in Sports Coaching & Development

Mr McCullough has experience working for and with National Governing Bodies of Sport particularly in the area of youth sport development in soccer. He was programme manager for the very successful ‘City Sport- Soccer’ a government funded soccer development programme run by the IFA. He recently left the position of programme manager for Sport Belfast an interagency sports development network, which was funded by Sports Council for Northern Ireland & Belfast City Council. The latter involved significant work on the New Opportunities Fund programme for Physical Education and Sport. Mr McCullough is a trained and active coach educator and soccer coach.