BALLINA BOXING CLUB - Key Persons
George Armstrong, who had earlier that day received the sad news of the passing of his brother Tony in England, took the mic and stated that Sean made a huge contribution to boxing in Ballina, that he did it for the love of the sport and with the advancement of young boxers always in mind. It was men like Sean, a founding member of the Ardnaree Boxing Club in 1949, that helped George win his national title in 1956, following on from Noel Coggins, also present on the night, who brought Ardnaree's first national title to the club in 1955. Mr. Jimmy Ralph spoke of Sean's football career at local and county level, and of his prowess at reading the men around him on the field which he combined with his skill to ensure he always wore his jersey with pride. Jimmy stated Sean was tough to play against and a joy to watch in the green and red of Mayo. Liz Murphy of Ballina Athletic Club was quick to acknowledge the contribution to athletics made by Sean: people like him with a proven track record living locally make the job of procuring a training and hosting athletics facility for a town a whole lot easier. Sean had many successes with Ballina Harriers in his youth, winning Mayo and Connaught titles, and his family could always be justly proud of him for his legacy to the sport in his native town. Sean's former workmate, John Willie Morrison, spoke of the Sean he knew and how, through a chance few words exchanged at a boxing training session, Sean landed in a job with C.I.E., later working for Bus Éireann. "You could rely on Sean," Willie stated, " and that was the kind of man you needed, and still need, in the workplace."
Job Titles:
- Child Protection Officer
- Coach / CPO
- Coach With
- Fixtures Secretary
Joe Lavelle is head coach with Ballina Boxing Club and also performs the role of Child Protection Officer. His experience and knowledge of the sport is a tremendous asset to the club and his time is given freely to one and all to further the skill levels of the boxing community in Ballina. A Mayo Boxing Board Hall of Fame Award recipient, he is known and respected as a genuine boxing man up and down the whole island of Ireland. Over the years he has organised club tournaments between Ballina Boxing Club and English and Welsh clubs, notably Bedford BC, St. Pancras BC in London, Birmingham BC, Leeds/Yourshire BC and Highfield BC in Wales. He was instrumental in having the Ballina Boxing Club host the Rafako Hussars, Poland, in a pre-Olympic 16-day training camp in December 2015, and which led to an invitation to participate in a multi-nations tournament in Kielce in 2017, and to return for the event in 2018.
Ballina Boxing Club has received huge sponsorship over the years from The Merry Monk pub and restaurant, built and owned by Joe, and anybody who knows Joe would say he is generous to a fault. He is the driving force behind the plan to construct a new multi-functional training arena in Ballina which would be available to the local community as well as giving a venue to Ballina Boxing Club and others to showcase their sport to wider audiences. This new venture will be managed by Ballina Community Sports and Leisure Centre and will be available for use during their opening hours, 0900 to 2200 daily, and by prior arrangement at other times in the case of exceptional need.
Mr. Pat Ryan, President IABA, attended the 2017 tournament and he was delighted with proceedings. He was highly impressed with the smooth flowing of the competition and the co-operation received from the audience, the officials, boxers and coaches. On spotting Brian Rocky O'Donnell's international certification as a first-aid giver on display on the gym wall, he remarked that, with younger coaches like Rocky taking up the coaching/mentoring challenge, all will be well with boxing in Ballina for many years to come. Brian Rocky O'Donnell is currently leading the drive to fund a defibrillator for the gym: he is a trained operator of this specialized unit. Ballina Boxing Club would like to thank Mayo Boxing Board for nominating the following officials for the tournament: Peter Mullen, Tournament Inspector (St. Anne's); Pat McDonagh R/J (Geesala), Charlotte Murray R/J (St. Anne's), Jenny Murray R/J (Eagle), and the club would also like to thank Mr. Billy Rice R/J (Knockmore/Foxford) and Mr. Eddie McDonnell R/J (Fenchpark) for officiating. Medical: Gillian Lavelle. Special word of thanks to Joe Lavelle of The Merry Monk for sponsoring the event.