Cycling Ireland Announce Appointment of Regional Development Officers
Three new Regional Development Officer positions have been created and filled, highlighting Cycling Ireland’s commitment to growing cycling from the grassroots up.
Regional Development Officers have been hired for Connacht, Leinster and Munster – Daire Feeley, Gráinne Hanley and Stevie Griffin.
The purpose of each of the roles will be to work in partnership with the provinces and affiliated cycling clubs within the region to drive participation in cycling activities, initiatives, and events.
Created as part of the Participation Department in Cycling Ireland, each Regional Development Officer will work closely with stakeholders within their province, working alongside cycling clubs to engage and encourage youth members across all cycling disciplines.
They will work across disciplines and will provide an essential link between Cycling Ireland and Local Sports Partnerships and County Councils.
A large part of the role will be assisting with clubs and facilitate Cycling Ireland programmes, including working closely with Cycle Right Trainers and assisting with programmes such as Community Bike Rides and Women in Wheels within each province.
Speaking about the creation of these roles and the role they will play, Cycling Ireland Participation Manager Paul Norton said:
"As Participation Manager, I am delighted to welcome Daire, Gráinne and Stevie to the team as Regional Development Officers for Connacht, Leinster and Munster.
“This is the first time in Cycling Ireland's history that we have a dedicated Development Officer for each province, as well as having a Youth Development Officer and Club Development Officer in Ulster. These are very exciting times for our sport and I'm very much looking forward to what the future holds.
“Gráinne, Daire and Stevie will be focused on developing our clubs and growing participation in the sport, with a particular focus on youth. Other core areas the RDO's will focus on will be in the area of Women in Sport, minority groups, older adults and Community Bike Rides and supporting events, both leisure and competitive."
Munster Regional Development Officer, Stevie Griffin has been a longtime member of Tralee Bicycle Club, including being secretary for close on 10 years.
Talking about his involvement in local cycling, Griffin said:
“I’ve been involved in the grassroots side of development at a local level rather than a wider scale but I’m keen to use my understanding of the nuances of cycling to help to grow cycling across all disciplines across the province, I have been involved in the organising of races over the years such as the Lacey Cup since 2016 and was part of a small committee that brought back Rás Mumhan in 2022.”
Griffin began cycling while studying Adventure Tourism Management, when he started Mountain Biking.
“Watching Philip Deignan in the 2014 Vuelta a Espana is what pushed me out to buy a road bike and then join up with Tralee Bicycle Club.”
Talking about what he hopes to bring to this new position, he said:
“I aim to encourage more people to engage with various cycling disciplines across the province. Munster has incredible potential for developing off-road facilities, and I am eager to contribute to this growth.
“I am most looking forward to seeing our sport expand and become more inclusive for everyone and to help foster pathways to ensure life-time participation in cycling.”
Grainne Hanley is the Regional Development Officer for Leinster. She comes to the role with a wealth of cycling knowledge and experience.
“I have a varied career in cycling to date, in Ireland, the UK and Kuwait and am excited to bring my cycling experience, university cycling and sports degrees, British Cycling and UCI coaching awards and professional experience in cycling and my love of the sport to the role.”
Hanley is a UCI Level 4 Coach, having completed the Certificate of Advance Studies (CAS) in Cycling Coaching. She was one of 17 selected by UCI and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland to attend their first course at this level.
On top of this Hanley obtained a Foundation Degree in Cycling Performance and BSc (Hons) in Sports and Exercise Performance from Writtle University College, Essex. While in college she was heavily involved in cycling team. She obtained British Cycling coaching awards and coached at the Lee Valley Velopark, gaining an insight into the GB Development Pathway.
“I have been involved in cycling in a wide and varied capacity including racing, coaching and developing individuals, teams and clubs, race organisation and team support, and regional and national commission member. "
Hanley returned to home Ireland from Kuwait last summer, where she was Head Cycling Coach with the Strada Academy. Hanley remains involved in the UK Team OnForm and as and consultant coach for Nottingham University cycling team.
Speaking about the role with Nottingham University, she said:
“This role again allows me access to the GB development and pathway stages through team riders and also the opportunity to shadow coaching colleagues at regional development sessions.
“I learned and practiced what is involved in all aspect of cycling, from coaching various cycling disciplines, for all ages and ability, to the development of riders and pathway structures.
“I look forward to putting all my experiences and knowledge into practice within this role, working with all the stakeholders in Leinster and to develop and grow cycling for all ages and abilities.”
Daire Feeley is the new Connacht Regional Development Coach, coming to the role with experience in youth cycling development within the province.
One of Ireland’s top domestic road cyclists and the 2022 Rás Tailteann champion, Feeley is an active member of the Irish cycling community and is excited to get to work in driving participation in cycling across all levels in the province.
“I'm excited to start as the new Development Officer for Connacht. My previous job focused on helping young cyclists, and now I'll work on improving cycling for everyone in Connacht.”
“With my experience and connections across the country, I'm ready to quickly start new projects. We have a great team of Development Officers all over Ireland. Together, we'll come up with great ideas to help grow cycling both for fun and competitively.”
“This is an exciting time for Cycling Ireland, as we haven't had Development Officers like this in a long time. I'm also looking forward to using what I learned from my coaching degree to make cycling better for everyone.”
You can contact our Regional Development Officers at the following emails:
Stevie Griffin, Munster - stevie.griffin@cyclingireland.ie
Grainne Hanley, Leinster - grainne.hanley@cyclingireland.ie
Daire Feeley, Connacht - daire.feeley@cyclingireland.ie