The office of the Irish Judo Association along with the IJA Executive Committee members would like to congratulate Julia O’Connor on successfully graduating from the Sport Ireland Aspire Graduate Programme 2023/4. Through Dormant Account Funding sourced by Sport Ireland, the Irish Judo Association was able to offer Julia an 11 month graduate role within the offices of the Association and on Friday the 22nd March 2024, Julia attended her graduation ceremony with her fellow graduates at the Crowne Plaza Hotel along with the IJA office staff Deirdre & Kristina.
The programme provides work experience for graduates with a newly attained Sports Degree gain valuable knowledge of the inner workings of the National Governing Bodies or Local Sports Partnerships. Speakers on the day, Ciarán Ó hIarnáin, Student Sport Ireland, Eamonn Henry, Offaly Sports Partnership and Deirdre Leonard, Irish Judo Association addressed the graduates and offered words of wisdom to all regarding their journey ahead in sport. We extend our congratulations to Julia & we wish her the very best for a bright future ahead within the sporting community.