Irish Judo Association

To ensure that your query reaches the right person, please read below or visit the left-hand side panel on our website and click on ‘Executive Board & Staff Profiles’ where you will find information about our Executive Committee Members, Staff Members, and Commissions. Staff titles and email addresses are listed below each picture for your convenience.

For queries regarding:

• Insurance, Legislation, Finance, Affiliation and Compliance – Please contact the Office Manager – Ms. Deirdre Leonard at deirdre.leonard@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Memberships, Club Gradings, Vetting, Coaching, Online Shop – Please contact the Senior Office Administrator – Ms. Kristina Verenac at kristina.verenac@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Finance queries relating to supporting the Office Manager – Please contact the Finance Administrator – Ms. Kim Duggan at kim.duggan@irishjudoassociation.ie
• For Events and News posts for the IJA Website – Please contact the IJA Admin Team at admin@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Social media and Communications – Please contact Ms. Emma Scott at socialmedia@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Women in Sports programme – Please contact the Women in Sports Officer – Ms. Ellie Dennis at eleanor.dennis@irishjudoassociation.ie
• National High-Performance Programe – Please contact the National Performance Lead Mr. Nathon Burns at nathon.burns@irishjudoassociation.ie
• National High-Performance Administration, Social Media Posts regarding National Squad and Performance Squad – Please contact the Operations Officer for Performance Team – Ms. Sami Smithson at samantha.smithson@irishjudoassociation.ie
• National Gradings – Please contact the Head of Grading Commission – Mr. Harry McGuigan at harry.mcguigan@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Competitions – Please contact the Head of Competitions Commission – Mr. Leo Gibbons at leo.gibbons@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Adaptive Judo – Please contact the Head of Adaptive Commission – Ms. Peggy Magee at peggy.magee@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Veterans – Please contact the Head of Veterans Commission – Mr. Paul Cummins at lydia.ritchie@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Refereeing – Please contact the Head of Refereeing Commission – Mr. Michael Power at michael.power@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Coaching – Please contact the Head of Coaching Commission – Ms. Noreen O’Loughlin at noreen.oloughlin@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Kata – Please contact the Head of Kata Commission – Mr. Peter Wells at peter.wells@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Governance – Please contact the Head of Governance Commission – Mr. Michael Power at michael.power@irishjudoassociation.ie
• Youth – Please contact the Heads of Youth Commission – Mr. Paul Pender at paul.pender@irishjudoassociation.ie or Ms. Emma Scott at emma.scott@irishjudoassociation.ie

The Irish Judo Association (IJA) provides Personal Accident cover as part of your IJA membership. Below are the details of the coverage:

1. Death: €25,000 (restricted to €10,000 for children under 16 or older if in full-time education)
2. Loss of sight (one or both eyes): €25,000
3. Loss of one or more limbs: €25,000
4. Permanent total loss of speech: €25,000
5. Permanent total loss of hearing:
   • In one ear: €12,000
   • In both ears: €25,000
6. Permanent total disablement: €25,000
7. Temporary total disablement: Not covered
8. Temporary partial disablement: Not covered
9. Medical expenses: Up to €2,500 (excess: €100)

(expenses of up to €500 for dental treatment provided that such expenses are incurred within 72 hours of the Accident)

10.  Physiotherapy: Up to €300 (excess: €50)

If you are injured while practicing judo & have medical expenses:

• Inform your Club Coach of your injury in the first instance on the day of injury.
• Consult your GP or medical consultant for advice on the required medical care.
• Pay for your medical expenses upfront.
• Request a claim form from the IJA by emailing admin@irishjudoassociation.ie.
• Submit the completed claim form to the insurance company for reimbursement of medical expenses related to the injury, within the benefit limits listed above.

Important Notes:

• IJA Licence must be valid and in date at the time of injury.
• If an IJA Licence is not valid and in date at time of injury, you are not covered.
• Your Club Coach must complete an Injury Report Form.
• Claims must be submitted within one year of the injury.
• The IJA does not handle claims directly, claims are handled by the IJA Insurance Broker
• The IJA does not liaise or communicate with doctors or hospitals.
• This coverage is not health insurance but Personal Accident cover, so it does not include a list of specific surgeries or treatments. The IJA Personal Accident Cover does not cover costs in public or private hospitals.

If you need further assistance or a claim form, please contact us at admin@irishjudoassociation.ie.

Unfortunately, we do not have a card machine available in the IJA office, so we cannot process payments over the phone. The best and easiest way to make a purchase is through our online shop.

You can return any items purchased from us if they are unwashed, unused, and still in their original packaging. To initiate a return, please email us at admin@irishjudoassociation.ie and let us know whether you prefer a full refund or a replacement item, or you can leave a note stating your selection on the receipt and send it back to us with your purchased item.

Please keep the following in mind:

• We need to ensure that the returned item is in its original condition before any refund or exchange can be processed.
• If there is a price difference between the original item and the replacement, we will either refund you the difference or require you to pay the additional cost if the new item is more expensive.
• If you are exchanging for another item, please specify the desired size of the judogi or belt.
• The buyer is responsible for return postage to us, while we will cover the shipping costs for sending the replacement item back to you.
• The address for returns is: Irish Judo Association, Irish Sport HQ, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin, D15 DY62

Choosing the right size of your judogi is crucial for both comfort and performance. A well-fitting judogi should allow for a full range of motion without being too loose or too tight. Here are some key points to consider:

• Sleeves: When your arms are extended, the sleeves should reach your wrist bone.
• Pants: The pants should reach your ankle bone.
• Waistband: It should fit snugly but not be constricting.
• Jacket Closure: The jacket should close without any gaps.

Our judogi sizes are labelled in centimetres (e.g., “160cm”) and increase in increments of 10cm, ranging from 110cm to 200cm. A quick guide to measure your child or yourself for a judogi is to take height measurements in centimetres from the base of the neck to the ankle bone, the height noted e.g., 158cm would mean a guideline suit size of 160cm.

The traditional colour for judogi is white. We also offer blue judogis, which are permitted for training and certain competitions.

Please note that we do not provide services for adding patches or embroidery; this should be arranged through a third-party service.

The IJA app is for members over 13 years of age and it is available for both Apple iPhone and Android phones.

The main features of the app include:
• IJA Individual Licence available to view with next expiry date noted
• IJA Current Grade noted as per gradings submitted by clubs or achieved at National Gradings
• Link to the IJA Events Page on IJA Website
• Link to the IJA News Page on IJA Website
• Link to the IJA Club Page on IJA Website
• Access to Grading Syllabus Videos to assist with grading preparation

How to Register Your Licence?
1. Download the relevant app to your device.
2. Enter the email address and licence number used to purchase/register your IJA membership.
3. Request Activation Code
(The same email address cannot be used for multiple membership app downloads – one email address per member only)

4. Enter the activation code sent to your email account
5. Activate Licence
6. Once the ‘Success’ window is displayed, click the ‘Confirm’ button

Troubleshooting & Notes
• IJA Licence Number – Check it is correct. Check the format: the IJA licence will be one of the following (allowing for various updates over the years to IJA licence numbering system):
– Starts with letter C, J or S, followed by four numbers, e.g. J0943
– Has five numbers, e.g. 26425
– Starts with shortened year (22), followed by a Hyphen (-), then numbers, e.g. 22-1529
• Email Address – Check it is correct. Check if it is the same email used to register membership for registration to the IJA Database ‘Hajime’.
• If the IJA membership was registered via your club email address, contact your coach to make arrangements to get your email address updated in the IJA Database ‘Hajime’.
• The IJA membership shows expiry date pre 01.01.2026 – Have you renewed your licence yet? Once Hajime is updated with annual membership, the expiry date will automatically be updated as well.
• The IJA Grade is different – Check with your club coach to ensure that the most recent grading was submitted to us. Once Hajime is updated with the club grading, your grade will update as well.
• Are you over 13? If not, you will have to wait until you turn 13, or your parent or guardian can download the app to their device.
• Maximum of two devices can be used per account.

Yes, you can change clubs at any point during the year! To do so, please send us an email at admin@irishjudoassociation.ie to let us know about your club change. If your home address has also changed, kindly include your new address in the email so we can update your profile and send your new membership card to the correct location.

Please remember to also inform your current club coach about your departure. This helps ensure a smooth transition and keeps everyone updated.

Yes, you can get a new card at no cost. To request a replacement, please send us an email to admin@irishjudoassociation.ie. Be sure to inform us if you have changed your address since your card was issued, and we will ensure that your new card is sent to you as soon as possible.

Yes, we recognize grades from all officially affiliated judo organizations to the EJU/IJF. To ensure that your grade is included on your new membership card, please submit confirmation of your grade as soon as possible. This can be in the form of a scan or a photo of your certificate of grade or grading book, whichever is applicable emailed to admin@irishjudoassociation.ie

To renew your membership, simply navigate to the top of our website. You will find Membership listed as the first link in the left-hand menu. Click on it to access our online form, where you’ll see all pricing details and relevant information at the top. Scroll down to find the current membership renewal form, which is structured in three easy steps.

Alternatively, you can renew your membership through your club. Please note that this option may have a longer processing time compared to the online renewal.

Thank you for your interest, we’re happy to hear you wish to assist the coaching personnel in one of our clubs!

The first step would be to speak to the Head Coach of the club you or your family member is training in to see where you can be of assistance, as some clubs only have a limited number of personnel they require.

Those interested in coaching will need to bring their existing coaching certificate or join one of the IJA Coaching Courses that are held throughout the year.

Those interested in volunteering don’t require a First Aid certificate, only Safeguarding 1 certificate and Vetting disclosure.

Depending on your new role, please see below for the documentation that needs to be send to admin@irishjudoassociation.ie:

Vetting (Coaches and Volunteers)

If you live in Ireland, you will be required to be vetted through our organisation. For this, you will need to fill out the NVB-1 Garda Vetting Form and have it validated.

List of the Approved IJA Validators.

• Applicant’s Head Club Coach
• Children’s Officer of Applicant’s Club
• Provincial Chairperson
• IJA Board member
• IJA Office Staff member

Please note that in order to have your form validated, you will be required to bring your physical documents (scans or photos of the ID’s will not be accepted) along with a proof of your address. For the detailed information on what is accepted and how the procedure works, please read the Vetting Procedures Document. The cost of vetting through the IJA is €12.50 and the vetting disclosure expires after 3 years from the date of the issue.

If you live in the NI, we will accept the in-date Access NI disclosure.

If you live in the UK, we will accept the in-date DBS disclosure.

Safeguarding 1 (Coaches and Volunteers)

Please see the following link to register with your Local Sports Partnership: https://www.sportireland.ie/participation/lsp-contact-finder

Once completed – the Safeguarding 1 certificate lasts 3 years from the date of the issue.

First Aid (Coaches only)

We recommend the following First Aid course suppliers:

Resus First Aid – email: resusfirstaidireland@gmail.com (contact: Ray Stears)

Croke Training Services Galway – email: finolacroke@yahoo.com or phone: 087-900010 (contact: Finola Croke)

We also accept other First Aid certificates as long as the course was completed with an official first aid provider.

Please refer to the dates stated on the First Aid certificates to see when they expire, as this differs from provider to provider, and they can range from 1-3 years.

If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us at admin@irishjudoassociation.ie. We are here to help and will get back to you as soon as possible!