The man credited with bringing basketball to Carlow town is to be recognised on the national – albeit virtual – stage next week.
Vinnie Homan of Carlow Basketball club is among the recipients this year of the Federation of Irish Sport’s Volunteers in Sport Awards and is the Carlow winner.
In just five years, Homan helped grow the membership of the town club from 20 to over 200, “creating a diverse, inclusive, joyful club that has a culture of fun and personal growth placed before the drive to win”, per organisers.
Vinnie has given every free minute he has to the running and development of the club over the last five years and he does it all with a smile on his face. More recently, Vinnie has introduced initiatives to actively encourage parents to get involved in their children’s experience within the club, driving volunteers towards the club and laying foundations within the community so that the club can continue to thrive in the future.
Homan is among six winners in total from the world of basketball.
The Kilkenny recipient is May Hutt who is being recognised for her volunteer work over the past 30 years with Kilkenny City Harriers.
The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year.
This equates to approximately 37.3 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 13,000 registered sports clubs and associations and, according to Sport Ireland’s 2021 ‘Researching the Value of Sport in Ireland’ report, is worth an estimated €1.5bn to the exchequer.
You can read more about the other basketball recipients here.
The Leinster round of the awards will be streamed on the Federation of Irish Sport’s Facebook page on Tuesday next, 7 December.