Gymnastics Northern Ireland 2011

 

Background

 

Originally formed in 1895 as the Ulster Gymnastics Association, Gymnastics Northern Ireland (GNI) is a not-for-profit organisation that acts as the governing body for the sport throughout the country.

 

The disciplines involved under the umbrella of gymnastics are;

· Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG)

· Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG)

· Trampolining:(TRAM)

· Acrobatics: Sports Acrobatics and Tumbling (SA)

· Rhythmic: Rhythmic Gymnastics (RG)

· Disability; (GMPD)

· General Gymnastics; (GG)

 

The Association currently represents 34 clubs. All income received by the Association is used solely for to further the objects of the association.

 

Governance of gymnastics in Northern Ireland

 

GNI is currently governed by a Management Board which delegates responsibility to Discipline Technical Committees for the control and development of their own particular activities. The Joint Technical Committee acts as the channel for these technical committees to work together and cohesively develop the sport as a whole. A number of other committees also exist such as the Finance and Audit Committee and Development Committee. There are also a number of small working sub-groups that are set up as and when required e.g. marketing sub-group. All these committees are comprised of volunteers.

 

The Management Board has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of the governing body and business development, dealing with all business and strategic issues. This includes overseeing the implementation of strategic plans, operational plans, rules, policies and procedures to ensure that affiliated clubs are acting in a safe and effective manner. The Technical Committees primarily deal with issues involving competitions, performance pathways, development plans, competition rules and regulations, squad selection and any other pertinent technical areas.

 

 

Current Profile of the Sport

Participation numbers:

Previous research carried out in Northern Ireland ascertained that approximately 95,000 young people regularly take part in gymnastics in school; over 36,000 young people regularly participate in extra curricular gymnastics; and in excess of 8,500 participate within gymnastics clubs.

 

Currently competitive gymnasts affiliate directly to British Gymnastics and/or Irish Gymnastics as they so wish. According to the last membership year, 2006-07, there are 196 competitive gymnasts registered with British Gymnastics and 5000+ recreational gymnasts.  

 

 

Gymnastics Northern Ireland Constitution