Killarney Valley AC stalwart Jean Courtney is the Kerry winner of the 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards

Jean Courtney of Killarney Valley AC has been named the Kerry winner of the 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards, announced today by the Federation of Irish Sport, and supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships.

Jean has volunteered at the Killarney Valley AC for 20 years and was the driving force behind the rebrand of the club into what it is today, recognising the appetite for an Athletics Club in the area.

The club has thrived under her leadership and Jean is the heart and soul of it, training every single week to get the best out of the athletes. For the last 20 years she has been the person who enters every athlete into each competition locally and nationally. She rarely misses a competition and has been driving athletes all over Ireland for the last two decades. The success of the club is in no small way down to Jean’s commitment and there would be no athletics club in Killarney without her hard work and determination.

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. Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne TD is the special guest speaker at the awards, which will take place next Wednesday at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown and hosted by sports broadcaster Gráinne McElwain.

The event will see volunteers from all 32 counties honoured for their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports. Guests will also include key stakeholders from the sector. The overall Outstanding Achievement Award will be revealed on the day.

Throughout December and January members of the public, sports clubs and governing bodies were invited by the Federation of Irish Sport in partnership with the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport and physical activity in Ireland has made a real difference to their community, club or county.

Following a shortlisting process by the Selection Committee, the judging panel consisting of 9 individuals drawn from sports administration, academia, the volunteer community and media, and included former Director General of the GAA, Paraic Duffy, RTÉ broadcaster, Marie Crowe and Declan Jordan, Senior Lecturer in Economics at UCC.