Club History
Dooneen AC was founded in 1976 in Limerick. The founding members were Mary Ryan-Synnott, who was secretary of the club until 1985 and again for a period up to 1991, Denis Hurley, Fergus Curran and Tom Halpin. They were later joined by Martin Walsh. The club is affiliated to Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI), the representative body charged with supporting and developing athletics in Ireland. It began principally as a juvenile club and initially became famous for high jump – the club acquired a high jump and athletes from many clubs in Munster attending to avail of this facility.
Dooneen AC recognises that athletics is an inclusive sport regardless of one’s age or ability – this principle remains a vibrant ethos within the club to this day and is reflected in the considerable number of junior and senior athletes taking out membership annually and attending the various training sessions offered across Limerick City and suburbs.
The current Board of Dooneen AC can be seen here.
Dooneen AC is membership lead and all roles are voluntary in nature. No board member receives any remuneration for their role within the club.
Membership/Catchment Area – The main catchment area for Dooneen AC is Mungret, Dooradoyle, Raheen and Ballybrown areas, though we welcom members from near and far.
The club is currently ranked as the largest juvenile club in Munster with approximately 300 juvenile members. The senior membership continues to grow every year. Our ethos has always been one of participation – athletics is not simply about a podium position – it involves fun, friendship, personal goals and achievements. This is reflected in the membership profile of the club which welcomes athletes of all levels and abilities
Members
Juvenile Members – Dooneen AC caters for athletes from the age of 7 upwards. A wide variety of training is provided including track & field and cross country.
Senior Members – The senior membership continues to grow year on year and we provide a different training schedule for Senior members
Fit for Life Runner – The fit for life programme was designed by AAI as a method of attracting novice runners to join clubs. It is a programme for runners irrespective of whether they are a complete beginner or regular jogger. The fit for life programme helps to achieve improved level of fitness within the club structure.
Our athletes range from 7 years of age to 80 years. We offer a wide variety of programmes including 6 weekly training sessions for juvenile athletes both indoor and outdoor and 8 weekly training sessions for senior and fit for life members. Junior athletes are offered running, jumping, throwing, relays, games, strength and conditioning programmes. Senior Members are offered interval, track & field, strength sessions as well as grass and hill training for all levels and abilities.
We have coaches who are qualified at grade 1, 2 and 3 level coaching according to standards that are set by the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI). In addition, we encourage member lead sessions and our fit for life session is rotated on a member lead basis.