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Mary Sharp was today honoured for her tireless commitment to the sport of cricket in Ireland at Volunteers in Sport Awards, where she received the National Administrator Award from Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD.
The Volunteers in Sport Awards 2014 took place today at the Aviva Stadium, and are presented by the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, the Irish Sports Council the Federation of Irish Sport and the Community Foundation of Ireland.

A model of professionalism, Mary has been the epicentre of Leinster and Irish cricket for over 38 years. Within the Leinster Cricket Union Mary has served in nearly every possible role and currently occupies the position of Honorary Secretary, a demanding role she has fulfilled with outstanding loyalty, enthusiasm and diligence for many years.

On an ongoing basis, Mary is tasked with convening the Leinster Cricket Union’s (LCU) monthly Executive Committee meetings together with the monthly and bi-monthly meetings of the Finance Committee and Development Committee and diligently keeping a record thereof. Mary also acts as the convenor and record keeper for all Disciplinary and Appeals hearings.

Mary is and has been very closely involved with the work of the Leinster Cricket Union’s Women’s Section, where she currently holds the position of Honorary Fixtures Secretary.

Mary’s other roles have included:
• the organiser of the Leinster Cricket Union annual Awards Dinner
• organising periodic meetings between LCU Officers and representatives of the Union’s Sub-Committees, Sections and Associations
• organising and attending meetings with broadcast media for Irish Senior and National Cup draws, RSA Leinster Senior and Senior 2 Cup draws
• attending and keeping a record of the many meetings relating to the LCU Club Accreditation proposals
• regular communication to LCU Officers, Executive Committee and to others as appropriate

An expert in event management, Mary has also served as match manager for the RSA Leinster Senior Cup Final and the Twenty20 Leinster Senior Finals Day.

On a national level, both Mary and her husband Michael have been instrumental in the running of Ireland’s premier club competition – the Irish Senior Cup and, in recent years, the Irish National Cup. Mary was also one of the prime movers in fostering the robust growth of Irish women’s cricket to the extent that Leinster is the provider of the majority of the senior women’s squad and national age-group squads.

Mary has also served as the President of Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin for three years.

To honour Mary’s commitment to the administration of the game of cricket in Ireland, she was named as the first ever recipient of the ‘Outstanding contribution to Irish cricket’ award, which was presented at the 2013 Cricket Ireland Awards.

The awards didn’t stop there for Mary and in January of this year she was recognised at an international level when she received the ‘Lifetime Service’ award in the Pepsi ICC Development Programme for the Europe Region.

Mary has applied energy and passion to all aspects of her life in cricket, and this passion is undimmed today as she nears four decades involvement in cricket administration, which is why Mary Sharp is a most worthy recipient of this today’s award.

First held in 2007, the objective of the national awards programme is to honour ten individuals as representatives of the huge body of volunteers in sport who give of their time in various capacities through the structure of sports clubs and groups to sport in Ireland.

John Treacy, CEO Irish Sports Council said “Volunteers play a vital role in sustaining the high level of sporting activity in Ireland with all the associated health and social benefits, and contribute significantly to the development of sport in Ireland. The commitment, dedication and leadership of Ireland’s sporting volunteers, allows athletes and communities to participate in sport all around the country”.

Sarah O’Connor, Chief Executive of the Federation of Irish Sport commented “Irish Sport is hugely dependent on the volunteer. Without them, many of the 2.8 million people who partake in Sport in Ireland simply would not have the opportunity to do so. These awards give us an opportunity to say thank you to a small representative group from this hugely significant workforce, the value of which in economic terms has been estimated at up to €3 billion per year”.

The award winners were selected by a committee chaired by Dr. Ronnie Delany. Also on the committee were representatives from the Irish Sports Council, the Federation the Irish Times, RTE and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The winners at the National Volunteers in Sport Awards 2014 are as follows:
Adult Coach Award Tony Cummins
Adult Manager Award Tony Hehir
Youth Coach Award Patrick Akpoveta
Youth Manager Award Paddy Christie
Community Administrator Award Danielle Keane
National Administrator Award Mary Sharp
Disabilities Sport Volunteer Award Shane Carolan
Sporting Official Award Ernie Deacy
Lifetime Achievemnt Award Sean Naughton
Special Recognition Award Peggy Mason

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