Tickets live for 3rd Basketball Ireland Women in Sport Coaching Conference

The 3rd Basketball Ireland Women in Sport Coaching Conference will take place on Saturday, 17^th May at the National Basketball Arena, with two current international coaches set to share their experience with attendees.

The event is aimed at current or aspiring female players and coaches, with an all-female speaking lineup and a number of coaching clinics to take place on the day.

Tickets are available here, at a price of €10 + booking fee.

Participation in the event will gain 500 CPD points to Basketball Ireland licensed coaches, who must register through Helpside to claim them. 

Running Order TBC

Speakers

Silvia Font 

 Silvia Font speaking at the first Basketball Ireland Women in Sport Coaching Conference in 2023. 

Sílvia Font Puig is a former Catalan basketball player and coach. Silvia trained at CB Santa Perpètua and CD Hispano Francès , where she she won the Spanish junior championship and made her debut in the women's first division in 1976. 

Two years later, she signed for Picadero JC , winning three leagues (1980, 1981 , 1983) and three cups (1979, 1980, 1983). Later, she played for Betània-Patmos , CB l'Hospitalet and CBF Barcelona , ​​retiring at the end of the 1986-87 season. 

As a coach, she was an assistant for the basketball team at Tulane University in New Orleans during the 1987-88 season. Back in the Spanish national league, she managed Catalan teams such as Caixa Tarragona , GEiEG and UB -FC Barcelona between 2004 and 2007, winning a league (2004-05) and a Spanish Super Cup (2005-06).  

Among other accolades, she was chosen as the best coach at the Catalan Basketball Festival in 2005. 

Niamh Dwyer

 Niamh Dwyer (right) playing in the Domino's Women's Super League for Catalyst Fr. Mathews.

Dwyer was recently named Ireland Under 18 girls 3x3 head coach for this summer’s Youth Olympics as well as having been assistant coach to Ireland’s U20 women’s team for the last three  years. She previously coached Ireland’s U18 3x3 women’s team, leading them at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 Women’s Europe Cup qualifiers. Domestically she was the head coach of Women’s Super League side Catalyst Fr. Mathews during the 2022/23 season, along with previous stints as joint head coach and assistant coach at the club. Her extensive coaching CV has also seen her coach underage teams for both Glanmire and Fr. Mathews, as well as schools basketball for Glanmire Community College. 

As a player she represented Ireland 5x5 team at U16, U18, U20 and senior levels, while in 3x3 she competed at two FIBA Europe Cup’s and at the 2015 European Games in Baku, where the Irish 3x3 team finished eighth. In her highly decorated career Dwyer has won six Women’s Super League title and five Paudie O’Connor National Cups, as well as one Women’s Division One title and one Women’s Division One National Cup.

Emer Howard

 Emer Howard pictured at the Basketball Ireland Women in Sport Coaching Conference in 2024.

Howard is a former Irish international who featured at every age level during her career. She played for four years at NCCA Division 1 programme Fordham University, spending two seasons as a team captain, before going on to play professionally in the BBL.

As a coach – she is currently Ireland U16 men’s head coach, having previously worked as an assistant coach on the Ireland U18 men's team as they recorded a 5-3 record and a historic 11th place finish at FIBA Youth EuroBasket 2024. Prior to that, she has been an assistant coach on the Ireland U20 women's team during their FIBA Youth EuroBasket campaign in 2017, as well as coaching underage basketball at clubs including Tolka Rovers, Drogheda Wolves and Swords BC over the last 15 years.