Sports Development Officer

Welcome to our new staff spotlight section which highlights the many services delivered by Cork City Council on a daily basis. 

In this edition of our staff spotlight, you'll get to know our Sports Development Officer, Dan Fox.

Tell us about your job?

I am the Sports development officer in Cork City Council. The job can vary from day to day but typically my focus is helping young people in cork get involved in sports through local clubs and youth groups. We regularly organise and run sports programmes and camps around the city where we work with our stakeholders to get as many young people as possible to try new sports and activities on a frequent basis.

How did you end up working as a Sports Development Officer Cork City Council?

I originally interviewed for the position of Assistant Sports development officer one year ago and got the position. After my line manager went on Maternity leave, I applied to cover her position and since then I have been the Sports development officer.

What does a typical day involve?

It really depends on what is on the calendar. I’m either delivering sessions in person, whether that’s coaching a local youth group or speaking to a group about the importance of physical activity and healthy eating or I’m doing office work such as reporting on events or planning for new ones. I always have emails coming in for new idea which is exciting and keeps the job interesting. I am lucky to work be able to work with lots of organisations like Cork Sports Partnership, the City Partnership and all of the youth groups around Cork.

What is your favourite part of your job?

The summer months are usually packed with camps and sports sessions which is exciting especially if the weather is good! I really enjoy the coaching side of the job especially if the groups are trying something new for the first time.

What can make your job challenging at times?

The job can get busy at times which is always challenging. I train a lot for my own sport, so I must be very strict with my own time management. When we are organising new programmes or when we are delivering a lot of sessions in the summer there is a lot of admin work as well as physical work off site so that can be a challenge. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

I think I would tell my younger self not to worry about the future so much and just focus on what’s going on now. Try to enjoy training as much as possible and focus on each day as it comes.