The 18th annual European Network of Young Specialists in Sports Psychology (ENYSSP) conference will be held at Thomond Park, Limerick from the 20th-22nd of April 2023 in partnership with Setanta College. ENYSSP aims to give support in education, research, professional practice and service delivery to young people with official qualification or an interest in the field of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 

We are hugely excited to partner with ENYSSP for this leading conference, and below we look at six reasons to attend this conference 18th ENYSSP Conference | ENYSSP. 

1. Make New Connections

A primary goal of an ENYSSP conference is to bring people together and to get to know others in the same field. With over 150 attendees from over 20 countries, this is an unique opportunity to build connections with sport and exercise psychologists from around the world. This is facilitated through the social programme which is part of the conference. On Day 1, there will be the option to attend a tour of the stadium the conference is being held in. That night, there will be a barbecue at the conference venue and an introduction to the Irish sports of Gaelic Football and Hurling for our International attendees. On the Friday evening, the conference dinner will take place at the Limerick Strand Hotel. You will be sure to have a great view of the city from the rooftop bar!  

2. Keynote Speakers

Three keynote speakers have been confirmed for the conference who will give their insights into Sport & Exercise Psychology. 

Gerry Fitzpatrick lectures on the MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise at Setanta College. He has practiced as a Sport Psychologist for over 30 years in a variety of sports including soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, rugby, hurling and Gaelic football. He has a primary interest in psychological skills training and team dynamics and was also the head coach of the Irish Basketball team for 11 years after an extensive club coaching career.   

Dave Collins is a professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, Professor of Elite Performance at Dublin City University and Director at Grey Matters Performance Ltd. As an academic, Dave has over 450 peer review publications and 80 books/chapters.  As a practitioner, he has worked with over 90 World or Olympic medallists plus professional teams and performers, including 10 year terms with the Chelsea FC Academy, SnowSports New Zealand, NISA and GB Weightlifting.  

Dr. Kate Kirby is the Head of Psychology at the Sport Ireland Institute. She was appointed as Team Ireland’s lead psychologist for the Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, having also worked at Rio 2016 and London 2012. In almost two decades of applied work, she has supported multiple Olympic, World and European medallists, and has collaborated with, and learned from, many excellent coaches and sport science professionals.  

Not only will you have the opportunity to learn from the keynote speakers, you will also learn from those who present at the workshops, oral presentations and poster presentations.  

3. Affordability

Normally for young professionals starting out in the field of sport and exercise psychology attending a conference can be difficult due to the price ranging from anything over €300 for a 3 day conference. This conference is different. With the price for early bird tickets being €130 until 10/01/2023 and rising to €150 after this date, there is a reduced cost on young professionals attending their first international conference. With Limerick being served by buses directly from Shannon and Dublin airport, in addition to the numerous hotels across the city, you are getting great value for the experience of attending ENYSSP 2023.  

4. Guest Speaker

One thing we have not mentioned yet is there is one more surprise on the way! A current professional athlete will be speaking at the conference on their experience as an athlete and sports psychology in their sport. We can’t wait to reveal the identity of this speaker so stay tuned in the coming days and weeks!

5. The City and Venue

The conference will take place at Thomond Park Stadium, the home of Munster Rugby in Limerick, which was voted the title of “Best Rugby Stadium in the World” in 2013. Thomond Park is known for its atmosphere. This quote Donal Spring highlights what makes Thomond park so special “What’s so special about Thomond Park? The crowd. Simply the crowd. The atmosphere is electric. Of all the places I’ve played, playing with Munster at Thomond Park is what I’ve enjoyed most.”

Limerick itself is located on the River Shannon and is known for its sport, music, art and culture. Taking a walk through Limerick city you will find stories on every street from King Johns Castle which has been around for over 1000 years, the Cathedral which is Limericks oldest building built in 1168, right through to the Milk Market which has Limericks pop-up restaurants, music and art. 

6. The Opportunity to Explore Ireland

A Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City, Limerick can also act as a base for attendees seeking to explore Ireland’s longest touring route. When the ENYSSP committee came to visit Limerick as a host venue for the conference, one venue they had to visit was the Cliffs of Moher. If you are staying for a few days before or after the conference this is sure to be on our list of places to visit! The Cliffs of Moher are over 700ft, were formed over 320 million years ago and run along the coast for 14km along the Wild Atlantic Way! Ireland Cliffs, Famous Cliffs in Ireland | Cliffs of Moher

To book your place at the Conference, visit https://www.enyssp.com/event-details/18th-enyssp-conference.