Sports Facility Coordinator at Tipperary Sports Hub has impressive CV

Patrick Davoren, the Sports Facility Coordinator of the Clonmel Regional Sports Hub, is originally from Causeway in north Kerry.

He says he was “mad into sports as a kid” and played hurling and Gaelic football up to the age of 16. However, when he read a magazine article on Irish world indoor champion and three-time Olympian Frank O’Mara, he says it “flicked a switch” in his interest in athletics.

He began competing in running events and after finishing 72nd in a race was approached by renowned coach Noel Spellacy, was told he had talent and was invited to join a training group at Plassey at the University of Limerick.

As his talent was nurtured and blossomed, he secured a scholarship to the East Tennessee State University in the United States.

“Noel Spellacy opened our minds to achieving,” says Patrick. His progress was rapid and within two years he won the Irish junior (Under 20) championship at 1,500 metres.

After three years in the United States, he moved to England and graduated from the University of Brighton with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Science. In Brighton he joined the athletics club Phoenix AC, whose top star was Olympic champion Steve Ovett and who also included star athletes such as Mark Rowland and Sally Gunnell in their ranks.

Patrick also worked as athletics stadium manager at the Whitdean Stadium in Brighton, which was then the home of Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

Because of “politics”, he says he didn’t have a chance to compete for Ireland as an athlete, and so took out British nationality in order to represent England in the steeplechase at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, when he reached the final.

He also won medals in the outdoor British AAAs and British Universities events, as well as winning ten area titles in the UK and 30 Sussex titles, ranging in distances from 800 metres to the half marathon over road, track and cross country.

He has held the Irish record for the 2k steeplechase since 2002. He ran with the Puerto Alicante club in Spain for twelve months from 2003 and was third in the Spanish championship.

His CV also includes a spell working for Brasher Leisure Ltd in the UK, and he gained plenty of experience working in specialist retail and the race day set-up for marathons in London, Brighton and Reading, as well as the Great North Run in Newcastle.

Patrick also worked for Nike for five years in the UK, and was manager of the pharmacy at Boots in Clonmel before taking on the role as Sports Facility Coordinator at the sports hub.