Key Updates and Decisions
Volleyball Ireland’s 2026 Annual General Meeting brought clubs, Board members and staff together to review the past year, approve the 2025 financial statements, elect Board representatives and agree important constitutional changes on September 5th, 2026.
Twenty clubs attended the AGM, achieving the required quorum, and the minutes of the 2025 AGM were approved.
Board activity and organisational development
The Board reported on an exceptionally demanding year. Alongside its scheduled governance work, it managed senior recruitment, financial oversight, audit preparation, high-performance planning, safeguarding and anti-doping activity. Sixteen full Board meetings were held over the 15-month period, with additional meetings supporting the CEO recruitment process.
The Board outlined the independent process used to recruit a permanent, part-time CEO. The 0.6 full-time-equivalent model was designed to balance strategic leadership with stronger day-to-day financial capacity and operational support. The preferred candidate ultimately declined the role, and the Board confirmed that it will continue working with Sport Ireland on interim leadership and financial assistance while considering the organisation’s longer-term structure.
Financial position and 2026 outlook
The 2025 financial statements recorded income of €1.25 million and expenditure of €1.33 million, resulting in a deficit of approximately €70,000, following a €21,000 deficit in 2024. Excluding the European Championships hosted in 2024, underlying income grew by 23%, while expenditure increased by 31%.
The Board and Audit and Risk Committee emphasised careful financial management, stronger cashflow monitoring and the need to rebuild reserves. Events in 2026 have been reviewed with a focus on breaking even or generating a surplus, and the full-year forecast presented at the AGM indicated a €36,000 surplus based on eight months of actual results and four months of forecast.
The audited 2025 financial statements received an unqualified audit opinion and were approved by members. Wood, Delaney & Partners Limited was approved as auditor for 2026.
Board elections and constitutional motions
Members elected Elisabeth Rae (Netforce VC) as Vice President and Agnieszka Matysik (Impact Macroom) as an Ordinary Board Member, both without opposition.
Agnieszka is new to the board and brings significant playing, coaching and professional experience to the Board. She started playing volleyball at the age of 11 at the Volleyball Sport School in Krakow. A few years later, she represented AGH University of Krakow at the Polish University Volleyball Championships.
Professionally, Agnieszka is a Senior Project Engineer and GIS Lead at a renewable energy company operating worldwide. Her combination of volleyball experience, coaching knowledge and professional expertise will bring valuable skills and perspectives to the Volleyball Ireland Board.
President Clodagh Nic Canna also paid tribute to the outgoing Board members, Regina Halpin and Jordan Donnelly, thanking them for their commitment, contribution and service to Volleyball Ireland during their time on the Board. Their work and support were recognised as an important contribution to the organisation and the development of the sport.
Two Board motions were also approved, with Director term limits moving to four years and an accompanying transition plan to extend all existing members.
Key priorities for the remainder of 2026
- File the accounts and complete the 2025 Companies Registration Office annual return.
- Maintain close financial monitoring and complete third-quarter reporting.
- Continue engagement with Sport Ireland on interim CEO and finance support.
- Prepare the 2027 financial plan, including measures to rebuild reserves, control costs and grow revenue.
- Progress future governance work, including policy updates, succession planning and a wider constitutional review.
- Continue the commitment to clean sport and athlete welfare.
Looking ahead
The AGM also considered the organisation’s principal risks, including reliance on grant funding, rising costs, leadership capacity, staff and Board sustainability, and reputational pressures. The Board confirmed that these risks will remain under active review as Volleyball Ireland works to strengthen its financial and organisational foundations.
The meeting closed at 2:09pm. Volleyball Ireland thanked all clubs, volunteers, staff and Board members for their participation and continued contribution to the sport.
The full Annual Report is available here: Annual Report 2026
