Why we exist
Our vision & mission
Grief touches every club, every team, and every dressing room — but most sport settings have never been given the tools to respond. We want to change that, gently and practically.
Our vision
An Ireland where every sports club is a grief-aware, emotionally supportive community — a place where a young person who is grieving feels seen, included, and able to stay connected to the sport and the people they love.
Our mission
To use sport as a space for connection and support during grief — equipping clubs, coaches, young people, and families with grief-aware education, practical tools, and clear signposting to trusted bereavement services.
Why sport?
For many young people, their club is one of the most consistent and trusted parts of their week. Sport offers routine, belonging, movement, and a group of people who show up — all of which matter enormously when someone is grieving. A grief-aware coach or teammate can make the difference between a young person staying in sport or quietly drifting away. S'port for Grief gives those communities the confidence and the tools to be that safe space.
What we do
A 4-tier support & education system
We are building a connected, four-tier system to help sport communities become more grief-aware — from in-depth ambassador training right through to free resources anyone can use today.
Grief Ambassador Training
Supporting selected individuals to become grief-aware ambassadors within their sport, club, school, or community setting.
Coming soonCoach Education
Helping coaches understand how grief may affect young people and participants, and how sport can become a safer, more supportive space.
Coming soonVolunteer Online Course
An accessible online course for volunteers who want to better understand grief awareness and support within sport and community settings.
Free · Coming soonFree Resources & Signposting
Grief-aware guidance, practical tools, and our signposting directory to trusted bereavement and support services.
Free · Available nowOur flagship event · Launched 2026
The S'port for Grief TY Festival
A flagship festival for Transition Year students that blends sport, wellbeing conversations, and grief awareness into a positive, youth-friendly day of connection.
Photos from the day
Participating National Governing Bodies
Add the confirmed list of NGBs and sporting partners who took part. (Placeholder — replace with confirmed partner names.)
Student engagement & impact
Add impact highlights from the day — e.g. number of students, schools, or activities. (Placeholder — add confirmed figures only.)
Future festival opportunities
Interested in bringing the TY Festival to your school or club? Get in touch to register your interest for future events.
Out in the community
Events
From walking football to five-a-side tournaments and our TY Festival, our events bring people together through sport.
Previous events
TY Festival 2026
Our flagship Transition Year festival combining sport, wellbeing conversations, and grief awareness.
Partners: add confirmed NGBs / partners
Walking Football
A relaxed, inclusive walking football event bringing players of all ages together through the game.
Location: to be confirmed
Five-a-Side Tournament
A community five-a-side tournament played in support of grief awareness through sport.
Location: to be confirmed
Upcoming events
TY Festival — next edition
Planning is under way for the next S'port for Grief TY Festival. Dates and venue to be confirmed.
Add upcoming event
Use this card as a template for your next event. Add the name, a short description, and a call to action. (Placeholder — do not add unconfirmed dates.)
Invite us to your club
We're always open to running sport-based grief-aware events with clubs, schools, and communities.
Our impact
Success stories & impact
As S'port for Grief grows, this is where we'll share the difference grief-aware sport makes — in the words of the people who experience it.
(e.g. students reached)
(e.g. clubs engaged)
(e.g. events run)
(e.g. partners involved)
Insert participant testimonial here.
Insert coach testimonial here.
Insert school or club testimonial here.
Case study: Add a short case study here once available — what happened, what we did, and the outcome.
Free to use, share, and print
Grief & bereavement support directory
A signposted shelf of trusted bereavement services in Ireland and the UK, organised for the people most likely to need them in a sporting context: coaches and committees, bereaved young people, and parents.
Urgent help — any time, day or night
If you or a young person needs support right now, these free services are open to everyone — coaches, parents, and young people alike. You do not have to be in crisis to call.
Pieta — suicide & self-harm crisis (24/7)
1800 247 247 · or text HELP to 51444. IE
Samaritans — emotional support (24/7)
116 123. IE UK
Childline (ISPCC) — under 18s (24/7)
1800 66 66 66 · or text 50101. IE
Not sure where to start for ongoing support? The Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line on 1800 80 70 77 (Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm) is a good first call.
Start here
Who is this for?
For coaches & club committees
You are not expected to be a counsellor. Your job is to make the club a safer environment for a grieving young person and to know who to point them — and their family — toward.
Something has happened. What do I do tonight?
If a player or someone in their family has died, your priorities in the first 24–72 hours are: confirm before you communicate, tell the team in person and together where possible, hold off training only if it actively interferes with grieving, and connect the bereaved family to specialist support — they will be overwhelmed and a single number from a trusted club voice helps.
- Irish Hospice Foundation — Bereavement Support Line: 1800 80 70 77 (Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm). The first call to make for general guidance. IE
- Irish Childhood Bereavement Network: childhoodbereavement.ie — search the practitioner directory by county. IE
- HSE — Suicide bereavement support (if relevant): hse.ie/bereavement. IE
Coaching a player through grief over weeks and months
Grief does not arrive once and leave. Anniversaries, fixtures the deceased played in, championship runs and end-of-season events are all live moments. The resources below are the best general-purpose guidance available — read them before you need them.
- Child Bereavement UK — guidance for adults supporting young people: childbereavementuk.org. Includes free training and a section noting that sports coaches are among the trusted adults in a bereaved child's life. UK
- England Football Learning — How to support a player with a bereavement: learn.englandfootball.com. UK
- Winston's Wish — Essential Guidance for Supporting a Bereaved Child: winstonswish.org. UK
- UK Trauma Council — Traumatic Bereavement Support Plan: uktraumacouncil.org. Written for schools, but the protocols translate directly to a club context. UK
If a young person is becoming a risk to themselves
Bereavement can mask, or trigger, mental health crisis. If you are seeing signs that go beyond grief — withdrawal that is deepening, talk of self-harm, talk of not wanting to be here — escalate. Tell the parents. Use a specialist line. Do not try to manage this alone.
- Pieta — Suicide crisis 24/7: 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. IE
- Jigsaw — Youth mental health (ages 12–25): 1800 544 729, jigsaw.ie. IE
- Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7, Ireland & UK). IE UK
- Childline (ISPCC) — under 18s: 1800 66 66 66, or text 50101. IE
For young people
Someone you love has died, or is dying. There is no right way to feel and no timetable for any of this. The resources below were built by, and for, young people — you don't need a parent or coach with you to use them.
If you need to talk to someone today
- Childline — under 18s, 24/7: 1800 66 66 66, text 50101, or chat at childline.ie. IE
- Jigsaw — text support (ages 12–25): text HELLO to 50808, or live chat at jigsaw.ie. IE
- Winston's Wish helpline (under 25): 08088 020 021, or text/WhatsApp 07418 341 800, 8am–8pm Mon–Fri. UK
- Hope Again (Cruse) — 11+: 0808 808 1677. UK
Places built by young people, for young people
Movement helps. Walking, running, lifting, kicking a ball against a wall, swimming — there is real evidence behind why these things take the edge off grief. They are not a replacement for talking to someone, but they are a legitimate part of how you get through this.
- Talk Grief (Winston's Wish): winstonswish.org — youth-built platform with grief toolkits, videos, and downloadable activities. UK
- Hope Again: hopeagain.org.uk — stories from other bereaved young people, advice on self-care. UK
- Grief Encounter — Grief Relief Kit: griefencounter.org.uk — workbook and journal-style resources. UK
- spunout.ie — Mental health and bereavement articles: spunout.ie. IE
If you are thinking about ending your life or hurting yourself
This is the most important thing on this page. You are not a burden for telling someone. Tell anyone — a parent, a friend's parent, a teacher, a coach, a doctor, the helplines below. You do not have to be in a final crisis to call them.
For parents & guardians
Whether it is your own child who is bereaved, or one of their teammates, the way the adults around the team respond shapes whether a young person stays connected to the club through grief — or drifts out of sport entirely.
If your child has been bereaved
You do not need to have the right words. Showing up, naming the person who died, and keeping ordinary routines available — including training, if they want it — is more useful than any single conversation. The services below are free, specialist, and used to first-time callers.
- Irish Hospice Foundation — Bereavement Support Line: 1800 80 70 77 (Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm). IE
- Barnardos Children's Bereavement Service: 01 473 2110, plus free downloadable booklets at barnardos.ie/resources/bereavement. IE
- Anam Cara — for bereaved parents (when a child has died): 085 2888 888, anamcara.ie. IE
- Irish Childhood Bereavement Network: childhoodbereavement.ie — local services directory. IE
Another child on the team has been bereaved — what now?
You and the other parents on the team are the network that decides whether the bereaved child stays in the club. Practical, low-pressure offers (the lift to training, the place at the dinner table, the casual text) usually matter more than grand gestures. Ask the coach what the family has said about training, and follow their lead.
- Child Bereavement UK — supporting bereaved families: childbereavementuk.org. UK
- Winston's Wish — for parents and carers: winstonswish.org/supporting-you. UK
- The Good Grief Trust — find local support: thegoodgrieftrust.org. UK
If your child's mental health is deteriorating
Reach out earlier than you think you need to. The teenage mental-health services in Ireland have wait lists; getting in the queue early is part of caring for your child.
- Jigsaw — youth mental health (12–25): 1800 544 729, jigsaw.ie. IE
- Pieta — 24/7 suicide crisis support: 1800 247 247. IE
- HSE — talk to your GP about a referral to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
- Parentline: 1890 927 277 — support for parents under pressure. IE
Everything in one place
Full directory of organisations
Search by name, or filter by who a service is for. Every organisation referenced above is listed here.
No services match your search. Try a different word or clear the filters.
Anam Cara IE
Peer support for bereaved parents and siblings, all-Ireland.
Barnardos Children's Bereavement Service IE
Counselling, support, and free booklets for bereaved children and families.
Childline (ISPCC) IE
24/7 support for under-18s by phone, text, and chat.
Child Bereavement UK UK
Support and free training for adults supporting bereaved children and young people.
Cruse Bereavement Support UK
UK national bereavement charity; runs Hope Again for young people.
Grief Encounter UK
Counselling and resources (Grief Relief Kit, workbooks) for bereaved children and young people.
Hope Again (Cruse) UK
By-young-people-for-young-people platform, 11+.
Irish Childhood Bereavement Network IE
National hub: standards, practitioner directory, and the Childhood Bereavement Care Pyramid.
Irish Hospice Foundation IE
Bereavement Support Line, training for schools and organisations, the Bereavement & Loss Hub.
Jigsaw IE
National Centre for Youth Mental Health, ages 12–25; free therapy and online support.
Parentline IE
Confidential support for parents and guardians.
Pieta IE
Free 24/7 support for suicide, self-harm, and bereavement by suicide.
Samaritans IE UK
24/7 free emotional support across Ireland and the UK.
spunout.ie IE
Youth information service with mental health and bereavement articles for ages 16–25.
The Good Grief Trust UK
Hub connecting bereaved people with local support across the UK.
UK Trauma Council UK
Traumatic bereavement guidance, including school/college support plans translatable to clubs.
Winston's Wish UK
Bereavement support for ages 25 and under, plus the Talk Grief youth platform.
What this directory is, and what it isn't
S'port for Grief is not a counselling or therapeutic service. We do not provide clinical mental health support, and nothing on this page is a substitute for speaking to a GP, a qualified counsellor, or the specialist services we link to.
Our role is to make Irish sports clubs and the families in them safer, more supportive environments for grief, and to be a clear front door to the specialist organisations who do the clinical work. If you are not sure where to start, the Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line on 1800 80 70 77 is the right first call.
All listings are checked at every review. If something here is wrong — a number changed, an organisation no longer operating, a link broken — please contact us and we will correct it in the next review.
Grief-aware clubs across Ireland
The Club Aware Map
A growing map of clubs across Ireland that are grief-aware or working with S'port for Grief. As clubs complete training and join the movement, they'll appear here.
Coming soon
The interactive Club Aware Map is being developed.
Clubs on the map
Add club name
Add club name
Our story
About S'port for Grief
S'port for Grief was born from a simple belief: that sport, and the communities built around it, can be one of the most powerful places to support young people through grief. What began as an idea has grown into a social enterprise developing grief-aware education and resources for clubs, coaches, and young people across Ireland.
(images/ethan.jpg)
Ethan
Co-lead & Founder
Add Ethan's story here — his connection to sport, to grief awareness, and what motivated him to start S'port for Grief. (Placeholder — replace with Ethan's own words.)
Role: add a short line on what Ethan leads on within S'port for Grief.
(images/giada.jpg)
Giada
Co-lead & Founder
Add Giada's story here — her connection to sport, to grief awareness, young people, and community impact. (Placeholder — replace with Giada's own words.)
Role: add a short line on what Giada leads on within S'port for Grief.
How we got here
Our journey so far
The development of S'port for Grief, from a first idea to a growing grief-aware sport movement.
Project idea
S'port for Grief begins as an idea: using sport to support young people through grief. (Add date.)
First events
Early community events — including five-a-side and walking football — bring people together and test the concept. (Add dates.)
Developed through Enactus TU Dublin
S'port for Grief develops as a social enterprise through Enactus TU Dublin. (Add detail / date.)
TY Festival launched
Our flagship Transition Year festival launches, bringing sport, wellbeing, and grief awareness together for young people.
Coach Education & Grief Ambassador Training
Developing our coach education programme and Grief Ambassador Training with input from the bereavement sector.
Volunteer online course & free resources
Building a free online volunteer course and a growing hub of free, grief-aware resources and signposting.
Future plans
Growing the Club Aware Map, expanding the festival, and supporting more clubs and communities to become grief-aware. (Add detail.)
Education & development
Coach education & grief-aware learning
We're developing a connected suite of education and resources — designed with input from experts in the bereavement sector — to help everyone in sport respond to grief with confidence and care.
Grief Ambassador Training
In-depth training to support selected individuals to become grief-aware ambassadors within their sport, club, school, or community.
Coming soonCoach Education
Guidance helping coaches understand how grief may affect young people, and how to make sport a safer, more supportive space.
Coming soonFree Volunteer Online Course
An accessible online course for volunteers who want to understand grief awareness and support within sport and community settings.
Free · Coming soonFree Resources & Signposting
Grief-aware guidance, practical tools, and our signposting directory to trusted bereavement and support services — free for everyone.
Free · Available nowFree for everyone
Resource hub
Free, grief-aware resources for coaches, clubs, young people, parents, and volunteers. Use the filters to find what you need. New materials are added as they're developed.
Bereavement support directory
Our signposted directory of trusted services in Ireland and the UK — free to use, share, and print.
Grief-aware coaching guide
Add a downloadable guide for coaches here once available. (Placeholder.)
Grief-aware club checklist
Add a practical checklist for clubs here once available. (Placeholder.)
Young person's grief toolkit
Add youth-friendly resources and tools here once available. (Placeholder.)
Supporting your bereaved child
Add a parent/guardian guide here once available. (Placeholder.)
Volunteer learning materials
Add volunteer course materials and toolkits here once available. (Placeholder.)
Blog & insights
Stories, reflections & updates
Articles, reflections, and educational content on grief-aware sport — supportive and accessible, never clinical. (The posts below are placeholders ready for you to replace.)
Blog title coming soon
Add article excerpt here — a short, warm summary that invites people to read more.
Other categories you might write under: supporting young people through sport, community stories, club guidance, volunteer learning, partner stories, and S'port for Grief updates.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
S'port for Grief is a sport-based social enterprise that uses sport to build connection, grief awareness, and emotional wellbeing. We help clubs, coaches, young people, and families become more grief-aware and supportive, and we provide free resources and signposting to trusted bereavement services.
No. We are not a clinical, counselling, therapy, or emergency service. We focus on grief awareness, education, community connection, sport-based support, free resources, and signposting. For clinical support, we point people toward the specialist organisations in our directory.
Sports clubs, coaches, young people, parents and guardians, schools and youth organisations, volunteers, and community partners — anyone who wants sport to be a more grief-aware, supportive space.
Clubs can register their interest to become a Grief-Aware Club, invite us to run an event, or join the Club Aware Map. Head to the Get involved section to start the conversation.
A grief-aware club is one whose coaches and committee understand how grief can affect young people, know how to respond supportively, and know where to signpost for specialist help. (Add more detail here as the Grief-Aware Club programme is finalised.)
Grief Ambassador Training, Coach Education, and the free Volunteer Online Course are in development. Add launch dates here once confirmed — or sign up to be told when they go live.
Yes. Our online resources, signposting directory, and planned volunteer course are free. We believe grief-aware support should be accessible to everyone.
If someone is in immediate danger or at risk of suicide, call 112 or 999, or go to your nearest A&E. Pieta's 24/7 crisis line is 1800 247 247, and Samaritans can be reached any time on 116 123.
Yes — we'd love to hear from schools and youth organisations interested in our TY Festival or grief-aware sport activities. Please get in touch.
Our free Volunteer Online Course is in development. In the meantime, you can register your interest and we'll let you know when volunteer opportunities open up.
Boundaries of our support
Safeguarding & what we are here for
We are a sport-based support, not a clinical service
S'port for Grief is not an emergency, counselling, therapy, or clinical service. We want to be really clear about that, because knowing our boundaries keeps everyone safe and helps us do what we do well.
What we focus on:
When someone needs clinical or crisis support, the most caring thing we can do is connect them with the specialist services who are trained for it — which is exactly what our support directory is for.
Working together
Partners & supporters
S'port for Grief is built through partnership — with National Governing Bodies, universities, community organisations, and supporters. Confirmed partners will appear here.
Interested in supporting or partnering with S'port for Grief? Partner with us →
Developed thoughtfully
Advisory & expert input
S'port for Grief is being developed with care, drawing on people with relevant experience across sport, bereavement, youth work, education, coaching, community development, and organisational development. Confirmed advisors will be introduced here.
Add advisory board member
Area of expertise (e.g. bereavement)
Add advisory board member
Area of expertise (e.g. youth work)
Add advisory board member
Area of expertise (e.g. sport / coaching)
In the spotlight
Media & press
Coverage, awards, and recognition for S'port for Grief. This space is ready for press releases, media features, and Enactus updates as they happen.
Add media feature here
Add a short summary and a link to the coverage. (Placeholder.)
Add award here
Add details of any award or public recognition. (Placeholder.)
Add Enactus update here
Add an Enactus TU Dublin update or milestone. (Placeholder.)
Join the movement
Get involved
However you're connected to sport, there's a way to support grief-aware communities. Here's how different people and organisations can get involved.
Sports clubs
Become a Grief-Aware Club and join the Club Aware Map.
Coaches
Access grief-aware guidance and register interest in training.
Schools & youth orgs
Invite us to run a TY Festival or grief-aware activity.
Bereavement orgs
Collaborate with us to strengthen grief-aware sport.
Funders & supporters
Help us reach more clubs and communities.
Volunteers
Join the free volunteer course when it launches.
Community partners
Bring grief-aware sport to your local community.
Everyone
Access and share our free support resources.
Say hello
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you about partnerships, events, resources, training, and collaboration. Reach out and let's build something grief-aware together.
sportforgrief@gmail.com (placeholder — update if needed)
Add your handles here (placeholder — link Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook)
We're not a crisis service — if you need urgent help, please see the urgent help section.