Boxing coach Damian Kennedy, one of seven sporting ‘Game Changers’ being celebrated as part of The National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations.
The National Lottery marks its 30th birthday with moving poem brought to life across four locations – Wembley Stadium, Principality Stadium, the University of Stirling swimming pool and the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in the Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute.
Unveiled today (Wednesday 23rd October) with a dramatic reading by broadcaster Clare Balding, the poem by globally renowned artist Robert Montgomery celebrates the extraordinary achievements of seven sporting ‘Game Changers’ including Northern Irish boxing coach, Damian Kennedy.
After opening a boxing club in Toomebridge in the 1990s, Damian Kennedy has since been instrumental in transforming boxing in Northern Ireland and was appointed as the Head Coach for Team Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
A poignant poem recognising the contribution of seven inspirational people to sport has been revealed at four sporting locations , as part of The National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations.
Created by world-renowned Scottish contemporary artist and poet Robert Montgomery, the moving work marks 30 years of The National Lottery and its support of sport and was unveiled by broadcaster Clare Balding with a dramatic reading.
Each verse of the poem highlights the unique journey and passion of one of the seven individuals, including local boxing coach Damian Kennedy, to recognise their extraordinary impact on both grassroots and elite level sport with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for good causes.
As a legendary broadcaster and one of the most recognisable faces on our TV screens , Clare Balding delivered a powerful reading of the poem and has joined The National Lottery in celebrating and congratulating the Game Changers and drawing attention to the thousands of projects supported by UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, sportscotland and Sport Wales.
A section of a poem by artist Robert Montgomery, which celebrates seven sporting ‘Game Changers’ as part of The National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations, is unveiled in a boxing ring at the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute.
Damian Kennedy is being honoured amongst the Game Changers for his instrumental and transformative role within boxing in Northern Ireland.
A verse paying tribute to his leadership was unveiled on the canvas of a ring in the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute.
Damian first opened a boxing club with two friends in their local area in Toomebridge in the 1990s. The club served as more than just sports arena but became the heartbeat of the local community, helping kids from the local area to stay out of trouble and give them a sense of achievement.
His approach to boxing centres around a combination of technical excellence and the importance of both mental and physical preparation.
He was appointed as the Head Coach for Team Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has had a monumental impact on the success of the Northern Irish team.
Team NI topped the medal standings at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, taking home 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.
Kennedy also played a crucial role in helping Ireland qualify 10 boxers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Clare Balding said:
“Sport is about so much more than winning a gold medal, it’s about the impact it has on our lives. That’s why I’m honoured to be a part of championing these seven outstanding people who have truly changed the game in their sports and communities.
“Sport unites people across borders, bridges divides, and ignites the human spirit, reminding us that through perseverance, teamwork, and passion, we can achieve greatness beyond the limits we once believed impossible.
“The Game Changers exemplify the transformative power of sport – and the role The National Lottery has played in making their achievements possible has been vital. Northern Ireland has produced some of the world’s most talented boxers and it is amazing to see part of the poem on display in the ring were these athletes hone their talents.”
Damian Kennedy added:
“Winning gold at this year’s Olympics is testament to the incredible transformation that Irish boxing has undergone over the past decade, and the hard work that both coaches and athletes have put in.
“With support from The National Lottery, we’ve not only been able to create Olympians but be there for ordinary kids growing up who need the sense of belonging that being part of a boxing club brings. Boxing clubs across Ireland are the heartbeat of communities and it is great that this is being recognised.”
Richard Archibald, Interim Chief Executive, Sport Northern Ireland said:
“The National Lottery’s 30th Birthday is a significant milestone, and an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past three decades.
“At Sport NI we are passionate about maximising the power of sport to change lives. National Lottery funding has had a game changing impact on sport in Northern Ireland, helping us to create Olympic, Paralympic and World champions across many different disciplines. In addition, we have invested in thousands of grassroots projects and initiatives aimed at encouraging lifelong involvement in sport and physical activity with a view to delivering a more active and healthy society.
“Northern Ireland has long punched above its weight in boxing and we have the medals and belts to prove it. Damian Kennedy has been a key part of that success and a huge influence on the sport at a local and international level. Damian and the rest of the Game Changers epitomise the power of sport and we are proud to honour their remarkable achievements, so beautifully reflected in Robert Montgomery’s poem”.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the first draw in 1994, The National Lottery is celebrating 30 inspirational people - Game Changers - who have achieved amazing things across the UK in the last 30 years, with the help of National Lottery funding.
The Game Changers were nominated by members of the public and selected by a panel composed of members of The National Lottery family and partners.
28 Game Changers will be revealed in September and October at four installations which will focus on an area of National Lottery funding including, the arts & film, heritage, sport and community.
The final two Game Changers will be announced on The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash scheduled for broadcast on ITV on 31 December.
The seven sport Game Changers announced today were selected as examples of dedicated, inspiring, high achieving individuals who have had a transformative impact on their sport, and a transformative impact on their wider communities and society.
For 30 years, money raised by National Lottery players has helped create extraordinary sporting moments that have inspired the nation and helped to transform lives and communities through physical activity and the power of sport.
Since 1994, more than £189 million has been awarded to support elite and grassroots sport projects in Northern Ireland.
THE POEM
Part 1 – Displayed at the University of Stirling Swimming Pool
This poem portrays Stephen Tigg (sent 8 Olympians to the Paris Olympics including Duncan Scott, a huge force in GB Swimming and University of Stirling Sport) and Alice Dearing (open water swimmer and the first black woman to compete for Team GB at an Olympics in swimming and founder of The Black Swimming Association)
The medium is letters carved from recycled PVC and the poem floats on water at training pool at the University of Stirling.
Can you see the sky moving in the water
Swimming is the closest human beings get to flying,
When I started coaching I never thought we could do this,
Each swimming pool remembers the ocean
Water moves over the earth with freedom.
Swimming is a sanctuary where the mind quietens,
And movement becomes a language itself
It’s not about medals, it’s about personal growth.
Can you hear the wind of change in the water? Don’t let anyone
Tell you you can’t swim, we all have a right to learn how to stay
Safe in the water, to float and feel the music in the water
Regardless of background or colour
Here you can move like a bird.
Part 2 – Displayed at Wembley Stadium connected by EE’s Dressing Room
This poem portrays Baroness Sue Campbell, former chair of UK Sport and Director of Women's Football at the FA who transformed women’s football in the UK.
The medium is vinyl stickers on the floor of the Wembley Dressing Room area.
From a teacher’s mission,
born in Moss Side
we changed lives.
It’s not about winning,
it’s about building a library
of self esteem and resilience.
What you see on screen
is a fraction of the heartbeat.
The real victory is how many
women and girls now play football
all across the country,
together we are writing
new histories, hearing
new voices in the mirrors.
Part 3 – Displayed at Principality Stadium in Cardiff
This poem portrait depicts Paul Sinton-Hewitt (founder of parkrun) and Stephen Jones (Head Coach and chairman at North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Clubs).
The medium is a masthead flag on the outside of the stadium.
No one finishes last, we just run in the park,
This is community medicine for individual hearts.
The parks must have dreamed us from the wind in their
grass, from the shivers of sky in their grass that whisper
ideas of freedom to them.
Our park is open to everyone,
we are inviting you to a fellowship not a competition.
This is not about winning it is about our childlike joy in running.
We don’t call ourselves a team, we call ourselves a family
You can feel the wind in your hair in a wheelchair,
We are still alive together on this fragile blue-skied planet,
Love is urgent.
Part 4 – Displayed at a boxing ring in the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute
This poem portrait depicts Damian Kennedy (Northern Ireland boxing coach who helped to transform the sport across the country) and Dame Sarah Storey (ParalympicsGB’s most decorated Paralympian with 19 gold medals across swimming and cycling)
The medium is a printed poem on the boxing ring floor mat.
Sport is the heartbeat of the city,
it lifts up these streets.
We feel the geometry of the ocean
every time we get in the ring,
or ride clear air on our bikes.
They can’t bully us.
You are my shadow and my friend.
We dance here, together
-and with the wind-
and this dancing itself,
is more important than the winning.