Mayo woman Deirdre Maloney-Reid was honoured at last Wednesday week’s 2022 Volunteers in Sport Awards.

Organised by the Federation of Irish Sport, in conjunction with the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships, the Foxford native received the Mayo Volunteer of the Year award at a banquet held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown.

Deirdre Maloney Reid from Moy Davitts GAA Club receives her award from Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD, during the Volunteers in Sport Awards at The Crowne Plaza in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

The special guest speaker was Thomas Byrne, Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Physical Education, who presented the recipients from each county with a custom-made medal recognising their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports.

The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year.

This equates to approximately 37.3 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 13,000 registered sports clubs and associations and, according to Sport Ireland’s 2021 ‘Researching the Value of Sport in Ireland’ report, is worth an estimated €1.5bn to the exchequer.

Deirdre Maloney Reid was recognised for her role in spearheading ‘GAA for All’, a branch within Moy Davitts GAA Club for children with additional needs that has become a valuable resource for children and parents alike, even from far beyond the club’s catchment area.