Golift Weightlifting Club Directors and Trustees Report for Year Ended 30 September 2025 ‘ The trustees who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Accounting and Reporting by Charities Statement of Recommended Practice and prepared the accounts in accordance with the provisions of the smail companies regime applicable to micro-entities. ## Structure, Governance and Management The charity is controlled by its governing document which is its memorandum and articles of association. It is constituted as a company limited by guarantee as defined by the Companies Act 2006. ## Reference and Administrative Details The charity is registered as Golift Weightlifting Club under charity registered number NIC108050. The charity is registered as a company limited by guarantee under reference NI678618. Registered office: 67 Kingsmoss Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 4TN Trustees during reporting period: ## Dr Peter Stewart Dr Roberta Stewart Mr Brian Stewart Ms Kaitlin Saunders Mr[Joshua][Samuel][Firth] Mr Shane Mark Martin ## Mr Niall McGovern _ Dr Abigail Moore (appointed 26 January 2025) Mr Conor Brendan Mullan (resigned 30 September 2025) ## Objectives and Activities The charity promotes the amateur sport of weightlifting and provides equal opportunities for participation by all sections of the community. it provides members with the following opportunities as they relate to the amateur sport of weightlifting: to train with a group of peers, to receive instruction in weightlifting technique and training methods, and to participate in organised competition. ## Achievements and Performance . Page 1 : : : ‘ ## Club Affiliations Golift Weightlifting Club continued its affiliation with British Weightlifting, which is the NGB recognised by Sport NI. Weightlifting Ireland affiliation has been ongoing since January 2024 and we renewed this in 2025 which required our safeguarding officer to undertake additional safeguarding course to align with the new mandatory requirements that all affiliated clubs require a designated | liaison person. ## Membership Growth in female participation across both youth and senior categories. We are particularly proud to have members ranging in age from 6 to 79, representing the full spectrum of age groups recognised in weightlifting. In a sport that has historically seen a disproportionate number of male participants, the club is pleased to report a near-balanced membership: 34 males (57.6%) and 25 females (42.4%). **----- Start of picture text -----**
Demographic Charts
Te Mae «9 Female
S19 16-29 26-90 J640 46-490 86-80 76-90
V8 27-28 BQH AIS H-55 FL-PS
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Fourteen members affiliated with Weightlifting Ireland for the 2025 season, an increase of ten compared with 2024 and consistent with projections outlined in last year’s annual report. As noted previously, the requirement for athletes to possess an Irish passport in order to be eligible for podium recognition or national record ratification continues to present a barrier to further increasing the number of members affiliating with Weightlifting Ireland. ## Competitions & Performance From a local perspective, the club continued to support member participation in N| Weightlifting events throughout the year. NI Weightlifting hosts four qualifying events annually, with the top 25 men and top 25 women invited to compete at the NI Senior Championships in November 2024. As a measure of overall club performance, 8 of the top 25 Senior men (32%) and 5 of the top 25 Senior women (20%) were GoLift athletes. Competition results can be viewed at https://niweightlifting.com/2025-results/. A total of 23 senior lifters represented the club in NI Weightlifting competitions during the reporting period—our highest level of participation to date. Attendance at Weightlifting Ireland events remained limited due to coaching capacity and Irish passport requirements for international qualification. Nevertheless, we fielded a small but successful team at the Irish Senior Championships in June 2025. Two male athletes competed, achieving a gold medal in the 71 kg category and a bronze medal in the 94 kg category. Three female athletes also competed, securing silver in the 77 kg category and gold in the 86 kg category. From a youth perspective, four lifters participated in the British Age Groups Championships at Oldbury Academy in Birmingham. The club achieved two gold medals at the Under-10 level, a gold medal in the U15 female category, and a bronze medal in the U23 male category. Full results can be found at: https://britishweightlifting.org/competitions/age-group-championships. Youth membership within the club continues to grow, and a number of new young lifters are expected to compete in the coming year, marking a positive trend in junior development. , , Page 2 **E** EE E——————————————— £££, i For Masters lifters (aged 35 or older), club membership has expanded, with 16 of our 59 members now falling within this category. The club aims to support these athletes in preparing for Masters events across Ni Weightlifting, Weightlifting Ireland, and British Weightlifting. Three members competed at the 2025 British Masters Championships in Bangor, Wales, earning a bronze medal in the M40 96 kg class, gold in the M45 81 kg class, and gold in the M75 81 kg class. Full results are available at: https://www.britishmasterswl.com/results.html. Erom an international perspective, two senior lifters are actively pursuing qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the qualification period beginning in June 2025. As part of this process, both athletes competed at the British Weightlifting Senior Championships in line with NI Commonwealth Games Council recommendations for future funding. They are also in the final stages of preparation for the Worid Weightlifting Championships in Norway, commencing in October 2025. The Head Coach will be in attendance, providing valuable international coaching experience. We extend our thanks to the NI Commonwealth Games Council for part-funding this trip. Additionally, one of our 14-year-old athletes qualified for the European U15 Championships through Weightlifting ireland but had to decline due to a planned family holiday. We remain optimistic that she will qualify again next year, as she will still be eligible within the same age category. All competitions are eligible for anti-doping testing. In the 2024/2025 season, Weightlifting Ireland experienced one member who was sanctioned for an anti-doping rule violation. Due to recent international successes by Weightlifting Ireland members, anti-doping tests will also become more prevalent. It was therefore important that club lifters, who will have to abide to the principle of strict liability have sufficient education on knowing their responsibilities in scrutinising supplements and medication. In 2025, we changed our club constitution to ensure that all senior (classified as aged 18 and above) lifters representing the club would be required to undergo anti-doping education prior to competing. We are proud to highlight that all senior members who have competed in 2025 have completed anti-doping education and provided the directors with a copy of their course completion certificate. , ## Coaching As outlined in the 2024 annual report, the club restricted the number of competitors attending Weightlifting Ireland events due to having only one coach qualified at Weightlifting Ireland Level 1. in * 2025, three additional members successfully completed the Weightlifting Ireland Level 1 coaching course—funded either personally or by the club—allowing us to support a greater number of members at sanctioned competitions. In 2024, our Head Coach also enrolled in the Level 3 Dipioma in Coaching Olympic Weightlifting through British Weightlifting and received his certification in the autumn. The club continues to face challenges in securing funding through Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council sports grants. Current funding criteria prevent us from applying for support for coaches undertaking online British Weightlifting courses or Weightlifting Ireland Level 1 courses delivered outside the borough. — The club is currently reviewing its coach development structure to identify how best to enhance support for coaches beyond the formal education offered by British and Irish national governing bodies. A returning member, who works with British Weightlifting in the area of coach development, has offered to review our existing practices and assist in designing an improved internal development framework. This will focus on areas such as competition coaching, programming, lifter development, and long-term athlete development (LTAD) strategies. Page 3 ‘ ## Merchandising **----- Start of picture text -----**
In 2024, the club collaborated with a local printing company to expand the range of clothing available
to members and to secure discounted pricing for larger orders, creating an opportunity to increase
profit margins. This merchandising arrangement has continued into 2025; however, progress has been
affected by the owner of the printing company being on long-term sick leave. As a result, the club has
begun to explore contingency plans to ensure continuity of merchandising for both new and existing
members. Discussions have taken place with the NI Weightlifting Secretary to review the
merchandising option currently used by Ni Weightlifting, and an assessment of its feasibility for the
club is ongoing. ,
As outlined in last year's annual report, plans were in progress to work with an England-based
company—suppliers of Weightlifting Ireland-branded items—to produce club-branded competition
weightlifting singlets for early 2025. One of our directors has since overseen the production of the
club’s first-ever branded competition singlets, and 25 members have now purchased them. This
represents a highly successful uptake for the first year. The introduction ofthese singlets has enhanced
the club’s visibility at competitions and has contributed positively to its social media presence.
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Website & Social Media
The club’s website was originally created several years ago, and in 2024 a decision was taken to
redevelop it to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information—such as opening times, coaching
details, and pricing—was readily available for prospective members. A director with website
development experience volunteered to lead this project in late 2024.
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; The first stage of the new website has now been launched (https://www.goliftweightliftingclub.com), and planning is underway for the next phase. This upcoming stage will include a dedicated youth section providing parents with key information such as safeguarding contacts, a list of licensed coaches, position statements from national bodies regarding the suitability of weight training for young people, and highlights of youth lifter achievements. ## Financial Review During the year the charity received £19,749 from members in unrestricted funds and expended £14.087 leaving a surplus of £5,662 and at 30 September 2025 had reserves of £24,938 in unrestricted funds. These reserves are held for future revenue and capital expenditure as required. ‘ ## Approval The Directors and Trustees Annual Report was approved on 23 December 2025 and signed on behalf of the board by: Dr Peter Stewart tie \ al Page 4