Name: Joe Quinn
County: Offaly
Sport: Football
Company: Aspire

JOE Quinn made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of his business - he stepped away from inter-county football. At just 24 years of age, it was a decision which could have had a detrimental impact on the rest of his career but Quinn had a belief in what he was trying to do and his conviction has paid off in spades.

Quinn set up Aspire - Advanced Sports Performance Ireland in his native town of Clara after observing the booming demand for team training and building trips and the relative lack of suitable venues in this country

“Being involved with Offaly and seeing what teams look for when they go away for training weekends, I could see there were a lot of opportunities out there,” he says.

“They just wanted someone to lead them in the direction to improve their performance. I could see it. Every intermediate and even junior teams - they were all looking for a bit of an edge to get ahead.”

So he went about making all their needs accessible under one roof. In the 35 acres around Clara House, there is a gym catered to the demands of an elite sports squad, a hotel, a chef, a pitch, ice-baths, nutritionists, sports psychologists, access to a pool - all covering the range of needs for visiting athletes or squads

“I tried to do as much on my own at the start as I could to keep costs down,” he says. “That meant I couldn’t devote my time to Offaly. It was a case of doing two things badly or one thing well and in fairness to Pat Roe, he understood completely.”

Quinn - who is also fitness advisor for the Leinster rugby team - has watched his enterprise expand and is nearing the stage when he can get back to his original sporting interest.

“At the start, I was working awful hours. But now we’re a bit more organised. I can eventually take more time off and delegate and free up a bit of time and hopefully, to go back playing for Offaly.”

Meanwhile, Aspire keeps ticking over. He’s found that there’s no ‘slow-season’ in this game and welcomes athletes and teams across a wide spectrum of sporting interests

“We had the Ireland U20 rugby team down for a five-day camp prior to going to the World Cup this year so it shows it’s not just confined to GAA.

“But I found that when you talk to a group and you’re introduced as ‘Joe Quinn - Offaly footballer’ you command a bit more respect.

“Instead of people thinking that you’re some fella just out of college - they know that you’ve been
through and know exactly what it takes.” n