Alan Kerins
Alan Kerins (born 1977) is an Irish sportsman, humanitarian, social entrepreneur and philanthropist. Kerins was a dual player for Galway, a hurler between 1997 and 2011 and a footballer between 2001 and 2004. He played with the senior inter-county team until 2011. Kerins played hurling with his local club Clarinbridge and football with Salthill-Knocknacarra. He is also founder and CEO of The Inner Winner Institute, a personal development training company. Early life. Kerins's mother runs a B&B in Clarinbridge. His father Monty was a significant presence as a coach of hurling in Galway and was  a selector for the county's minor and senior teams. Kerins studied physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin. Playing career. Kerins has the distinction of winning All-Ireland medals in both Gaelic games codes (football and hurling) with his county and his club teams - a feat rarely achieved. He holds the unique distinction of having won All-Ireland Club medals in both hurling and football and is the only man to ever do so with different clubs. Club. Kerins played his club football with Salthill-Knocknacarra. He won an All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship with Salthill-Knocknacarra in March 2006 ; he played at Right Half Forward. Kerins played his club hurling with Clarinbridge. He won an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship with Clarinbridge in 2011. Inter-county. Kerins won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal with Galway in 2001. He was named AIB Connacht Footballer of the Year in 2005. He played senior inter-county hurling for Galway between 1997 and 2011. Coaching career. In September 2019, he took up a performance and coaching role with the Westmeath senior hurlers. Other activities. Kerins is also performance consultant, executive coach, public speaker and chartered physiotherapist. He holds a diploma  in Child and Family Support and has collaborated with UNESCO on several global development initiatives. Inner Winner Institute. Kerins founded the Inner Winner Institute, a training company that offers leadership, personal and professional development courses in USA, Africa, India and Ireland. Charity work. Kerins founded The Alan Kerins Projects in 2005, raising over €5 million directly and several more million euro indirectly for many vital and life-saving projects and programmes for communities all over the world. Taking three months unpaid leave from his job in the mid-2000s, Kerins started working on an outreach programme with the Presentation Sisters  at the Cheshire Home in Mongu, the main township of Western Province in Zambia. The project was called the Alan Kerins Zambia Fund. In the 2010s, the Alan Kerins Projects partnered with Self Help Africa. Self Help Africa supports rural poor communities across sub-Saharan Africa to grow and earn more from their small farms. Personal life. Kerins is married. He and his wife have one son. Kerins addressed the crowd at Croke Park during the World Meeting of Families 2018. He told the crowd of how his faith in the Catholic Church had sustained himself and his wife when  their son Ruadhan was ill. Awards and honours. Individual. In addition, Kerins has received many awards & acknowledgements for his work in Africa, Asia and Haiti. In 2006, Kerins received an ESB Rehab People of the Year Award and Galway Person of the Year Award, while he was also awarded Ireland's most outstanding young person.