#ANGLING - Qualifiers to select teams for the 2013 World, European and Celtic Cup coarse fishing teams will be fished over six weekends in 2012.

The float and feeder teams for the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI) squads will be decided via an All Ireland Qualifier format to CIPS rules.

Team manager Mark Theedom will select his teams from the top 20 anglers in the float qualifiers and the top 50% of anglers taking part in the feeder qualifiers.

The series will be open to all anglers who are members of NCFFI-affiliated clubs, and is intended to be more inclusive and encourage many more anglers to participate.

All senior anglers will pay an entry fee of €60 for the six-match series which will help fund teams travelling to the 2013 championships. Individual anglers not intending to fish the series but wishing to fish individual qualifiers in their local area will be charged €15. Juniors will not be expected to pay any entry fee.

The qualifier weekends are as follows:

• 21-22 April – River Barrow, Co Carlow
• 19-20 May – Inniscarra, Co Cork
• 2-3 June – River Shannon (O’Brien’s Bridge), Co Clare
• 11-12 August – Lough Muckno, Co Monaghan
• 22-23 September - Lough Oughter, Co Cavan
• 20-21 October – Lower River Bann, Co Antrim

The Angling Council of Ireland (ACI) elected its first president at an event in Dublin recently.

The Irish Times reports that Hugh O'Rourke, who has served as ACI secretary since its inception in 2002, was elected unanimously as head of Ireland's governing body for sea, coarse, pike, trout, salmon and sea trout angling.

The ACI's constitution was also ratified at the meeting in Sport HQ in Park West, at which some disappointment was expressed at the council's failure to gain a place on the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Later, an awards ceremony in the afternoon saw John O'Brien presented with a plaque for winning individual silver and team gold at the 2010 World Championship of Shore Angling in South Africa.