GAA bids to bring Gaelic games to Europe

THE GAA is to embark on an ambitious coaching campaign across Europe. The project aims to increase the profile of, and participation in, hurling and football among children of all nationalities.

European Development Officer Paul Larkin said the project will boost participation levels in Gaelic games throughout the Continent.

“Coaches from Ireland will travel over in the next couple of months and begin coaching initiatives in a number of cities. They will begin with foundation one lessons and work up until their students will become qualified coaches,” Mr Larkin said yesterday.

“Then we will look at dividing Europe up into four or five different zones and once the number of coaches increases, we can put them into different cities and begin the process all over again.”

Mr Larkin added that once the required number of coaches are in place, they plan to commence working with primary school children in the designated countries.

“We are looking at schools,” Mr Larkin said. “We don’t know if we can target them just yet but it is something which is being considered. There will be some work in that. For example, all the coaching books will have to be translated into languages like French and Spanish but these things could be done.

“We are also considering running initiatives with some universities in Ireland to help the project.”

However, Mr Larkin agreed that the primary objective of the coaching scheme is to develop the games at grass roots level.

“Croke Park are sending out the coaches to existing clubs in a bid to build up the games and the skills.” Mr Larkin said. “We are not yet at a stage like in American or in Australia though that is due to various factors like a transient population as opposed to the settled communities which you have in other countries.”