Munster Council pointing the way forward
It featured presentations from the likes of Kerry legend Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston, Cian O’Neill (trainer of the Tipperary senior hurling team, among others), Gerry Fitzpatrick (sports psychology lecturer in WIT and acclaimed strength & conditioning coach) along with a host of top Games Development Administrators from the province.
It was an impressive day’s work, a very positive indicator of just how far the GAA has progressed in recent years in creating a well-organised structured coaching process, incorporating all the most modern thinking and ideas.
Such things don’t come cheap, but, Munster Council chairman Seán Walsh feels that whatever the cost, it is money well spent.
He revealed: “Currently we’re spending around €1.3 million a year on coaches – between the colleges and the county structures, we have 35 full-time coaches on the ground. There is money coming down from national level, from the sports council to our own national coaching and games development committee, and we’re subscribing to that, but our own budget is around €1.3m.
“There are seminars put on also by individual counties, but what you see here is a provincial session, and we’re getting a great response. There’s no compulsion on anyone to be here. You’re invited to come, you make your contribution of €40 for the day, which includes a cooked lunch. The people who are here want to be here, they want to learn, and they will then take the message back to their home clubs – that’s the ideal scenario.
“On top of that, everything from today’s session will be on DVD and on the website – we’re looking to expand our website to use as a tool for getting more information to clubs, to coaches and to get new people coming into the GAA.”
Given the economic woes of the nation, there is a real danger that those national funds will decrease, perhaps even dry up altogether.
Walsh is adamant that such a doomsday scenario won’t impact what’s happening in Munster.
“The one promise I’ll make is this, and I’m very, very strong on it; during the Celtic Tiger we took full advantage, built up a good strong infrastructure all around the country. Some places, like Mallow here, took more advantage than others and built superb complexes.
“However, we cannot allow the investment in bricks and mortar to hold back the other side of the association, which is the coaching of our games – we very much need to move that element forward.
“We have to hold the position we have, as the leading sports organisation in the country – if we still are; then, when the people come to play our games, it’s vital that they are coming to as professional a set-up as possible.’’
Walsh added: “Our training sessions and our games must be well coached and well organised – that can only happen if you have the right people on the ground.
“The first point of contact for any young player is the coach. If young boys and girls are coming to our games at eight and nine years of age, and if they’re finding that the fun element isn’t there, and if their parents are finding that it’s not very well organised, they’re not going to stay; they’ll go elsewhere.
“And they can go elsewhere, because there are now plenty of other choices out there, other organised sports. It was different in previous generations, you went to the GAA because there was nothing else, and that was your focus, but now you have soccer, rugby, swimming, basketball – they have choice.
“We must have the right people in place, coaching our kids in the right way, looking after them properly – that’s the aim of seminars like this, and I believe we are making progress. You have to think outside the box, look at other sports, where they’re progressing, and you have to put all of that learning to good use.”
On the evidence of last Saturday, could be that the GAA itself, and the Munster Council in particular, are now the ones leading the way and setting the standards.
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