Training in Belfast

THE Ulster Council has established a forward-thinking programme for Belfast-based Gaelic footballers who face regular long journeys to train with their home clubs.

The initiative has been set up with a mind to providing players either working or studying in the city with one high-intensity training session per week in a central floodlit Belfast location.

Among the benefits for those participating in the programme, the Ulster Council lists savings on club fuel expenses and a reduction in player fatigue from long journeys.

Club managers will also be furnished with information on their players if they so wish.

The programme begins on Monday, February 21, for a six-week period and is priced at £25 per person.

The training sessions will be conducted by Ulster Council development officer and former Tyrone footballer Ryan Mellon, who quit the Red Hand panel at the end of last year.

The Belfast model follows the Dublin example which has been established in the capital since 2005 through Tranáil Gan Taisteal (TGT) GAA training centres.