GAA’s generation game

ONCE upon a time, Ireland’s primary school system was a fertile conveyor belt for budding hurlers and footballers.

This, of course, didn’t happen by accident.

The length and breadth of Ireland, dedicated volunteers passed on their knowledge of the games to countless children.

These teachers, many famous inter-county names amongst them, went over and above the ‘terms of employment’ to deliver an education of an entirely different kind.

It was a priceless resource that was largely taken for granted.

Nobody appointed people to these posts. Their sole motivation was a love for Gaelic games and a commitment to nurturing the coming generation.

However, in more recent times, primary education has undergone something of a sea change.

Significantly, the steady stream of male teachers attracted to the profession began to dry up.

Becoming a primary teacher suddenly became unfashionable, with many drawn elsewhere by the promise of increased monetary rewards.

So what’s the state of play today? Former Meath football great Colm O’Rourke sees the issue in a different light. He’s the current principal of the famous football nursery St Patrick’s Classical School, Navan.

“I don’t think the key issue is primary level, although I’m sure it could be improved in many ways. For me, the real concern is when young players arrive at secondary level. In large schools, like ourselves in Navan, you have maybe a 160 fellas entering first year and only a fraction of those will ever play for the school. That means that from September to May, the only football many will have is at club level, which means large periods without any action. This can be very dispiriting for young kids and many lose interest in the game and turn to something else.

“There’s no perfect solution, but we also need to be realistic.”

The gaping void left by the absence of male teachers has been offset somewhat by the incredible work done by Cumann na mBunscol. The current Uachtarán is Brother James Dorner and he recognises the challenges facing games promotion at this level.

He said: “The Cumann is an entirely voluntary organisation and we’re very fortunate that we have such committed people involved. If you go back 20 years, the ratio of females to males entering teacher training college was 11 to one! For whatever reason, all of a sudden, men turned their back on primary school teaching. I’m based here in Doon NS in Limerick, where there’s one male teacher, myself and in nearby Cappawhite and Cappamore, there are none. You even had a situation where teacher training colleges like Marino couldn’t field an adult football team.! We have many fantastic female teachers involved in the Cumann, but undoubtedly the absence of male teachers in recent years has created an imbalance. It takes a huge commitment to stay on after school and pour time into coaching. Here in Limerick, there’s a lot of great work done by county board coaches, going into schools once a week. In an ideal world, an increased number of male teachers with GAA backgrounds would definitely help to nurture a love of our games. We can’t be complacent. It’s important this issue is recognised and not ignored.”

What’s the view from the coaching coalface? Damien Sheridan is coordinator with Longford GAA and the county’s current senior football goalkeeper.

“A couple of years ago a motion was passed at congress where all club football up to U12 would be two-touch and basically non-competitive. These ‘Go Games’ are played out in a blitz format and guarantee playing time for everyone involved, irrespective of standard or ability. It’s a very inclusive system. The ‘Go Games’ initiative coincides with the primary school years and is a positive progression. However, one of the biggest issues hindering player development is pressure from club mentors and parents for competitive games. Sometimes overly enthusiastic adults can be counter-productive! Some want full-pitch games and full-size goals. This thinking goes directly against the perceived wisdom of other sports.

“Take Barcelona, the best soccer team in Europe. Their feeder nurseries promote a non-competitive, skills-driven method, which is more about nurturing than coaching. This approach produces technically superior players. In the GAA we’re lucky to have fantastic people like National Hurling coordinator Paudie Butler. He understands what’s necessary to produce good coaches with a modern skill-set. I think we need to encourage kids to play for fun at primary level. Coach the basics, play on small pitches with small goals and let them enjoy it. We need to create an environment that’s not too heavy handed. In certain quarters, kids are instructed so much that they’re not developing good decision making skills. We see this safety first option right up to senior inter-county level, particularly the over-reliance on the handpass. Developing players to kick a 40-yard pass and take long range scores is more challenging.”

Clare hurling legend Jamsie O’Connor feels that broader societal changes have created an even greater challenge. He’s a teacher at St Flannan’s College, Ennis.

“I’ve been involved with the first years over the past while and have noticed a general decline in the standard of hurler. Obviously, talent comes in cycles, but life in general has changed. I see it myself at my home club St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield. We’ve plenty of coaching going on at U10 and 12, but often the hurl goes into the boot after training and stays there until the next session. There are just so many distractions for young kids. When I was that age, myself and my brothers hurled all the time and that’s how we developed technique. The controlled environment of training isn’t enough, it’s also the countless hours spent playing for sheer enjoyment. I think it’s easy to blame primary schools and even clubs. The reality is that society has changed drastically. There’s less unstructured playtime for kids today, unsupervised time spent pucking or kicking a ball. Coaching kids at primary level should be less about drills and more about just playing. Of course, there’s no magic wand. Certainly a committed male teacher at primary level can hugely influence and inspire young guys to play. We need to be mindful because sports like rugby are becoming an increasingly enticing option.

“Often, it’s about inspiring kids in the right environment, rather than over-coaching them.”