Top GAA official seeks fast-track coaching award system

A leading provincial official has warned the deadline for county and club team coaches to attain GAA-recognised requirements is too ambitious.

By January next year, all county teams must have a management member with an Award 2 coaching qualification.

By 2018, all head coaches at inter-county level must possess that same Award 2 qualification, while by next year, all club management teams must contain an Award 1 coach.

Similarly, by the start of the 2018 season, all club head coaches will have to be in receipt of the Award 1 requirement.

However, Connacht secretary John Prenty has voiced concern about how realistic those deadlines are.

“In my opinion, those are unrealistic targets to meet by the end of 2015,” he writes in his annual report.

“An examination of the list of people currently qualified to this level shows many are coaching at underage level but not at senior team level.”

Prenty called for a root and branch review of the GAA’s coaching system. “In my opinion it is time for a radical overhaul of our Coach Education structure and our National Coaching & Games Development Committee should explore the possibility of putting the theory element of Award 1 and Award 2 online; fast-track recognised adult coaches to those levels.

“I feel we, in Connacht, could easily facilitate such a structure under Games Manager, John Tobin; Strength and Conditioning Officer, Cathal Cregg, and our Coach Education Committee and tutors.

“In order to facilitate our coaches and meet our targets, the amount of face-time involved must be shortened considerably.”

Speaking last January, the GAA’s Director of Games Pat Daly said that most coaches were already qualified. However, president Liam O’Neill has spoken about individuals operating with counties with no qualifications and his determination to see transparency brought to the area.

O’Neill spoke two years ago of his support for the GAA to follow rugby’s example in terms of team management positions. He said at the time: “I would prefer to see a situation where we change the notion of team manager, that the county board would appoint a manager as happens in other codes and you have a ‘team manager’ and the fella with the name is the coach.”