Twenty new full-time coaches set to be 'game-changer' for GAA clubs in Munster

Munster Council vice-chairman Tim Murphy announced the almost doubling of the province’s full-time coaching and games staff

ANNOUNCEMENT: Munster council vice-chairman Tim Murphy. File pic: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus Ltd

Munster GAA’s imminent recruitment of 20 new games development staff will be a “game-changer” for the province.

That’s according to Munster Council vice-chairman Tim Murphy who said the almost doubling of the province’s full-time coaching and games staff will deliver a ratio of one Games Development Administrator to every 10 clubs across the six counties.

That Munster GAA are in a position to advertise for 20 new games development personnel has been made possible by Croke Park’s new games development funding model which has led to a significant rise in funding to the province from €1.3m to €2.7m.

According to Murphy, this increased funding and the increased bodies on the ground that it will deliver is “long overdue”.

“We have been behind the curve in terms of personnel on the ground, relative to all the other provinces. We had 26 GDAs, now we will have 46. Without a shadow of a doubt, it is long overdue. We have been waiting for it a long time. Long overdue, but very welcome. It is going to be a game-changer,” said Murphy.

“One person per 10 clubs is a huge step forward. Take a place like South Kerry, it is geographically huge, so you need more bodies on the ground. One person per 10 clubs is a really good average and the games development staff will be able to provide a really good service in respect of the clubs and schools, primary and secondary, in the area they will be serving.

“If you take Cork as another example, they are going to go from around six GDAs to 14. The difference that is going to make on the ground is huge in terms of interaction with clubs, facetime with clubs, and it will allow the GAA in each county to reach into clubs and schools way more than they have in the past and spend more time with these units.” 

This increased interaction with clubs, Murphy added, will be crucial in empowering club volunteers, assisting juvenile coaches, and building greater self-sufficiency at grassroots levels.

“It also allows us to take a holistic view of the entire province, to look strategically at areas and say, for example, there is an issue in a big urban area and there are additional resources needed there. We'll be able to do that in association with the counties under the new model, whereas before we didn't have that level of latitude.” 

New working conditions and salaries, stemming from a HR review, will reflect the importance of the GDA role and deliver a “sustainable wage”.

“The conditions of the GDAs are dramatically improving. They possibly wouldn't have been remunerated adequately up to now and we are hoping that will all change now as part of the new national initiative," Murphy continued.

“GDAs are people who are absolutely committed to the cause and it is a job that doesn't go by conventional 9-5 hours. It is about time they got a bit of recognition for what they do.” 

Munster GAA will host an online recruitment session on Monday, February 20 in respect of the new positions coming on stream (check out munster.gaa.ie for more details). There will also be two in-person recruitment events at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Aras Mumhan in Castletroy Limerick.

The plan is to have the positions advertised by the end of this month, interviews to take place in mid-March, with the first bodies on the ground starting in early May.