'We need to realign if we're serious about it':GAA's hurling chief calls for coaching shake up

The GAA's national head of hurling Willie Maher said "it's the level of funding and the level of backing will dictate the level of impact that I will have". Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The GAA’s national head of hurling Willie Maher believes the association needs to consider a “realignment” of its coaching staff if it is to grow participation rates in the sport.

“We have between 350 and 400 staff working with the association,” Maher told Irish Examiner podcast Dalo’s Hurling Show.

“It's how do we deploy them or realign them to positions that suit hurling more. Particularly in the north half of the country and Connacht - a lot of the game staff of the association are coaching football exclusively.

"If you have 70 or 80% of our staff doing football and coaching football, how do we realign them to coach hurling, if that's what the association want to do from a strategic plan. It's something I've identified in the last while.

“All we're looking for in these areas is access to hurling, let kids experience the game. One of the reasons I took the role, there's a friend of mine I used to work with from Kildare and he never even held a hurley before – this is our national sport.

“That's something we can control. Even if you think of an example in Donegal, one hurling coach and I think it's seven or eight football coaches. These are things that we need to realign if we're serious about it.” 

Maher recently finished a series of hurling roadshows held around the country. 1,300 people turned out in total. One of those events was held in Mayo. 90 people attended to talk about hurling in Connacht. However, it is not just in the less traditional counties in which hurling needs help.

“People really struggling and on their knees who have given 20, 30 years of service to an area or a primary school or a club,” said Maher.

“And knowing that there's nobody coming after them. No one came before them. And hurling is based on one individual who is really frustrated with the lack of support.

"We were in Cork at a road show on the 1st of September. We could have spoke for two hours around certain areas of Cork, west Cork, some city areas as regards not having any access to hurling. You think everything is fine in Cork as regards getting to an All-Ireland.

"Obviously look, Cork want to win an All-Ireland and are very disappointed not to, but at the same time, looking beneath the bonnet of that, and (they have) areas just where no hurling is played. That's a traditional area.” 

The GAA held a meeting with the government in July seeking funding for hurling in the upcoming budget. “It will be interesting to see what will happen,” said Maher.

“On the other side of that, the GAA need to back me and need to back hurling here because I know what the issues are. I'm speaking through them for the last five months. I'm putting a plan together at the moment which will be resourced.

“This was ultimately a strategic role, that's the reason I took it on. I want to make an impact here but I suppose it's the level of funding and the level of backing will dictate the level of impact that I will have.”