The 2016 Liberty Insurance GAA National Games Development Conference will take place in Croke Park on January 22 and 23, and will focus on Adult Player development with a special session on the transition from Minor to Adult.
The overall theme of the Conference, in its third year sponsored by Liberty Insurance, is “The Coach, The Game, The Player: Building Connections.”
The event has proven a real winner for the brand in terms of its sense of being embedded within the association through its sponsorship of the All Ireland Hurling and Camogie Championships.
The event is run as a partnership between all of the Gaelic Games Associations and will cater for 750 delegates.
Speakers and workshop leaders will include coaches from the world of Gaelic Games, players, teachers and international speakers.
A key feature of this years’ event is the contribution from players, with All-Ireland winning captains Bryan Cullen (Dublin, 2011), Fionn Fitzgerald (Kerry, 2014), five-time World Handball Champion, Paul Brady and 16 time All-Ireland winning camogie and ladies Gaelic footballer Rena Buckley who will present across a range of topics.
A special workshop presented by Dr Sharon Madigan and Bryan Cullen on sports nutrition has also been developed by the National Dairy Council.
Former Tipperary Manager Eamonn O’Shea, former Ireland International Rules Manager Paul Earley and leading sports scientist Dr Liam Hennessy will also provide some of the highlights of the conference.
In an innovative opening night, Friday, January 22 will feature a ‘Play to Stay’ forum that will investigate many of the issues related to ensuring that players are provided with an adequate programme of games, appropriate to their needs and abilities. Speakers will present on a number of initiatives that have been developed to complement the formal games programme.
“The Liberty Insurance GAA Games Development Conference is one of our flagship events throughout the year,” said GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail.
“It has developed a very loyal following amongst coaches across the Association and is a must attend event for anyone with an interest in how we promote our activities and the ongoing development of our players.”
“In the Irish sporting sphere this event is unrivalled; the range of speakers attending this year underlines the standard we have to come to expect from it year in, year out.”
“There has been much discussion and debate in recent weeks regarding our structures and games programmes at adult level. Páraic Duffy’s report on Player Overtraining and Burnout, and the GAA Fixtures Calendar and the proposals regarding the championship structures have contributed greatly to this debate.”
“I am also pleased to see the issue of the games programme for our younger players through the ‘Play to Stay Summit’. I know that there are a number of innovative proposals that will be debated during this session. I have been very heartened by the level of engagement in the debate and look forward to providing appropriate structures for our players, coaches and administrators.”
“As Official Partner of the GAA Coaching Programme, we understand the importance of the promotion and development of coaching initiatives, and are looking forward to another exciting conference in January,” added John Coffey of Liberty Insurance.
Image Credit: Inpho.ie / Cathal Noonan
