A course aimed at introducing coaches to Gaelic games across all four codes of Men’s Football and Hurling, Ladies Football and Camogie will increase the number and quality of coaches involved in developing players across the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association and make it easier for them to acquire coaching credentials.
In a significant step, this collaborative project has produced a coach education programme that will ensure that beginners starting their coaching journey in Gaelic games will no longer need to take code specific introduction courses.
This new course will be shared across each of the three Associations.  Coaches operating in clubs that have different codes, particularly One Club model clubs, now can take a single coaching course, which is a huge benefit to our volunteer coaches.
Since 2019 the three Gaelic games Associations have worked closely together to develop this new common Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games or ICGG Award.
The new course has been launched today at Croke Park. It has been designed to be more interactive and practical than previous introductory courses, with a significant emphasis on coaches learning by doing.
Last year 300 coach developers, from across the three Associations, took part in collaborative upskilling events in preparation for the ICGG programme delivery in 2022 – with a start date to be agreed when pandemic restrictions allow.
The Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games award is structured around three key elements:
- The Coach | ‘Being a Coach’, ‘How to Coach’, and ‘Preparation for Planning’.
- The Player | ‘Who are you coaching?’. Whether they are child, youth or adult players, male or female and address the need to be inclusive.
- The Game | a focus on movement for Gaelic games, skill development and games.
Upon completion of this Award, coaches can then choose learning and development opportunities specific to them, their needs, and abilities with specific reference to the stage of the player pathway that they are coaching at.
“Working in partnership with the LGFA and the Camogie Association, I believe that this new introductory coaching to Gaelic games course will have a profound effect on our volunteer coaches,” said GAA President Larry McCarthy.
“This streamlined and collaborative approach will allow new coaches to concentrate on how to coach and how to coach well and will allow them to maximise their time and the impact they have in developing players. Tús maith leath na hoibre, we are told, and this can put Gaelic games on a strong footing.”
“We are delighted to be involved in the development of the first collaborated coaching programme within the Gaelic games family,” added Camogie President Hilda Breslin.
“This collaboration will provide prospective coaches within the Gaelic games Associations to come together and learn the fundamentals in a supportive and inclusive environment. We are excited for the future success that this collaboration will bring, and I thank my colleagues in the GAA and LGFA for their continued support in the development of this programme”.
The launch of the Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games is another major collaborative project between the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, the GAA and the Camogie Association,” said LGFA President Michael Naughton.
“This is a very important step for the provision of coach education at the grassroots level and ensuring courses are more accessible at a local level. The benefits will be evident for clubs all over the world, with this single course now being provided for coaches regardless of the code they are coaching, rather than having to attend multiple events. We would like to thank everyone involved for the hard work in bringing this to fruition and we look forward to getting coach developers active across the country, and beyond.”
