Applications for Gaelic Games Club Coaching Community of Practice are now open!

Recently the Gaelic Games Coach Pathway was launched. This coach pathway mirrors the Gaelic Games Player Pathway with the aim to provide coaches with the knowledge, skill, and capacities to develop players across the Gaelic Games Player Pathway – ‘just in time, just for me’.

To reach this goal, the Coach Pathway offers a ‘Learning Space’ for coaches. This space provides various coaching opportunities tailored to the needs of Gaelic Games coaches and offers a wide range of learning experiences.

Already within this Learning Space, exciting initiatives such as the ‘Introduction to the Gaelic Games’ Coaching Course (a joint foundation level coaching opportunity recognized across the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association), and In game coaching workshops, athletic development offerings have been developed to support coaches on their coaching journey to name a few.

The Gaelic Games Family are delighted to announce the second iteration of our latest coach education offering, a Club Coaching Community of Practice (CoP), a peer facilitated approach. This non formal coach opportunity promotes clubs taking ownership of their own coach learning where groups of coaches are proactive in sharing knowledge, experiences, good practice, and resources. The Club coaching CoP is a great way for coaches to learn from each other and improve their coaching skills. In essence, it is like an internal supportive network within the club where coaches exchange ideas and support each other.

One participant from the pilot programme, involving 12 clubs, spoke about the many benefits of the initiative for their club.

“The Gaelic Games CCoP benefited the club in many ways; it brought people together on topics of mutual interest. We got to know other people in the club that we did not know before. We got to opportunity to share ideas of strategies for managing underage players in a player centered way. In addition, it provided an opportunity to discuss club strategy on club numbers and player retention; a forum for developing an understanding of other people and age groups in the club”.

Another participant spoke about how the CCCoP “secured a space to discuss our cub coaching structure, giving a ‘voice’ to more coaches”.

The Gaelic Games Club Coach CoP Programme will provide a research informed support network and guidance to clubs on how to set up, structure and implement a peer facilitated CoP approach within their clubs.

 

How to Apply

The adoption of a peer facilitated approach can be complex, therefore a criterion will be provided to access the ‘level of readiness’ of clubs. The closing date for clubs to express an interest is Friday 25^th October at 5pm. In total 12 clubs across the Country will be given the opportunity to participate in this exciting pilot programme.

If your club is interested in applying for the programme, then please note, the Club Secretary must complete and submit the application form on behalf of the club. Applications will only be accepted from this official GAA, LGFA or Camogie email address.

CLICK HERE to view the expression of interest form.

 

Note:

A short information webinar will be held with all clubs who have expressed an interest on Wednesday 30^th October 2024 at 9pm to go through the process in more detail. Following this information webinar, clubs will confirm if they would like their application to be considered or if they would like to be removed from the section process.

 

For further information contact:

• LGFA                               William Harmon                            william.harmon@lgfa.ie
• GAA                                 Martin Kennedy                              martin.kennedy@gaa.ie
• Camogie Association    Liam Clancy                                    liam.clancy@camogie.ie