Connacht GAA hosts coach developer workshop

By Cian O’Connell.

Connacht GAA hosted a workshop for coach developers in Bekan last week.Bekan last week.

At the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence coach developers from across the province were briefed about new initiatives and procedures.

Adrian Hassett, Connacht GAA operations manager, was delighted with the response from the attendees, who deliver coaching courses in the west of Ireland. “It was an upskilling workshop for all of the coach developers in Connacht,” Hassett explains.

“It was part of a series of workshops carried out nationally in each of the provinces. We all delivered workshops for our respective coach developers. The coach developers we have, some would be involved with the province from the last 10 years, we had a recent batch in Connacht we trained up in the last year.

“As part of the engagement to keep them briefed on what is happening in coach education in terms of the courses being delivered, any new policies or procedures that are in place, anything like that.”

Ensuring the coach developers evolve is crucial according to Hassett. “In relation to their own skills as a coach developer, we zoned in on aspects of that and across the provinces in relation to that upskilling,” he adds.

“It is a catch up for them, but it brings them together, to get their thoughts on what might be happening in coach education, their own experiences in delivering courses, and being out there among coaches with the courses being delivered. It is good for us to get feedback, and also for us to give them updates.”

Sharing knowledge and obtaining information from coaches in other provinces is vital too. “There is a national coach education committee, headed up by Martin Kennedy, and you have representatives from each of the provinces,” Hassett says.

“From that best practice would come from that committee. It would be fed through from the counties up to the provinces up to a national level. Then nationally you'd get what they are learning from other associations and sports.

“It is just so that we can give the coaches that are on the ground, the best practice and guidance in relation to when they are dealing with their own players or own teams. From those meetings and the national committee, the workshops came into being.

“They were designed and set up for each of the provinces. Last Monday week from a Connacht point of view, it was the end result from a lot of work throughout the year and also the best practices coming back from the committees.”

In Connacht 55 active coach developers, both volunteers and full-time staff, deliver the courses. Clubs are willing to embrace new ideas. “Very much so, credit would have to go to the association - Pat Daly, back in time, at the very beginning setting up coach education, and formalising it through the introduction of the Foundation, Level One, Level Two,” Hassett replies.

“That has been reviewed so you now have the Introduction to Gaelic Games, Award One, Award Two, Codes of Best Practice, all the various workshops that go with that.

“You will see loads of coach education workshops delivered within the counties or the provinces over the last number of years. So, there is a thirst, but the big thing is people are looking for the best practices and best advice in relation to dealing with players. Giving the best information so the players can represent themselves as the best they can be when going to play matches is what it is about.

“Coaches want to upskill themselves and want to be at the forefront of the initiatives and ideas that are out there. For them to be confident when they take on teams, that they have the requisite information behind them.

“There is a quality assurance to it also, the information provided has been well tested, it is the best available at the given time. When it is delivered to the coaches, they are getting the best available information at that time.”