Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1141648
www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2019 | 35 GAELIC4TEENS PLAYER RETENTION During the coach education days of the programme - what were the most important take homes for you as a coach? "To keep the training sessions fun and ensure all girls are involved and feel involved. At training, go with less talking from the Coach(es) and encourage more input and feedback from the girls." Trim U14 Coach "Before the programme when the girls were talking during my sessions it worried me a little as I thought they were not listening to me! Now I realise the social side is very important to the players and without it they may not come to training. I also now see the importance of interacting with them, asking them questions, giving them responsibilities and looking for their feedback. Music in the background helps create a fun atmosphere." Castlegregory Coach "Our training session have changed since our coaches started Gaelic4Teens. they ask us about sessions now, we are doing new drills and it's more fun." Trim Players. "I got involved in the Gaelic4Teens Programme because being a teenager is a difficult time for all with so much change happening in many aspects your life. The LGFA provided a constant for me during my teenage years, allowing me to develop as a leader on and off the field of play. The platform that the game provided for me continues to shape my life on a daily basis and I really wanted to ensure that other girls would be able to experience that in their lives too." Sinead Delahunty G4T Ambassador "The biggest thing that struck me about the girls during the day in Abbotsown was the different personalities and traits they all had. There was such a variety and this could be an obstacle for some coaches to ensure they all get something from the sessions and the games. So taking a bit of time to get to know the players as people off the pitch is important in this sense. Everyone responds well when they are enjoying something so it has a knock on affect from the coaches. " Jackie Kinch G4T Ambassador Gaelic4Teens Programme Participants 2019 Castlegregory (Kerry), Listowel Emmets (Kerry), Drumbaragh (Meath), Trim (Meath), Trinity Gaels (Dublin), Robert Emmets (Dublin), St. Patricks (Tipperary), Slieve Felim Rapparees (Tipperary), Edenderry (Offaly), Ballyhaise (Cavan), Knockbride (Cavan), Cooraclare (Clare), West Clare Gaels (Clare), Killeshin (Laois), Killrossanty/Brickeys (Waterford) and Emyvale (Monaghan) recipes provided by our two G4T ambassadors. From a technical side of things, Fiona McHale and Jackie Kinch demonstrated the importance of having the self-confidence to execute the skills of the game with real purpose. Fiona and Jackie went through some basic fun activities that the players can work on at home, before or after training or with their friends. Cliodhna O Connor demonstrated the importance of players having the functional and athletic ability to be able to move well in order to perform as an athlete to the best of their ability. If players have good functional and athletic ability, then players will be able to execute the skills of the game much easier. All players also participated in a series of non- competitive small sided games on the high quality pitches in Abbotstown. These were no ordinary small sided games, it was important to challenge the players and coaches from a tactical point of view so therefore a series of conditions were applied to assist with player and coach development. LGFA National Development Manager, Lyn Savage, said: 'We were very pleased to be leaders once again by providing an educational coaching programme that specifically targets players in their mid to late teens. There has been much discussion about the 'drop-out' age but we decided it was best to have a proactive approach to attracting and retaining players. We also realised that the emphasis of this programme needed to be on the clubs as much as the players. We have endeavoured to provide clubs with as much knowledge and practical advice as possible to enable them to retain these players that they have nurtured through their underage teams. We look forward to continuing our work with these clubs in the coming year and monitoring their progress as we look to roll out this programme on an annual basis.' WHAT THEY SAID: Previous Page Clockwise from Top: 1 Players take part in an Athletic Development exercise. 2 Cliodhna O'Connor, right, leads an Athletic Development exercise. 3 Lifestyle Balance recipes. 4 Jackie Kinch watches players completing an exercise. 5 Sinéad Delahunty speaking during a Lifestyle Balance seminar. This Page: 1 Players take part in a Skills Development exercise. 2 Sinéad Delahunty gives a Lifestyle Balance food demonstration