Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1365376
G4M&O Being an overseas club, how did the club first hear about the Gaelic4Mothers&Others Programme? Mostly online but we do have few of our Irish members with clubs at home who run this programme. When we asked them to enquire at home about this, they said it was a fantastic programme. How did you go about establishing the G4M&O Programme in your club? After hearing about the programme. and gauging if there was some interest within the current Geelong Gaels club community, we utilised the information pack we received for G4M&O. The role for a G4M&O coordinator was created and along with the club secretary we set about creating the programme. We have a great club community, so much of the advertising happened through word of mouth. Did you encounter any barriers being based Down Under and how did you navigate them? There is limited knowledge about Gaelic football in the community so gaining interest "off the street" is a little harder. Most of our participants joined, however, because they knew someone at the club. Gradually over the season, more would attend because of a recommendation from a participant. COVID restrictions limited some of our training sessions but we felt very lucky to be able to train and without masks. What tools did you utilise to advertise and promote the programme to the club members and wider communit? Word of mouth was our most powerful tool. We also utilised social media via the club's established pages and email for communication. The local newspaper also wrote an article about the G4M&O programme. Have any participants from non-Gaelic Games background come to join the group? Almost all of the participants came from non-Gaelic GAELIC4MOTHERS&OTHERS TAKES OFF IN GEELONG! Games background. This played to our advantage as we were able to create a programme that wasn't intimidating for the beginners at all. How would you say the G4M&O programme has added to the Gaelic Games experience for the club as a whole? As a participant myself, it was great to see adult females joining in with a team sport that we so often leave after having children. More members of the Geelong Gaels community are now getting involved and playing, not just watching their children or husbands play. Obviously the programme is non-competitive and social football. How did you convey this message to potential participants? This was included in the advertising, which I believe is why some of our participants came along. Keen to learn but not ready or wanting to compete. What would you say has been the best aspect of the programme for both coaches and participants? It was often stated by the participants that it was a fun way to exercise without feeling like we are exercising. There was always lots of laughing while learning the new skills and playing mini games against each other. We all just had great fun. What would your advice be to any other overseas clubs thinking of establishing the programme? Get your current members involved, they will be your best advertisers! 58 | SPRING 2021 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie Peil talks to John Reaney about G4M&O in Geelong