Ladies Gaelic Football

38 | SPRING 2022 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie ZUCAR AMBASSADORS who demonstrated great respect for every player. They were strong characters and were committed to individual integrity. My coaches lead by example with a very high attitude to hard work, displaying commitment and passion for Ladies Football and for the development of each player under their guidance. They were highly energised and brilliant motivators who made training exciting and fun, which is essential to keeping girls involved. They created a happy and safe environment for players to develop both their strengths and weaknesses and provided constructive criticism to players in order for them to build on. Why do you think it's important for teenage girls to stay active or involved in sport? By staying active and involved in sport, teenage girls can acquire amazing qualities of loyalty, belonging, determination, competitiveness, doggedness and so on that are promoted by all those hours of finding joy in collective effort, putting aside personal stress for the sake of your team-mates, learning to celebrate victory and absorb defeat, finding confidence in your body and ability to learn and to improve. Team sports in particular provide a chance to unwind and engage in a satisfying challenge that improves your fitness. They also provide social benefits by allowing you to connect with team-mates and friends in a recreational setting. The regular exercise that comes with playing sports can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. As your strength, skills, and stamina increase through playing sports, your self-image will improve as well. With the renewed vigour and energy that comes from physical activity, you may be more likely to succeed in tasks off the playing field as well as on it. When you are physically active, your mind is distracted from daily stressors. This can help you avoid getting bogged down by negative thoughts. If there was one tip you would give a coach who coaches the teenage cohort in their club, what would it be? I would advise any coach who is coaching a teenage cohort to make every girl feel welcome and make them believe that they belong and have something to contribute, no matter what skill level they have. It is important for coaches to create and provide a happy and fun atmosphere and environment that girls want to be part of and allow girls to develop and flourish. Name: Cathy Carey County: Antrim Profession: Operations Manager at Ampersand Fitness Current involvement with the LGFA: Club and County player, underage club coach What is it you like about the ZuCar Gaelic4Teens Programme that encouraged you to get involved as an ambassador for the programme? The age group that the programme targets is around the same age group that I have been coaching for about 10-15 years now, so I didn't think twice about my involvement in the programme. Retention of female teenage players is an issue in teams all over the country and something I have always felt strongly about helping to improve in my club, so it seemed to be an ideal programme for me to get involved in. What do you think you will bring to the ZuCar Gaelic4Teens Programme? Hopefully a level of experience that I have gained through a number of years of coaching and teaching this age group. What attributes did a coach possess that impacted positively on you as a player? The coaches I remember the most when I was younger were the ones that spent time to get to know you as an individual and put effort into making training as enjoyable as possible. I love to have coaches who are approachable, who you could see wanted to be there and could also have a bit of craic – they seemed to be the ones that could get the best out of me as a player. Why do you think it's important for teenage girls to stay active or involved in sport? Teenage girls have a lot of different pressures from their peers, school and social media, and I feel that being involved in sport allows them to express themselves a bit more freely, have positive role models and build friendships with like- minded people. The mental and physical benefits of sport can't be understated, and staying active throughout your teenage years makes it easier to become an active adult and lead a healthy lifestyle without much of a second thought. If there was one tip you would give a coach who coaches the teenage cohort in their club, what would it be? Get to know your players. Building a positive coach-player relationship can make the rest fall into place that bit easier. "TEAM SPORTS IN PARTICUL AR PROVIDE A CHANCE TO UNWIND AND ENGAGE IN A SATISFYING CHALLENGE THAT IMPROVES YOUR FITNESS. THEY ALSO PROVIDE SOCIAL BENEFITS BY ALLOWING YOU TO CONNECT WITH TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS IN A RECREATIONAL SETTING.."

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