“The Player Pathway” is the theme of the Donegal GAA coaching conference taking place on Saturday, March 11th, at the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy.
This will be the first time a conference of this kind will be held in the county.
Looking ahead to Saturday, Donegal GAA Coaching Officer, Michael McGeehin, said the event will help coaches at all levels.
“Coaches are always looking for new ways of doing things and new ideas to bring into their coaching, and this is an opportunity to do that. That the conference is being held locally means coaches don’t have to travel to another part of the province or another part of the country to listen to speakers and take part in practical workshops,” he added.
“Some of the speakers we are bringing in are from other counties and have a national perspective on what’s happening regarding coaching and games within the GAA. I think it would be worthwhile for coaches in Donegal to hear what’s happening and if they only pick one thing up from the day, that will help their coaching.
“The conference will focus on fundamental movement skills and athletic development and will include practical workshops in football and hurling. The day will conclude with a question-and-answer session with current and past players from men’s and ladies’ football and hurling.”
Guest speakers on Saturday will include Donegal senior football team coach, Aidan O’Rourke, Donegal ladies’ senior footballer, Karen Guthrie, Clare GAA’s Gaelic Games Development Administrator, Peter Casey, and former Westmeath senior football team manager and GAA National Player Development Lead, Jack Cooney.
Donegal GAA Games Development Manager, Declan Bushell, said if Saturday’s conference goes well, the aim will be to make it an annual event.
“We tried to hold a conference of this kind before Covid but were forced to put it on the back burner. We’re looking forward to the first GAA conference of this kind being held in Donegal this weekend. We’re targeting from under-7s, 8s and 9s right up for the fundamentals which will be one workshop, while athletic development for the under-13s, 15s and 17s will be the focus of another workshop.
“We’ll also have a workshop for Gaelic football and hurling. The focus of the hurling workshop will be on maximising scoring opportunities with Peter Casey,” he added.
“There is a good appetite in the county for practical workshops and the learnings from Saturday’s conference will be of huge benefit to coaches in a club setting,” he said.
Stat Sports will be there to talk about their product, O’Neill’s are supplying a gift bag and lunch will be provided by Yes Chef. We have a lot scheduled for the day which isn’t overly long.”
The event runs from 9.30 am to 3 pm. The cost, which includes lunch and a coaching pack, is €20.
To register, follow the link below:
https://www.universe.com/events/donegal-gaa-coaching-conference-a-players-pathway-tickets-N9WGL0
For more information email declan.bushell.coach.dongeal@gaa.ie
