Diarmaid Marsden and
Shane McCann
Club Coaching Structures,
Content and Style – Programme
for Development
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Coaching Officer
Who are the key
Coaching Administrator
personnel
Club / School Liaison Officer
involved
in
a
Children’s Officer
club coaching
Head Coaches
structure?
Assistant Coaches
Equipment Coordinator
Parent Helpers
What are the key roles, duties
and qualities of these personnel?
Coaching officer
• Oversees and conducts entire coaching and games
programme
• Establish coaching committee
• Oversee appointment of coaching teams
• Devise and implement club coaching plan
• Implement best practice with regard to coach
education and qualifications
• Implement and monitor club/school link
Coaching officer
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Skills and Qualities
Should be knowledgeable
Ability to lead and adapt
Effective communicator
Organised
Facilitator – sharing of ideas and learning
Delegator
Monitoring and evaluating
Coaching Administrator
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Administrative functions of the coaching committee
Schedule and notify coaches about coach meetings
Draft reports as required for exec committee
Attend county board /divisional board meetings
Point of contact for county board (in conjunction with
club secretary) – notify fixtures and changes to relevant
personnel
• Coordinate registration process for underage players
• Assistance to children’s officer
Club / School Liaison Officer
• Sets up and creates link with club and local
school(s)
• Communicates regularly between club and school
• Organises club coaching during/after school
• Promotes club activity within school – notice
board / distribution of flyers
• Sharing of facilities
• Supply of equipment, jerseys etc…..
Children’s Officer
• Promote a child centred approach to coaching
• Understand GAA code of ethics, child protection
procedures, rules and regulations
• Implement best practice in the club with regard to
child protection guidelines
• Establish and maintain club complaints procedures
• Ensure all coaches are Access NI checked or have
Garda Vetting checks
• Communicate regularly with coaching officer and
club coaches
Head Coach
• Coordinates and directs all coaching and games
activity at the respective age level
• Point of contact for parents and players
• Ensure age appropriate coaching is carried out
• Promote fair play and respect with players
• Ensure every player gets equal opportunity to play,
compete and develop
• Responsibility for team selection in conjunction
with assistant coaches
Head Coach
• Delegate duties to assistant coaches and parent
helpers
• Devise programme of coaching and session plans
in conjunction with assistant coaches
• Responsibility to ensure team fulfils fixtures and
attend Go games blitzes
• Mentor assistant coaches and parent helpers so
that they can develop as coaches
• Commitment!
Assistant Coach / Parent Helper
• Carries out duties as directed by head coach
• Willing to learn – observe fellow coaches, attend
workshops, gain coaching qualifications
• Responsible for delivery of certain aspects of
coaching
• Ambition - to be head coach and develop
• Role on match day – team selection, transport,
looking after a team, umpire, jerseys, water etc..
Equipment Coordinator
• Audit existing equipment within club – at all age
levels
• Responsible for dealing with and ordering new
equipment
• Storage of equipment and access for coaches
• Club to have generic equipment e.g. ladders,
tackle pads, but each team will have their own
equipment e.g. balls and bibs
• First Aid kits
Club / School Links
• Stats from Antrim – number of kids receiving GAA
coaching who are actually playing for local club
Urban School A - Belfast
P4
2009
2010
2013
Total No of Kids
82
52
70
Playing for Club
12
13
8
% of P4 Playing for a club
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
2009
2010
2013
%
14.63
25.00
11.43
Urban School A - Belfast
P7
Total No of Kids Playing for Club
%
2010
70
18
25.71
2013
74
17
22.97
% of P7 Playing for a club
26.00
25.50
25.00
24.50
24.00
23.50
23.00
22.50
22.00
21.50
2010
2013
Urban School A – Belfast – P4
Comparison Analysis
2010, 2013 Comparison Analysis
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
Urban School B - Belfast
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
P4 June '09
30
P5 Jan '10
20
P5 June '10
10
0
Urban School B - Belfast
80
70
60
50
40
2009 P5
30
Jan '10 P6
20
June '10 P6
10
0
Rural Club
Rural Club - A
P2-P4
2009
2010
2013
Total No of Kids
50
56
57
Playing for Club
12
21
26
%
24.00
37.50
45.61
% of P2-P4 Playing for a club
50.00
45.00
40.00
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
2009
2010
2013
Rural Club - B
2013
Figures
P5
P6
P7
Total No of Kids
16
20
21
Playing for Club
12
8
11
%
75.00
40.00
52.38
2013 % Playing for club by year group
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
P5
P6
P7
Percentage of Children involved with clubs by class year
30.00
20.00
26.33
25.05
25.00
18.76
2009
20.88 19.91 21.17
22.09
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
% of P2
% of P3
% of P4
% of P5
% of P6
% of P7
playing for playing for playing for playing for playing for playing for
club
club
club
club
club
club
Average %
of Primary
School
Children
playing for
club
Percentage of Children involved with clubs by class year
30.60
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.89
23.86
27.53 26.48 28.59
2013
26.16
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
% of P2
% of P3
% of P4
% of P5
% of P6
% of P7
playing for playing for playing for playing for playing for playing for
club
club
club
club
club
club
Average %
of Primary
School
Children
playing for
club
Key Ingredients to a Successful Partnership
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Structure
Shared Vision and Plan
Clear & transparent policies and procedures
Team work
Monitoring and Evaluation
Performance Culture
Differences between clubs!
• Urban v Rural
• Decide for yourself…………
Case Studies
No. of
Players
(children)
No. of
Players
(youth)
No. of
Players
(adult)
No. of
coaches
Codes
offered
Club A
Glen
145 (F)
Club B
Clonoe
145 (F + L)
Club C
Cushendall
130 (H + C)
Club D
Ballinascreen
240 (F, H, L +
C)
90 (F)
120 (F + L)
104 (H + C)
160 (all codes) 165 (all codes) 140 (F, L + C)
75 (F)
68 (F)
114 (H + C)
134 ( All
codes)
75 (F)
95 (F + C)
41 (F)
33 (F)
30 (H + C)
64 (All codes)
50 (All codes)
50 (All codes)
F, C, L
F, L
H+C
F, H, L, C,
Handball
F, L, C
Yes (shared
facilities but
no club
coaching
input)
Yes – club
provides
equipment
and financial
support.
F, H, C, L
Handball and
Rounders
Yes very strong
link with 5
primary
schools. Club
coach in each
school every
week
Yes – annual
football
competition –
could be
better
coordinated
Yes – provide
after school
coaching in all
codes
Share facilities
Club School Yes (club
Link
coach
teaching in
school, link
with
schools
coaches)
Club E
Club F
Omagh
Clan na Gael
230 (all codes) 200 (F, L + C)
Case Studies
Club A
Glen
Coach
Yes Committee regular
and Coach
Education
Success
Underage
Success
Senior
Club B
Clonoe
Just started
over last few
years
Club C
Cushendall
Yes – as
required
Club D
Ballinascreen
Yes – all new
coaches and
U8 players foundation
award
County and U13, U16
County and
Regular feile
Provincial
leagues(F)
provincial
success at all
titles at
U14, U16
hurling titles in codes
Feile, U16
leagues and
recent years
U18 hurling
and U18
championships
success
level over
(L)
(county and
last 5 years
provincial)
Reserve
Senior (2),
County and
Senior county
Champions reserve (3) and provincial
finalists in all 4
hip
U21 (1)
hurling and
codes this year
championships camogie titles
recent (F)
2008 / 2011
Club E
Omagh
Yes – as
required
Club F
Clan na Gael
Yes – as
required but
could be more
frequent
Last success in Boys – U16 div
boys or girls
2 league and
was in 2012
shield last year
Girls – U12
and U16 Div 2
championship
finalists
No recent
3 reserve
success
championships
in last 4 years
Case Studies - general
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Supportive committee
Good input of senior players
Pro-active volunteers
Quality coaches eager to improve
Top of the range facilities
Strong representation on county squads
Club is the main hub of the community
Large numbers - strength is that club offers all codes
Development is child centred
Success breeds Success – tradition!
• Where is your club now?
• What do you want to achieve?
–Short term / long term
• How do you plan to get there??????
What you are doing well in your club with regard to
Club Coaching and Games that you need to keep
doing
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.Good numbers of coaches in place
.Coach education good – all coaches have Foundation
award (min)
.Awareness of child protection is good
.Always transport available for games
.Club always fulfils fixtures
.Club organises internal blitzes for u8, u10 and u12 age
groups
What your club does occasionally with regard to
Coaching and Games that you need to do
consistently
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.Coaching committee meetings
.Away days/trips for kids
.Youth – fitness testing
.Skills testing and benchmarking
.PR of all activity that is going on
.Recruitment of players – nursery programme
.Communication between coaching teams
.Internal coach education workshops
.Skill specific workshops – goalkeeping, free taking
.Emphasise the history and tradition of the club
What are the bad things that your club does with
regard to coaching that you must stop doing
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.Coaching “Off the cuff”
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.Abuse of referees by coaches and players
.Training sessions are regular
.Work that coaches do is not always acknowledged by
club
.Poor communication from our coaches
.Lose children from u14 upwards
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What your club currently doesn’t do, with regard to
coaching and games, that you must start doing
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.Plan for coaching sessions
.Age appropriate coaching
.No plan for games programme
.No winter programme
.No sense of club identity – need to start creating this
.Recruitment of more volunteers
.Senior players assisting with coaching teams
.No proper established club/school link (primary or
secondary)
• Questions?