Foundation Courses for Clubs

• If your club wishes to complete a Foundation Coaching Course in Spring 2013 you have to book your course with Martin Coleman (martin.coleman.gda.cork@gaa.ie) before Thursday 10th January 2013
• Your club has to have a minimum of 12 participants to run a course
• The cost of a Foundation Course for a club is €250 for up to 20 participants
• If your club will have more than 20 participants the cost will be €450 as two tutors are required
• All payments for courses are to be made 2 weeks in advance of the course beginning
• If payment is not secured the course will be cancelled
• Please let Matin Coleman know the number of participants you believe you club will have for your course when you are booking
• If you wish to make a booking after 10th January we cannot guarantee you a date for your course
• Bookings are to be made by email
• The Foundation Coaching Course is 9 hours for a Hurling and Football Course and 7.5 hours for a single code
• The course can be done in the following formats: all on a Saturday OR 3hrs on a Friday night and 6hrs on the Saturday OR over 3 weeknights either in the same week or spread out over 2 or 3 weeks
• When you are booking please give details of which format you would like and what date you would like
• Dates will be allocated on a first come first served basis so we cannot guarantee the date you are looking for

• To run a Foundation Course in your club you will need the following facilities
• Clubs need a hall minimum 2 badminton courts in size (preferably bigger)
• Clubs need a meeting room capable of holding the number of people who will be doing the course

Individual Bookings
If your club does not have 12 participants to run your own course we can still accommodate you

• Individuals can email meMatin Coleman their names and include the following details - Name, Club, Mobile Number and Email Address
• Club secretaries can also email me the Names, Club, Mobile Numbers and Email Addresses of members of their club who wish to do a Foundation Course
• The cost for an individual is €20
• Payment by individuals is to be made at the course they attend
• If payment is not secured participants cannot complete the course and will not receive certification
• After individuals names are submitted they will be contacted by me as to what club course they can attend
• We will endeavour to place individuals on club courses convenient to them
• If there are no club courses suitable and if numbers suffice a course will be organised for these individuals at a convenient location
• Award 1 in 2013
• Award 1 Coaching Courses will be run on a regional basis in 2013
• We are in the process of securing venues at present
• We will be releasing dates for Award 1 Courses in the coming weeks
• If a club has a venue that is suitable and available to run an Award 1 Course in 2013 please contact Martin Coleman (size 2 - 3 badminton course and a meeting room)
• Award 1 Courses can be done on 6 individual nights OR over 2 weeknights and two Saturdays

Also below is some information about the Foundation and Award 1 Coaching Courses.

Martin Coleman, GDA

martin.coleman.gda.cork@gaa.ie

Coach Education

The GAA Strategic Vision and Action Plan 2009-2015 identified the immediate need to prioritise and support the development of players and coaches as key to the long-term success and health of Gaelic Games.

To create a coaching system which produces and supports the development of coaches and players, the GAA has developed a model of Coach Education has been reformatted to take account of the different playing capacities that exist between children (up to 12 years), youths (age 13 - 18) and adults (age 19+), and the competencies that a coach is required to display when working with each of the playing populations. These streams have been identified to cater for the diverse needs of children, of youths and of adults.

Quality Coaching - as part of an overall Games Development Plan - promotes fair play, builds social cohesion, self-esteem, and enhances health and well-being as well as supporting social and economic objectives.

Coaches should be committed to creating fun, safe playing environments for all of our players, regardless of age or ability level. To safeguard our players, coaches abide by the GAA Code of Conduct, have completed the GAA/ISC Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshop and are vetted by An Garda Síochána/ Access NI.

Structure of the Coach Education Programme

The Coach Education Programme focuses on continuing education, so that coaches can improve by means of a series of specifically designed courses, workshops and conferences incorporating internationally recognised principles of best practice. These opportunities will include a combination of theoretical and practical inputs and allow for the use of digital and e-learning techniques.

The programme of Applied Lifelong Learning makes provision for coaches to continually develop their skills and to progress at a rate suited to their own development.

Foundation Award

The Foundation Award is the introductory award for coaches of Gaelic Games. The course is aimed at beginner coaches and will enable participants to assist a coach in the organisation of activities to develop hurling or football.  Clubs should aim to get all of their coaches trained to at least this standard as it will benefit both the coaches and the players and lead to a stronger club.

The course is seven and a half hours in duration for a single code and nine hours in duration for a dual course.  It covers four key modules, as well as introductory and conclusion modules. These four modules are:

• Introduction to Games
• Skill Development
• Movement Skills
• Coaching Children, Youths and Adults

Coaching Competencies to be developed

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Assist a coach in organising a programme of games and skill development activities appropriate to each participant's needs and abilities
• Identify the skills of hurling
• Assist a coach in organising progressive activities (drills and fun games) to develop five key skills
• Assist a coach in organising progressive activities to develop movement skills appropriate to Gaelic Games
• Assist a coach in organising and managing players for an effective practice session
• Build Rapport, Observe, Analyse, Explain, Provide Demonstration and Provide Positive Feedback to Players

Award 1

The Award 1 Coach Education course is the second award on the coaching pathway of Gaelic Games. The course is aimed at coaches that have progressed through the Foundation Award and have experience as a coach.  Initially clubs should aim to have at least one person in their club trained to Award 1 Level.  Over time the club should aim to have one coach with every age group trained to Award 1 Level.

The Award 1 course has been designed to take account of the different playing capacities that exist between children (up to 12 years), youths (age 13 - 18) and Adults (age 19+) and the competencies that a coach is required to display when working with each of the playing populations. Therefore, coaches can specialise in coaching the particular players that they are involved with.

The course is 16 hours in duration and covers a number of key modules including:

• Technical Proficiency
• Tactical Prowess
• Team Play
• Physical Fitness
• Playing Facts
• Psychological Focus
• Communication

The focus of the course is the further development of the ‘How to Coach' skills by placing the participant in situations that they will face as coaches - the organisation of games activities, activities to develop skill and activities to develop the various aspects of physical fitness.

Coaching Competencies to be developed

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Organise a programme of games and skill development activities appropriate to each participant's needs and abilities
• Organise progressive activities (drills and fun games) to develop five key skills
• Organise progressive activities to develop movement skills appropriate to Gaelic Games
• Organise and manage players for an effective practice session
• Build Rapport, Observe, Analyse, Explain, Provide Demonstration and Provide Positive Feedback to Players
• Understand the course philosophy

Coaching Course Philosophy

The GAA is committed to implementing an integrated Coach Education Programme with a view to maximising participation, optimising playing standards and ensuring that players' needs are catered for in a balanced way.

The course is designed to promote the development of the How to Coach skills through modelling of best practice, as demonstrated by the tutor, experimential learning and through the guided reflection on previous experiences - as a coach, player, official or parent - facilitated by the tutor.

Attending a Course

Both the Foundation Award and Award 1 courses are organised locally within each County.  If you are interested in doing the a Foundation Award or Award 1 contact your local Games Development Administrator.