CLARE GAA STRATEGIC VISION AND ACTION PLAN

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2 Mission, Vision, Values The GAA s values are the heart and soul of our Association in Clare. In every club around the world they are what bind us, what makes us unique and what attracts more and more players, members, volunteers and supporters. Mission The aim of Clare GAA is to promote and develop Gaelic Games and culture in the county, to provide enjoyable and regular games for all our players and to ensure that the Association prospers as a community-based volunteer organisation. Vision Our vision is that Clare will be the leading County in the Association. We will achieve this by having an outstanding games programme and an administration structure that maximises the effort of our voluntary workers. We will cherish our tradition and strive for excellence in all things we do. Values Value What this means Community Identity Community is at the heart of our Association. Everything we do helps to enrich the communities we serve in Clare. In Clare we foster a clear sense of identity and place. Amateur Status We are a volunteer led organisation. All our members play and engage in our games as amateurs. We provide a games programme at all levels to meet the needs of all our players. Inclusiveness We welcome everybody to be part of our Association. We are anti sectarian. We are anti racist. Respect We respect each other on and off the playing field. We operate with integrity at all levels. We listen and respect the views of all. Player Welfare In Clare we provide the best playing experience for all our players. We structure our games in the county to allow players of all abilities reach their potential. Teamwork Effective teamwork on and off the field is the cornerstone of our Association in Clare. Ni neart go cur le chéile (There is no strength without working together)

3 Methodology In February 2009 Páraic Ó Dufaigh, Árd Stiúrthóir and Criostóir Ó Cuana, Uachtarán tofa, outlined the components of the National Strategic Vision and Action Plan to all county officers in Munster at a meeting in Limerick. The following October, Comhairle na Mumhan launched its plan at a meeting in Limerick. On that occasion the Cathaoirleach announced that the Coiste an Chláir would put in place a specific Strategic Plan for An Chláir in line with the commitment contained in the National and Munster Plans. Coiste Chontae an Chláir then began the process of developing a five-year Strategic Plan. All subcommittees were asked to build on The initiatives in the two Plans by identifying local initiatives which would be unique to Clare and should be included in the County Plan. A Steering Group was established and held three full meetings with the Management Committee where the output from each workgroup was assessed, areas of duplication and synergies identified, and timelines and timeframes for actions contained in the Plan established. The Steering group comprised of Sean Chaplin as chairman and Eamon Keane as secretary met monthly and proceeded with the work of putting the details of the plan in place. The Steering Group carried out a detailed review of all components of the National and Munster Plans. Each component of the Plans was allocated to the appropriate member of the County Management Committee and the existing sub-committee for review and assessment. The Steering Group then met with: All clubs through the Club Forum County Committee Bord na nóg Committees Squad Committees Members of the organisation with special expertise in various areas Members of the Competitions Control Committee In 2012 a presentation was made to the County Committee where the components of the Plan were outlined, discussed and reviewed, and a timeline for the completion of the Plan was agreed. The final step in the consultation process was where a presentation was made to all club officers and a County Club Forum held in November 2009 on the deliberations. These were reviewed and the county officers had the opportunity to input into each of the focus areas. A draft Plan was completed by the Steering Group and revised further following consultation at Munster and National level. A final draft was then forwarded to the Management Committee where it was adopted and forwarded to the County Committee for final approval. The Committee is central to the successful and efficient implementation of the plan. Many of the targets set out involve officer support for clubs in their ongoing development. The expertise of the members of this committee under the chairmanship of the Officer will be at the disposal of Clubs.

4 Background Structure of the GAA in the County Number of Clubs 54 Number of Post Primary Schools - 19 (2 all girls, 1 all boys, 16 Mixed). Number of Primary Schools County Bórd na nóg - 2 Divisional Boards - 1 Structure of Adult Leagues and Championships Co. Football Leagues: 7 (Senior-Junior) Co. Hurling Leagues: Senior (3 Divisions), Intermediate, Junior A, Junior B (3 Divisions) Co. Senior, Intermediate, Junior & Junior B Football Championships Co. Senior, Intermediate & Junior A, B, and C Hurling Championships Units involved in making fixtures from minor to under age Bórd na nóg Iomaint County CCC Bórd na nóg Peil West Clare Divisional Board Coaching & Games Committee Cumann na mbunscoil Post Primary Schools County Committee Structure ( Delegates+ 2 non-voting delegates + officers) Formatted: Indent: Left: 0 cm County Grounds Cusack Park, Ennis: Capacity 28,000 Training Facility Ballyline, Crusheen Ryan s Field, Clarecastle Clareabbey County Demographics According to the census in 2006, the population of County Clare is 110,950, 56,048 of these are males while the remaining 54,902 are females. Clare s population is roughly 9.45% of the whole population of Munster (1,173,340). Clare saw a population growth of 7.4% in the period % of the population is under 25 years old totalling (38,295), whereby 18,095 are over 60 = 16.31%. Ennis is the county capital.

5 Clare GAA Historical Overview Clare people are justifiably proud of the fact that a Clareman, Michael Cusack from Carron, was the person who lit the torch that led to the founding of the GAA in It is not surprising, therefore, that the county took an active part in the activities of the new association from the very beginning. When the first Clare Co. Board was formed in Feb. 1887, twenty clubs were represented at the meeting in Ennis. The meeting elected a President. E.M. Bennett, a Secretary, Pat Aherne, and a committee of five. They were J. Scanlan (Killaloe), J. Purcell (Barefield), P. McSweeney (Ennis), J. McNamara (Ennis) and Thomas O Donnellan Blake Foster (Kilfenora). The county hurling and football club champions, participated in the first All-Ireland Championships in 1887, the only occasion in which they were held on an open-draw basis. Both teams received walkovers from the Wicklow champions in the first rounds, which were scheduled for Athlone on July 19th, Subsequently, the Newmarket-on-Fergus footballers were defeated by Templemore (Tipperary champions) and the hurlers of Garranboy (Killaloe) were beaten by Thurles. Both games were played in Nenagh. Garranboy won the first Clare Hurling Championship, defeating Ogonnelloe in the final. Newmarket beat Cratloe in the first football championship in which eight teams participated. In 1887, Newmarket on Fergus Clubman, E.M. Bennett, became the second National President of the GAA. Tulla were the first Clare team to contest an All-Ireland final, but were beaten by Dublin Kickhams in the 1889 hurling decider. Clare s first year of glory came in 1914, when both the Senior and Junior hurlers won the All-Ireland titles, the first time this was achieved by any county. Laois were the opposition in both All-Irelands, and Cork had been conquered in the Munster finals. Clare's next Munster title was in 1932 when they defeated Cork but they suffered defeat in that years All Ireland final at the hands of Kilkenny. National hurling league titles were won in 1946, 1977 and The mid 1990's saw Clare's golden period when under the management of Ger Loughnane the elusive Munster and All Ireland titles were won in 1995 and 1997, with Offaly and Tipperary the vanquished. Another Munster title was added in Clare won Munster Minor titles in 1981, 1989 and The county s sole All Ireland minor hurling Championship success was in 1997 while Clare had to wait until 2009 for its first Munster and All Ireland U21 title having been defeated in twelve previous Munster u21 finals.

6 Twenty Clare players have won hurling All Star awards, the first being Ger Loughnane in Brian Lohan and Jamsie O Connor head the list of award winners with four each. Seanie McMahon, Anthony Daly and Seamus Durack each have three All Star awards; Davy Fitgerald, Colin Lynch, Ollie Baker, Johnny McMahon, Liam Doyle, Ger Loughnane, Johnny Callinan and Ger O Loughlin each won two awards; while Mick Moroney, Noel Casey, Colm Honan, Sean Stack, Frank Lohan, Niall Gilligan and Tony Griffin have one each. Clare won the Munster Senior Football Championship for the first time in They defeated Galway in the All-Ireland Semi-Final, but lost to Wexford in the final. The only other Munster success was in At minor level Clare won Munster and All Ireland titles in 1929 with two further Munster titles in 1930 and Clare s only football All Star is Seamus Clancy in The Clare GAA Crest The Clare Insignia is probably unique in that it is one of the very few specifically designed as a county G.A.A hallmark. Very few counties have the distinction of their own identifying trademark in the form of a county G.A.A badge. What they do have, and what they adopt or adapt for G.A.A purposes are the coats of arm of their principal Boroughs, Towns, Cities or Counties. Former Clare great and county secretary, the late Mike Hennessy advised that the Clare G.A.A emblem came into being about He credited the Late Monsignor Hamilton, who was then county chairman, with assembling the Trade Mark, and bringing it from concept to reality. Its original use was as a form of certification mark on match admission tickets, and to facilitate the introduction of Official Gate Checkers. The use of local Insignia is not confined to match tickets. Except for the centenary year, the same design has featured in toto on senior football and championship medals down the years. It appeared on the medals for the first time in 1937, when the senior championships were won by Kilrush and O Callaghans Mills respectively. The design has also been used to an equal or lesser extent on some

7 lower grades of championship medals over the same period. The emblem has likewise appeared on G.A.A Stationary. Again here, Clare may be unique in having its own particular design on its medals, stationary and tickets. As to the Insignia itself, it is an amalgamation of four separate and distinct elements, though all are inter related. The Coat of Arms and the Crest denote separate branches of the O Briens. This particular family has been central to the canvas of local history, during most of the last millennium and they have also featured on the European Historical Tapestry. The antique Irish Crown on the design is often associated with Bannermen, Brian Ború who was proclaimed Ard Rí in the Fillers represent Celtic Inter-locking Knots and Annulets. Apparently the Motto, Na céada sa g-cath; na deigheanaca as is a very old Dal gcais war cry or password. It appears on the title page of Whites History of Clare and the Dalcassian Clans with its attributed English version, the First into battle, the last out of it. The late an t-athair O Dea advised the following extract from An Leabhar Muimhneach in relation to the Dal gcais was written prior to 1570; Tosach ag dul I dtír námhaid, Is deireadh leó ag teacht tar ais i.e. the first to enter the land of the enemy, the last of those to leave it. Athair O Dea also advised that the translation was a droch aistriú. The badge s relevance was largely hidden under a bushel for five decades. Excepting the few perceptive souls who might have wondered about it on adult championship medals, match admission tickets, or some board stationary, nobody else would have been aware of its existence, and know less of its significance. For a period it had even disappeared from Clare G.A.A letter heading and did not feature on Board publications like match programmes or annual reports. The last 25 years has seen a gradual transformation as the emblem has come into its own. It appeared in a large graphic format for the first time at a hurling board convention in the early 1980 s. It featured on the Clare jerseys for the first time in For the past few years in particular it has come to adorn, inter alia, a host of jerseys, sweaters, caps, hats, banners and match programmes. 1 1 Based on original article by John Ryan, Cratloe and published in Clare GAA Yearbook No 23 in 1997

8 Population Trends in County Clare Introduction The publication of the Census 2006 data by the Central Statistics Office provides an important resource to identify key demographic and socio-economic trends nationally, regionally and at county and local level. This section profiles some of the most significant trends in County Clare. Here, only the most significant data (including results from Census 2006) examining key demographic trends, rurality and population density are reviewed. At the date of publication only preliminary figures are available from the 2011 census Key Demographic Trends In this section, changes in population for County Clare between 2002 and 2011 are illustrated. Using the 2006 census data (detailed 2011 data not yet available) the focus is on county and regional level changes, but data are also provided for the 11 Urban and Rural Districts in Clare. These are the Urban Districts of Ennis and Kilrush and the Rural Districts of Ballyvaughan, Ennistymon, Corofin, Kildysart, Kilrush, Ennis, Meelick, Scarriff and Tulla. Table 1 - Population change in county Clare District Persons 2002 Persons 2006 Persons 2011 Actual change % change Actual change % change Clare Rurality and Population Density County Clare in general is predominantly rural, with two thirds of the population (67.4%) living outside of towns with a population of 1,500 or more at the time of the 2006 census. Approximately 32.6% of the population of County Clare lives in centres of 1,500+ with the remaining 67.4% living outside centres of 1,500+. Each of the larger towns (except Kilrush) in County Clare shows an increase in total population with concomitant increases in the population within legally defined boundaries and the population of suburbs or the environs. Of the five major towns in the population range 1,500-10,000, only Kilrush displayed a decrease in population of only -0.2%, with Ennis showing an increase of 10% and the

9 population of Shannon increasing by 7.7% on the previous Census year. Sixmilebridge shows the most significant increase in population at 25% which possibly reflects the towns growing status as a commuter town situated within close proximity to both Limerick city and Ennis town centres. This trend has continued in the 2011 census with the main increases in population centered within a five mile radius of the N18 which includes Crusheen, Ennis Clarecastle Newmarket on Fergus, Shannon, Sixmilebridge and the area around Limerick city comprising Cratloe, Meelick and Clonlara. Parishes along the western seaboard and North East Clare have recorded a decline in population between 2006 and Town Population Table 2. Populations of Key Towns (pop. 1,500+) in County Clare (2006) Total Total Population Population Population Population Population Population within within of suburbs of suburbs (including (including legally legally or or suburbs or suburbs or defined defined environs environs environs) environs) boundary boundary Percentage change in total population Ennis Shannon Kilrush Sixmilebridge Newmarketon-Fergus Summary and analysis of Key Trends from 2006 census and preliminary 2011 census results In County Clare, the statistics indicate a population increase of 7.4% from 2002 to At Urban District and Rural District levels the most noticeable population changes occur in the Meelick and Tulla Rural Areas which display population increases of 11.2% and 14.9% respectively. Approximately 32.6% of the population of County Clare lives in centres of 1,500 or more with the remaining 67.4% living outside centres of 1,500+, indicating a high level of rurality. There is a high population density of 100+ persons per square kilometer around the urban district of Ennis with a density of between (p/sq km) in the immediate periphery of the town. The majority of District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) in County Clare indicates a relatively low population density.

10 The greatest proportion of persons in County Clare occurs in the working age category of between with peaks around the age group in both Clare and some key towns in Clare of population in excess of 1,500. Those with a third level non-degree in County Clare (11.1%) exceed the State average of 10.6% while those with a third level degree or higher (16.4%) fall below the State average (18.5%). 45.6% of the population in Clare was classified as at work in 2006 while 3.12% was classified as unemployed. For towns with a population in excess of 1,500, Ennis records 52.1% of the population at work, with 53.6% working in Shannon. 4.7% of the population of Ennis was classed as unemployed, with 4.3% unemployed in Shannon. In Clare, the greatest proportion of workers is found in the manufacturing industry (14.6%), followed by 12% in the construction industry and 11.1% in the retail trade. The greatest proportion of commuters leaving Clare is working in County Limerick. Similarly, the highest proportion of commuters from outside destinations also come from County Limerick. The majority of companies in County Clare fall under the 0-9 employee category. The greatest proportion of employees in County Clare is employed in enterprise with an employee range of County Clare ranks fourth in the country for both number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Projects and amount of FDI investment ( ) and ranks sixth in the country in terms of numbers employed by FDI per capita. The high dependence on the construction industry as an employer, with 12% of the workforce in 2006, has meant that the decline in construction has had a devastating effect in rural Clare resulting in increased unemployment and emigration. Likewise the third highest employment sector, retail, has also been affected by the recession with similar results. A possible reason for the lower than the State average of persons with a third level degree or higher could be the absence of third level facilities in the County. This allied to the absence of any new major modern industry to the county in the past decades would result in a high number of Clare graduates having to go outside the county to seek employment. While the County s population has continued to increase over the past five years, this increase has in the main been focused around existing areas of high population while the

11 peripheral areas of the county continue to decline. The whole question of rural depopulation will need to be examined closely during the lifetime of this plan. Progress made to date on Implementation of National and Munster Strategic Plans To date the following has been implemented from the Strategic Plans released by Croke Park in 2009 and Munster Council in In Games Scheduling Underage Overseeing Fixtures Body to be put in Place To co-ordinate all fixtures for underage players 2009 Coaching and Games Fixtures Plan in Place County Referee coordinator to actively recruit new referees Referee Foundation Course to be held Have a yearly fixtures plan in place for all adult grades County coordinator is responsible for insuring that new referees are recruited on an annual basis A foundation course for the newly recruited referees is to be run 2010 County Executive 2010 Coaching and Games 2010 Coaching and Games In Games County Games The games manager to prepare annual Coaching and Games Plan submitted to provincial and submit a games Committee development plan for the county Foundation Award Coach to be with Every Underage Team Each team in the county to be overseen by at least 1 coach who is certified to foundation award standard Coaching and Games

12 Roll out of Garda Vetting Roll out of Respect initiative up to U12 New Hurling Squad structure to be in place Join the Munster Post Primary School Gaelic Football Project Club/School Link in established in all communities in the county Clubs and schools to achieve their targets as set out by their county plan The county to have an adequate number of Coach Education tutors in place by continuing our ongoing recruitment of tutors through the club coaches and schools teachers that we are in contact with on a daily basis Every club member whose role involves been in the presence or dealing with children up to 18 years of age must be Garda vetted by the GAA The national respect initiative is to rolled out in the county up to U12 A new hurling development squad structure to be set up Give Post Primary Schools the opportunity to receive 24 sessions throughout the schools year from an external coach at 1 st Year. Every club/ community to have an active club/school link established by year end All clubs and schools to reach their targets on the Games plan that is submitted to Munster Council each year The county to have enough tutors in place to cater for all clubs needs with regards to coach education. We envisage having 1 tutor to every 6 clubs Coaching and Games 2010 Coaching and Games 2010 Coaching and Games 2009 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games

13 Go Games Model to be adopted as best practice at all levels from U6 to U12. Roll out of the Code of Best Practice Munster Club Child Programme to be in place in 6 clubs Develop the Munster Post Primary Gaelic Football Project to 2nd Year Develop the Munster Post Primary Gaelic Football Project to 3rd Year VHI GAA Cúl Camps to be in place for all clubs 40% of clubs to participate in Super Touch Blitzes All clubs and primary schools to adopt the Go games model for the promotion of Gaelic Games A course for clubs to be rolled out to educate all coaches and club officers on the area s of Best Practice 6 clubs in the county to have completed and embraced the Munster club child development programme Give Post Primary Schools the opportunity to receive 24 sessions throughout the schools year from an external coach at 1st and 2nd Year. Give Post Primary Schools the opportunity to receive 24 sessions throughout the schools year from an external coach at 1st, 2n and 3rd Year. Every club to have the opportunity to host/participate in VHI GAA Cúl Camp each summer 40% of clubs to participate in small sided games for teenagers between 13 and 18 years of age (i.e. 7 aside tournament, 9 aside tournaments etc) 2010 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games In Communication County GAA website To have an up to date website 2010 County IT Committee

14 available and updated regularly available for all members Ensure the continuation of the County annual Yearbook and try to encourage all clubs to be included each year County Online Newsletter Developed All clubs to be using the new solution To ensure that each county promotes itself in the County Yearbook To provide all club officers and members with up to date information on county activity All clubs to using the new solution to allow for easy access to correspondence from Croke Park, Munster Council and Clare County Board County PR Committee 2011 County PR Committee 2011 County IT Committee In Funding and Financial Excellence County Initiatives piloted to increase attendance such as Debenture Tickets, Weekend Tickets, Family Tickets and the staggering of match times To facilitate as many people as possible to attend out games and Increase attendance 2009 County PR Committee Membership Card Rolled out County Year End in line with National one 100% Compliance with audit, reporting and budgetary process Membership card for each member of the Association To facilitate ease of consolidation of accounts Ensure compliance and assist planning in all areas of the Association 2011 County Executive 2011 County Executive 2011 County Executive

15 Volunteers and Officer Support Roll out of club officer To insure that all club officers are Annual County Trainers training aware of their roles and responsibilities and trained to implement best practice All clubs to operate online membership scheme by the end of 2012 To have all registrations completed on line 2011 I.T. Committee

16 Urbanisation, Rural Depopulation and Emigration Our aim: Increase number of active players and volunteers in urban areas, to sustain clubs in rural areas and assist our players in securing employment locally Introduction We are proud of the level of participation in our games throughout the county. We recognise the ever increasing competition from other codes and alternative outlets for recreation. The past number of years has seen significant shifts in population. We have seen the continued growth of the urban areas of the county and this has presented challenges for the Association to embrace the opportunity of growing our existing clubs in some urban areas, and developing and supporting new ones where feasible. This change has also presented challenges for clubs in rural areas where population decline has threatened the existence of some clubs. The National Plan has identified this challenge of coping with population change as one of the main opportunities for the Association in the years ahead. The recent economic downturn may accelerate further population movements with emigration now commonplace following many years when this was not the case. In 2015 we can say: We have increased the numbers of players and volunteers active in clubs and schools in urban areas by 20% over the period of the plan. We have done this by putting in place initiatives that promote the club as the centre of the community and by reviewing our club and competition structures both at underage and adult levels. A dedicated committee, reporting to the County Coaching and Games Committee, is responsible for achieving the targeted results in each area. We have helped retain players by a series of job initiatives and continue to sustain our rural based clubs. We will achieve this by Urban Plan Setting up a specialised committee to develop and put in place an Urban Plan. Examining the structures of the GAA in the Greater Ennis area in relation to the number of clubs in the area versus the population. A committee comprising of members of the 2 senior clubs Éire Go Innis and The Banner and the 4 Urban Board units have been meeting since October of 2011 with 2 representatives appointed by the county board. Developing proposals on the regeneration of current clubs and/or the formation of new clubs.

17 Examining the structure in the other large urban areas of Shannon, Kilrush, Sixmilebridge and Newmarket on Fergus. Examining other population centres in the county with a view to including them in the urban plan Rural depopulation Examining our current club and competition structures to address the difficulties associated with a reduction of the population and increasing emigration. We are committed to insuring that all clubs receive the opportunity to wear their own club jerseys throughout the year. The numbers of Club assisted teams are increasingly in the last number of years and this means that players are not getting the same opportunity to wear their own club jersey. Government and other agencies Working with local Government and other agencies to develop the best approach for each unique opportunity in both urban and rural areas of the county. RELATED PROJECTS Volunteer training: Undertaking training programmes for volunteers who will oversee the urban development project in each area. GAA identity: Developing a specific GAA identity for each urban area to promote the idea of place. Recreational games: Rolling out the GAA recreational games, Camano Abu and Pail Abu, and promoting them to all age groups. Caman Abu is effectively a non-contact ground Hurling game which is played with a modified hurling sliotar. The big difference between Peil Abú and Gaelic Football is that players wear tags and a player who is tagged (caught in possession) has to hand over possession of the ball to the opposition. New footballs a different one for indoors and outdoors have been developed for the game. Teams can be made up of male and female players on the basis that each team has an equal

18 number of female players on the field at the same time. Players (apart from where Camán Abú and Peil Abú are organised within a Post-Primary School) should be over 16 years of age. squad: Setting up specific development squads in targeted areas. Community day: Organising an annual youth-family-community day at the main ground in each urban area. Responsibility for Implementation The responsibility for implementation of this element of the action plan will lie with 1. The County Games Committee 2. The Urban Committee 3. The Rural Depopulation Committee

19 Action Outcome Year Responsibility County to set up an Urban Committee County to revise rules on club and competition structure to facilitate Urbanisation and Rural Depopulation County Plan to tackle Urbanisation and Rural Depopulation Sample Urban Projects in place in consultation with Provincial Group Urban Projects in place in all Urban area s Establish a plan for Ennis which incorporates all units within the town. This plan will set out the structure and organisation of Gaelic Games in Ennis going forward. It will include playing standards, coach education targets, committee responsibilities and agreed playing ages for all clubs. Camán Abú and Peil Abú established in all urban Establish an Urban Group to develop the games in Urban Area s Insure that the competition structures there presently are capable of accommodating both the rural and Urban clubs Launch a plan to help clubs struggling with rural depopulation and a separate plan for clubs dealing with Urbanisation Design projects to develop Gaelic Games in the Urban area s Each urban area to have a project in place to help the clubs Each unit to be aware of their responsibilities and roles to developing the games in Ennis. To provide all adults with recreational games that they 2011 Coaching and Games Committee 2012 County Competitions Control Committee 2012 Coaching and Games Committee 2012 Coaching and Games Committee 2012 Coaching and Games Committee 2012 Coaching and Games Committee 2012 Coaching and Games Committee

20 centres Best Practice in place to address the Urban Challenges Club Maith in all Urban area s Centres of excellence established in Urban Area s can participate in and enjoy. A best practice model to be in place for all urban clubs to use Insure that all urban clubs have participated in a club maith programme Each urban area to have a centre of excellence where needed 2015 Coaching and Games Committee 2015 County Committee 2015 County Executive

21 Games Schedule Our Aim: High quality fixtures planning Introduction: The provision of a balanced games programme to suit all levels and ages is central to our development plan. This will include a pre planned games programme which will be carried out throughout the year so that player, mentors and parents can have a knowledge of the commitment involved with fixtures. This however can only happen with proper planning, monitoring and accountability. In 2015 we can say: All units in the county at all levels provide a coordinated programme of meaningful games for players, appropriate to their needs and abilities. All games are regulated so that players experience fair play and can take part in well-planned and scheduled games as part of a balanced lifestyle. We have in place a locally effective and efficient, co-ordinated fixtures plan We will achieve this by: comment: Explain actions in more detail Fixtures planning Appointing a County fixtures planning committee whose responsibility it will be to design the programme schedule of games for the year ahead and report on the effectiveness of this programme as the year goes on. Education Putting a fixtures planning education and training programme in place. Future planning Having a county fixtures plan in place for 2011 and subsequent years. Reducing the number of fixtures making bodies in the county from 7 to 5 by 2015

22 Number of Games: All county organised competitions that occur on a league and knockout basis should consist of no less than 7 games in total. Annual review Putting an annual reporting, review and planning process in place. This review will be conducted by the fixtures committee who will seek the advice of a core number of players, mentors and club officers on their feelings of the fixtures plan for the year gone by. The committee will take all points on board and advise on any changes that will be made to the calendar for the following year. This review will happen in advance of the County Convention. Compliance Achieving at least 80% compliance with fixtures plan in We aim to insure that 80% of all games will played on the dates laid down by the fixtures committee at the start of the year. Satisfaction Assessing satisfaction levels on fixtures with players, coaches and mentors. We aim to do this during the review meeting with the club players, inter county players, club mentors and officers. Referees Process for identification and training of new referees will be implemented. We aim to recruit 2 new referees from every club in the county Responsibility for Implementation The responsibility for implementation of this element of the action plan will lie with County Competitions Control Committee Comment: Remove 2009 and 2010 and either remove action or insert a new target year Action Outcome Year Responsibility Integrated Fixtures Plan in place each year Provision of a balanced programme of games for players Annual Overseeing Body for Fixtures Annual review of fixtures plan At the end of each year a full Annual Overseeing Body for

23 in place and comprehensive report should be completed on the fixtures for that year. This report should help to shape the structure of the fixtures for the following year. Criteria governing All bodies involved in the postponement of fixtures schudlingscheduling of games in agreed to and adhered to the county should adhere to the one guideline for postponement of fixtures. 80% of fixtures played on time To allow for successful implementation of the fixtures calendar, 80% of games must be played on the scheduled date. 90% of fixtures played on time To allow for successful implementation of the fixtures calendar, 80% of games must be played on the scheduled date. Relevant personnel to Insure that all the relevant undertake fixtures planning people are trained in the area of education and training fixture planning before attempting to put a plan together Fixtures 2012 Overseeing Body for Fixtures 2012 Fixtures Committee 2013 Fixtures Committee 2012 County Competitions Control Committee Young Whistlers Course to be held Hold Training course for umpires bi-annually County to hold seminar for club referees Recruit 2 referees from every club in the county A course for primary school children (5 th / 6th class ) who wish to help referee in their schools 1 st to 4 th class blitzes and in their clubs U6, U8 blitzes is to be held Referee coordinator to hold a course for umpires Referee coordinator to organise a seminar for all club referees 2 referees to be recruited from each club if they do not exist 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2011 Coaching and Games 2015 Coaching and Games

24 already

25 Games Our Aim: Gaelic games for everybody. Introduction: The area of Games has seen major changes taking place over the last number of years. A lot of these new structures have come about as a result of the newly hired Games staff. In Clare we now have a Games Manager and 3 Games Administrators. On top of this over the last 2 years in a joint agreement between the Clare Football Supporters Club and the County Board a Gaelic Football Promotion Officer has been in place for 6 months of the year. All these extra resources on top of the excellent work being done by the various other committees involved have seen the activity levels in Clare GAA increase year after year. We now have a new Hurling Squad Committee in place thanks to the work of Bord na nóg Iomaint and this committee has designed a new programme for Clare Hurling squads. They have also increased the number of players involved to 120 in all age groups. The Coaching and Games Committee in association with the GDA and Bord na nóg Peil have also put a new structure into Gaelic Football. We now have 6 divisions who are each responsible for 5/6 clubs and they are charged with insuring that each child in their region has the opportunity to be trained by qualified coaches in an enjoyable and educational environment. The regions have blitzes at U15 and U17 Levels as well as collective training at U8 and U10 Level. The Clare Coach Education Committee has also been busy rolling out the new foundation and Level 1 courses to all clubs. At this stage all except 2 clubs have completed the new foundation course and over 150 participants have completed one of the new level 1 courses. Cumann na mbunscoil continue to develop our games through their activities and equipment sales and the coaching taking place in every primary school has seen an increase in players execution of skills. The coaching in the schools has been coordinated by teachers, the local GDA and in many cases a club coach. In the Post Primary schools Clare presently has a huge amount of activity taking place, we regularly have 2 schools competing in both the Harty Cup and Corn Uí Mhuire. In addition to this all our schools continue to be competitive in their own divisions. Our objective from here is to make sure that everybody gets an opportunity to play at their own standard and that the standard of our clubs, Schools and county squads continues to rise. In hurling especially we have been rewarded for all the effort going in at underage level with 2 Munster titles at Minor level, and Munster and All Ireland titles at both U21 and Intermediate level. We feel that in order to continue to be successful we need to keep striving for a higher level and a return to success at senior level is achievable if we continue to develop our players to a new standard and learn from the lessons of old.

26 By 2015 we can say Every player in the county has the opportunity to play meaningful games in an informal, safe and enjoyable environment. We would like for all players in the county to be able to play our sports at a standard that is related to them. This standard doesn t matter to us be it recreation, club, school or inter county, it is our priority to insure that each and every person in Clare that wishes to play Gaelic Games gets that opportunity to do so. We aim to do this by setting up recreational games for adults who wish to participate without competition, by working with clubs to insure that they in a position to offer blitzes, challenge games as well as championship games to their player, by working with the schools by organising blitzes and coaching sessions for all and by working with our development squad committees in ensuring that maximum number of players capable of participating in our regional and development squads continue to do so. We will achieve this by: Participation in clubs and schools Organising small-sided games, known as Go Games as best practice up to and including 12 years of age. Allowing all children under 12 to get meaningful playing time to develop the skills of our games in a challenging and fun environment We will organise Supertouch games in our clubs and schools to cater for the age group, which is where we experience our greatest drop off in participation. Harmonising games development Harmonising games development and fixtures up to and including minor level to ensure a more balanced games programme. In 2011 a fixture booklet that contained all Bord na nóg Iomaint agus Peil Fixtures and the Coaching and Games committee fixtures was released. Each board/committee was represented in an Underage Fixtures Committee and agreed on dates for all activities in the county. The next step is to include Cumann na mbunscoil, the Post Primary School Board and the development Squads into this committee and have a fully harmonised group in place for all activities. We have also committed to reducing the number of groups involved in Fixture Making in the county as outlined in the Games Schedule Section from 7 committees to 5.

27 Code of Best Practice Putting in place the GAA s Code of Best Practice for Youth Sport. The course is available to clubs in the county through the Irish Sports Council trained tutors. We will be running courses in each region of the county from late Autumn to early Spring. Clubs will be asked to send their coaches along for the courses. At least 1 member of every management team in all clubs should have completed the GAA s Code of Best Practice For Youth Sport. All clubs should incorporate a code of conduct that shows respect for fellow players, mentors and match officials. The GAA have released a Give Respect, Get Respect Initiative for all players, parents, Referees, coaches and supporters. We will educate all of the above groups on what is expected of them throughout the year. All clubs should insure that they maintain best practice in the recruitment and selection of those working with our underage players. We will continue to work with all club coaching officers and child officers to insure that no player is left out. The club coaching officer is vital to our selection of players to go forward for regional and development squads. Our GDA s have a very good working relationship with all coaching officers and intend to continue to grow this link as we go forward. The child officer is responsible for the welfare of all children in their club. Complying with the appropriate legislation requirements and guidelines. We are committed to meeting all requirements that in place for coaches, players etc. This guidelines or requirements can come in many forms some examples are as follows (Coaching Qualifications, Garda Vetting, Code of Best Practice/Behaviour etc) Coach Education We will rollout the GAA Coach Education Programme so that we ensure that every player in Clare is coached by a person qualified to the appropriate level, Coaching in Schools We will ensure that every primary school in Clare receives a regular programme of coaching Responsibility for Implementation The responsibility for implementation of this element of the action plan will lie with { County Games Manager}

28 Action Outcome Timescale Responsibility Every Club to hold or participate in a Cul Camp Annual Coaching and Games External Go Games Schedule in Place for all primary To give every Primary school in the county an opportunity to play in 2011 Coaching and Games schools external Go Games Blitzes throughout the school year 1 st and 2 nd Year Blitzes to be in place for all Post All children in 1 st and 2 nd Year in our Post Primary will get the opportunity to 2012 Coaching and Games Primary schools. Blitzes are to a mixture of both internal and external ones play Gaelic Games and represent their school 100% of clubs to participate in Super Touch Blitzes All clubs to actively participate in small sided tournaments and blitzes 2015 Coaching and Games for children between 13 and 18 years of age Every School to have a foundation level coach qualified to coach their teams All primary and post primary schools to be coached by at least a foundation level coach 2011 Coaching and Games Every Child (between the ages of 6 and 12),youth (between the ages of 13 and 18) and adult (above 18) team to have 1 foundation qualified coach in charge All club sides must have at a minimum a foundation level qualified coach in charge 2011 Coaching and GAMES 25% of Child, Youth 25% of all club teams to 2012 Coaching and

29 and Adult club teams to have at a minimum an Award 1 qualified coach in charge 25% of primary and post primary school teams to be coached by An Award 1 Standard Coach 2 Award 1 Credited Coaches to oversee Squad trainings 50% of all club, primary school and post primary school teams to be coached by an Award 1 credited Coach 1 Award 2 credited coach to be involved with all development squads. 75% of all club, primary school and post primary school teams to be coached by an Award 1 credited Coach 25% of all club teams to be be trained by an Award 1 qualified coach at child level. 25% of all teams participating in competition to be coached by an Award 1 Qualified Coach All development squads to have 2 Award 1 credited coaches working with them 50% of all teams to be coached by an Award 1 standard coach. All development squads to be coached by at least 1 Award 2 standard coach. 75% of all teams to be coached by an Award 1 standard coach. 25% of all clubs to be coached by an Award 2 Games 2012 Coaching and games 2012 Coaching and games 2013 Coaching and games 2013 Coaching and games 2014 Coaching and games 2014 Coaching and games

30 coached by an Award 2 credited coach. 100% of all club, primary school and post primary school teams to be coached by an Award 1 credited Coach 50% of all club teams to be coached by an Award 2 credited coach. Online Coaching Material to be available through the website 5 Year Hurling Coaching Plan to be designed for club coaches in the county 1 st year Collective Coaching Days to be put in place for all Post Primary Schools credited coach Every club and school team in the county to be coached by at minimum an Award 1 credited coach 50% of all clubs to be coached by an Award 2 credited coach The county website is to have links to coaching material available for all coaches. Also any workshops or sessions completed by the GDA s will be put up. The Games Manager will set up a group whose role it will be to design a 5 year coaching plan for the county and the clubs. A collective coaching day where all schools come together and receive coaching from the top coaches in the county on aspects of the games that are regarded as poor in the county 2015 Coaching and games 2015 Coaching and GAMES 2011 Coaching and Games 2012 Coaching and Games 2012 Coaching and Games

31 5 Year Gaelic Football Coaching Plan to be designed for club coaches in the county All clubs to have participated in a code of best practice Respect Initiative in place at all levels Clubs to begin a primary school Coaching Programme Implementation of a new regional, divisional, county development squad structure for Gaelic Football A committee be set up to examine the structures of all competitions in the county U14 to senior Munster Club Child Programme to be in The Games Manager will set up a group whose role it will be to design a 5 year coaching plan for the county and the clubs. A course for clubs to be rolled out to educate all coaches and club officers on the area s of Best Practice The respect initiative to be adopted for all games in the county Clubs to begin their own Coaching Programmes in each of their schools with the help and guidance of the local GDA The new structure is allow more players an opportunity to train and play at a level above their clubs To examine if the current games structures are meeting the needs of our players Note: should this be in the games schedule section? Every club in the county to have completed and embraced the Munster 2011 Coaching and Games 2015 Coaching and Games 2015 Coaching and Games 2012 Coaching and Games Committee 2011 Coaching and Games 2012 Coaching and Games 2015 Coaching and Games

32 place in all clubs U-Can Awards club child development programme At each of the Cúl Camps all children between the ages of 10 and 13 will be skills tested by using the U Can Awards programme 2011 Coaching and Games Committee Academies The county should have 2 School of Excellence/development squads at U14, U15 and U16 level and 1 squad at U17 level Coaching and GAMES Committee. Super Touch Tournaments Super Touch Tournaments will be organised for all clubs at different stages in the year. The super Touch programme will be of support to the Rural Depopulation committee as its run on the principal of small sided games for Post Primary Schools and Clubs Coaching and Games Committee

33 Communications Our aim: Effective internal and external communications Introduction: Clare County Board set up and support structured and effective communications at all levels within the county. We will provide members with the information required to promote and develop our games and will use the latest technology to communicate effectively with our members. We will ensure that a two-way communication system exists at every level within the Council, and that the officers at every level respond to the needs of the membership of the Association. We will ensure that our officers are trained in communications thereby achieving clarity in all elements of communication internally and with third-party bodies. In 2015 we can say We communicate effectively with our clubs, members and officers. We have a strong sense of common ownership, individual responsibility and a sense of pride. Communication is everyone s responsibility. We are using the latest technology to communicate quickly and efficiently with our club officers, members, supporters and the public in general. We will achieve this by Technology Using the latest GAA communications technology to communicate with our clubs. providing fixtures to our clubs, the media and the general public on time. Providing match results on time which will be available to the general public. Reviewing and updating our website on a regular basis. Structure