HOST CLUB INFORMATION PACK

HOST CLUB INFORMATION PACK Web: www.feilepeile2018.com Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @feilepeile2018 John West Féile Peile na nóg 2018 Down, Louth & Meath (Friday 29 th June - Sunday 1 st July 2018) 1

CONTENTS Introduction 3 Unsure what to do / Need Advice 3 Format of Féile 4 Get to Know Féile 7 What to do Next 8 1. Club Féile Hosting Committee 8 a. Setting up a Club Féile Hosting Committee 8 b. What is the Club Féile Hosting Committee s responsibility 8 2. Club Féile Co-Ordinator / Official 9 a. Appointment of a Club Féile Co-Ordinator / Official 9 b. Responsibility of the Féile Co-Ordinator / Official 9 Link with Local Féile Committee Féile Weekend Duties of the Feile Official Venue Referees Disciplinary Matters Results 3. Hosting of players 11 4. Hosting of Mentors 13 5. Hospitality 13 Field Preparation for Féile 14 Vetting (Garda / AccessNI) 18 Promoting the Event 20 Team Preparation 21 Official Programme Information Requirements 22

INTRODUCTION Congratulations on being selected as one of the host teams for the John West Féile Peile na nóg 2018 tournament which is being hosted by Down, Louth & Meath on the weekend of Friday 29th June Sunday 1st July 2018. Féile Peile na nóg is an international festival of Gaelic football for boys and girls under 14 years of age. It was first held in Cavan in 1982, with a total of 40 boy s teams participating. Girls did not participate until 1994. In 2018 a total of 288 teams will take part in Féile Peile na nóg 176 boys teams and 112 girl s teams. Féile provides Clubs with a wonderful opportunity to foster long lasting relationships. Féile Peile na nóg involves the whole club, the whole community, our local schools, our referees, host families as well as social, cultural and civic authorities. Féile is special and is one of the best weekends in the GAA calendar. This festival is about young people celebrating their love of Gaelic Games, bonding communities, allowing friendships to be made, providing educational opportunities and above all having fun. Féile will have a positive impact on your club, on the atmosphere and culture of your club. UNSURE WHAT TO DO / NEED ADVICE: If you need any advice or have any questions please contact the Féile Peile na nóg 2018 (Down, Louth & Meath) Organising Committee: Chairperson: Diarmuid Cahill Secretary: Ciarán Flynn chairperson.feilepeile2018@gaa.ie secretary.feilepeile2018@gaa.ie 3

FORMAT OF FÉILE 1. Participating Teams John West Féile Peile na nóg competitions are composed of host and visiting teams. Host teams are drawn from the host region (Down, Louth & Meath). Visiting teams participating at the National Finals of Féile Peile na nóg will be nominated by their County Bord na nóg to represent their respective Counties. Both host clubs and visiting Counties are graded into their respective divisions. Normally the identity of the visiting teams is determined by the results of internal Féile Peile na nóg competitions, however, due to the level of interest from host clubs, each visiting County is usually asked to nominate 2 3 representatives. All overseas units of the Association are also asked to nominate representatives to take part at Féile. In the 2018 John West Féile Peile na nóg boys football event there are 88 host teams. These 88 host teams, will host visiting teams from across the 29 non-hosting Counties, plus Britain and North America. Approximately 12 overseas teams will travel to take part this year. In the girls football event there are 56 host teams, with 56 visiting teams travelling from across Ireland, Britain and North America. 2. Competition Format In 2018, the Divisions are composed of 16 teams 8 host clubs, and their 8 visiting teams. In the boys competition, there will be 11 divisions. In the girls competition, there will be 7 divisions each of 16 teams. Féile Peile na nóg has both Cup and Shield competitions in each Division. To facilitate this each division of 16 teams is divided into four groups (Groups A D) of four teams (two host clubs and their visiting clubs). Each team plays each other team on a round robin basis. Upon completion of the three group games teams are ranked 1 4.

Teams ranked 1st and 2nd proceed to the Cup quarter finals, while teams ranked 3rd and 4th proceed to the Shield quarter finals. Therefore, each participating team is guaranteed a minimum of four games three group games, and either a Cup or Shield quarter final. Thereafter, knockout quarter finals, semi-finals and finals take place in each of the Cup and Shield competitions. This a real festival of Gaelic Football representing all that is good in our Association. 3. Playing Numbers Participating teams shall be 15-a-side (unless Coiste Stiúrtha Náisiúnta Féile has decided that a certain Division may deviate from the 15 a-side rule), comprising of players who are over 11 and under 14 years of age on 1st January in the year of Féile. Panels are limited to 24 players and should have a minimum of 19 players. Where competitions are based on reduced team numbers e.g. 13 a side Coiste Stiúrtha Náisiúnta Féile will stipulate a reduced maximum panel size for all teams participating in that competition. Similarly, amalgamated teams are permitted to participate in Féile na nóg, though again this is limited to those clubs that field as an amalgamated unit in their local Under 14 competitions in that year. It is not possible for either host or visiting clubs to request to amalgamate for the purposes of participation at Féile only. Each team shall be accompanied by a maximum of 4 team mentors. 5

4. Competition Schedule The final competition schedule is to be confirmed, however usually the schedule is as follows: Friday 29th June Each team plays their first two group games Host Team 1 v Host Team 2 Visiting Team 1 v Visiting Team 2 Host Team 1 v Visiting Team 2 Host Team 2 v Visiting Team 1 Saturday 30th June Each team plays their final group game Host Team 1 v Visiting Team 1 Host Team 2 v Visiting Team 2 Each team plays their Cup or Shield quarter final Cup Winner in Group A v 2nd Place Team in Group B Winner in Group B v 2nd Place Team in Group A Shield 3rd Place Team in Group A v 4th Place Team in Group B 3rd Place Team in Group B v 4th Place Team in Group A Sunday 1st July Quarter Final Winners play in Semi Finals Cup and Shield semi finals Quarter Final Winner 1 v Quarter Final Winner 3 Quarter Final Winner 2 v Quarter Final Winner 4 Cup and Shield finals Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

GET TO KNOW FÉILE Below are some of the actual facts associated to Féile and you are encouraged to make these facts known to people within your club and community in order to let people know how big the event actually is. This is an opportunity for you to showcase what your Club is doing. Statistics in relation to Féile Peile 2018 288 Teams will take part in 2018 (176 Boys teams and 112 girls teams) A total of 6,912 players under 14 years will be participating 1152 coaches and mentors guiding teams 36 finals played across the three counties on the Sunday Over 144 referees required per day 380 officials acting as umpires and lines-men At Least 80, 000 visitors to the area 25,000 people will attend finals Over 175 busses will be used for over the weekend All accommodation in Down, Louth and Meath will be booked to capacity Estimated in excess of 10,000,000 - value to the economy, which includes travel, accommodation, playing gear and food 7

WHAT TO DO NEXT 1. Club Féile Hosting Committee a. Setting up of a Club Féile Hosting Committee Each Club should set up a Club Féile Hosting Committee, which should have a link with the main club executive committee as well as a link with clubs youth committee (where one exists). The Féile Hosting Committee should (where possible) include a representative from the Main Club Committee and from the Clubs Youth Committee (where one exists). In cases where clubs have, both a boys and girls team hosting and taking part it is encouraged that only one Committee is in place, and has representatives from both the GAA and LGFA. b. What is the Club Féile Hosting Committee s responsibility? The Club Féile Hosting Committee is responsible for organising various activities related to Féile Peile na nóg 2018. Including: Family hosting arrangements Food and refreshments Field preparation including first aid Social activities Transport for host club Fundraising etc. It is a matter for each club to delegate duties so some of these roles may be carried out by the Feile Co-ordinator or other club members.

2. Club Féile Co-Ordinator/Official It is a condition of acceptance to Féile Peile na nóg 2018, that each hosting club within Down, Louth & Meath provide - from within their membership - a nominated person to act as Féile Co-Ordinator/Official for their club for the duration of 2018 Féile Peile na nóg weekend. The name, address, email and mobile number of this person should be returned to secretary.feilepeile2018@gaa.ie or via the on the Official form which can be downloaded from our website by the 19th February. a. Appointment of a Club Féile Co-Ordinator/Official Each Club should nominate a Féile Co-ordinator/Official who is at the heart of the Club and should be heavily involved in the Club Féile Hosting Committee. This person must be available for the duration of the weekend of Féile. This person will receive all Féile information on behalf of the club and will be the person responsible for liaising with the Local Féile Organising Committee. The Féile Co-ordinator/Official should not be involved with any of the host club teams taking part. b. Responsibility of the Féile Co-Ordinator/Official Link with Local Féile Committee The Féile Co-ordinator/Official will be the only point of communication with the Local Féile Committee. Féile Weekend During the Féile weekend the role of the Féile Co-ordinator/ Official is specific as their role is to take responsibility for games taking place in their club grounds. The Féile Official should not be involved with the host club team and should be an impartial person charged with the running of events at the venue. 9

Duties of the Feile Official Venue Take charge of the appointed venue when games are played there Ensure that the field is properly laid out (including flags, nets and lined) and fit for play. Liaise with the local host committee and ensure that the field preparation is appropriate (see Pitch/Field guidelines) Liaise with Team mentors and allocate dressing rooms to teams Where possible to make arrangements to restrict the number of people on the sideline to players and a limited number of mentors from each team (24 players and 4 mentors per team). Ensure that games commence on time and the results are forwarded to Féile Control Centre. Referees Liaise with the referee appointed for games and to ensure they have an adequate dressing area. Assist the referee in procedural matters such as extra time, substitutions etc. Ensure that there are umpires and linesmen appointed for each game. Contact the Féile Control Centre immediately if the appointed referee is not available to take charge of the game. Disciplinary matters In the event of any disciplinary matters - Contact the Féile Control Centre immediately. In the event of any dispute or objections - Contact the Féile Control Centre immediately. Be aware of the Féile Peile na nóg Charter and Playing Rules. Where the referee wishes to report a disciplinary matter, or where a dispute arises, any report/objection should be written and given to the Féile Co-ordinator/Official.

The Féile Co-ordinator/Official should immediately contact the Féile Control Centre. It is the duty of clubs to be aware of appeal procedures. Results: Ensure that results from games are immediately relayed to Féile Control Centre. The Referee s Final Score is the score to be reported to the Féile Control Centre. The Féile Official will be requested to attend an Information Night to be made aware of the various duties required and to clarify any queries they may have. 3. Hosting of Players As part of your participation in Féile Peile na nóg 2018 your club is expected to provide host accommodation for a visiting team. This means that you will need to organise places to stay for 24 squad players and four mentors. Players must be accommodated in host family homes, with one of your own player s families if possible. Players should be accommodated in groups of two/threes. It is unacceptable for children to be singly hosted. Preference is for hosting in groups of two. Children must be accommodated in single gender bedrooms and separate beds. Adults must not share a room with a young person. It is permitted to host any players in a home that does not have children of that household staying during the hosting period but preference if possible should be given to hosting with the family of a Féile player. A preference for child/children of the general Féile age profile shall be sought and shall be considered in the allocation of host families. 11

Great care shall be taken by the Club in the selection of homes for the Féile weekend. Host families should be well known to club officials. Each host family will be required to comply with Garda vetting procedures. Application forms for Garda vetting will be distributed and must be returned immediately as all host families must approved in advance of the Féile. All host families should provide contact details to the club. These details should be provided to the visiting team mentors. Host families should also be given contact details of mentors and parents for their visiting players. Host families should be kept informed of any special requirements a player may have e.g. conditions such as asthma, fear of dark etc. It is permissible for households of a single parent to host subject to all of the above criteria. Host families must be Vetted through the GAA. This involves the satisfactory vetting of all persons in the host family and household who are, or shall be over the age of 16yrs, during the hosting period.

4. Hosting of Mentors The host club should allow for four mentors to be accommodated. Whether mentors are housed in family homes or in other accommodation is to be decided by the host club. It would be advisable to make early contact with your visiting club as soon as you have their details. Draw will be made in late February/early March (Proposed date: Wednesday 21st February). It will only then be possible to put many of these measures in place. 5. Hospitality As a host club you will be expected to provide a level of hospitality for your visiting team and mentors. On the Friday evening, when planning events please take into account that players may have travelled a distance, they will also have played two matches on the Friday evening and they will need to be up early on the Saturday for another game. Therefore, Friday night is not suitable for late night events. However clubs should organise food and refreshments for visiting teams immediately after the games on Friday. On Saturday evening, it is suggested that a host club would provide some form of hospitality for visiting players and mentors. Again, if a team is still involved at this stage, the level of this hospitality will need to be decided upon. It would be important that any organised events would be carefully and strictly supervised. Clubs will also have to take into account any organised events by the Local Organising Committee ie Parade of Teams. Clubs will leave on Sunday morning after breakfast. Arrangements to attend the finals on Sunday 1st July, can be made with your visiting club when you make contact with them. Arrangements for attending religious services should also be discussed with your visiting club. On the Sunday host clubs/parents would also be expected to provide your visiting team with a packet lunch. 13

FIELD PREPARATION FOR FÉILE As Féile Peil na nóg is a national competition with a high profile, we hope that fields and club grounds will be presented to the highest possible standard. The following are some prerequisites and some suggestions: Playing Field: Must be in excellent playing condition Must be properly flagged and marked Must have good quality nets on the goals Must have a scoreboard Should preferably have ball stops behind the goal Should be enclosed and should be stewarded to reduce incursions on the sideline Dressing Rooms: Should be clean and presentable Should have separate Referee s room Should be allocated prior to games - signs on doors would be preferable Should be stewarded Should have separate facilities for Ladies Football teams Field Environs: Have the following flags flying: National Flag County Flag County Flag of visiting teams Club Flags - Home and Visiting (Optional)

It is desirable that Venues be well signposted so that visiting teams and supporters and find your club and playing facilities. If your field is in a remote areas, temporary signs could be erected to ensure that all visitors can find the venues. The Féile Committee will provide standardised Welcome Signs for all clubs well in advance of the Féile weekend. However each club should consider its own ways of welcoming visitors with bunting, signage etc and have these arrangements in place well in advance as suppliers will be busy nearer to the Féile weekend. Where necessary clubs should check to ensure that any permissions required to erect signage are in place well in advance. Each club should appoint a Field Official to oversee the preparation and decoration of the field for Féile weekend. The duties of this official are as outlined above. Members of the local Féile Committee/County Development Committees will inspect all grounds over the coming months to advise clubs and monitor progress prior to Féile (Please see draft Grounds Inspection sheets on next page). Féile Flag being hand over from the 2017 Hosts Ulster GAA Council to Féile Peile 2018 representatives Diarmuid Cahill (Chairperson) and Ciarán Flynn (Secretary) 15

DOWN/LOUTH/MEATH FÉILE 2018 Ground Inspection Club Name: Yes No Comments Location: 1 General Presentation (a) Club & Ground Entrance Clear signage (b) Perimeter Fence (c) Entrance Appearance & surface (d) Signage on Approach Roads (e) Car Parking facilities (f) Disabled parking & signage (g) Stand open / covered / seated / terrace 2 Playing Pitch (a) Surface Quality (b) Pitch lines marked correctly (c) Goal Posts painted & condition (d) Pitch Enclosure Fence (e) Ballstops / Catchnets (f) Access from dressing rooms to pitch (g) Sufficient Run off areas (h) Scoreboard manual / electronic 3 2 /Sideline Player Accommodations/Dugouts ( to cater for 15 people per accommodation) 4 Players Dressing Room Facilities (a) 2 D/ rooms with showers/toilets (b) Additional 2 D/ rooms + showers/toilets (c) Female D/rs with shower cubicals &toilets (d) First-Aid Room & Equipment, Stretcher (e) Defibrillator easily available & operational (f) Absence of hazard to Players

5 Match Officials' Dressing Room (a) Secure Change Area (b) Shower & Toilet Facility (c) Secure & spectator free access to pitch (d) Adequate space for all officials 6 Public Toilets (a) Ladies (toilet, hand wash & dry facilities) (b) Gents (toilet, hand wash & dry facilities) (C) Need for Additional Toilets/Portable 7 Disabled Friendly (a) Awareness & Signage (b) Toilet, (hand wash & drying facilities) (c) Covered Accommodation 8 Health & Safety (a) Absence of hazards to Players (b) Absence of hazards to General Public 9 Extra Facilities (a) Second Full-size Playing Pitch (b) Juvenile Pitch (c) Floodlights: Playing / Training strength (d) Club House / Meeting Room (e) Social Club / Licenced Premises (f) Catering Facilities (g) Shop Facilities (h) Wi Fi local strength (i) Closeness to other local amenities (j) Presentation Area (k) Press/Media Facilities 100 10 Inspection Team Signed Printed Datá: Féile 2018 Club Rep 17

VETTING (Garda / AccessNI Vetting in the GAA The GAA has a long established good practice of vetting any person who, on our behalf, works with children or vulnerable adults in our Association. This principle is enshrined in rule through our Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport and has become part of the overall recruitment and selection process for those who wish to work with us in the GAA, in a voluntary or paid role. Vetting services for the Association are currently overseen by the National Children's Office in Croke Park while Comhairle Uladh acts on our behalf in coordinating AccessNI services. Vetting of Host Families When a Club chooses a household to host visiting team members it s important to note that all members (over 16) of that household must, in accordance with the National Vetting Act, be vetted and this must be done prior to hosting. All Vetting for Féile Peile na nóg 2018 has to be carried out on-line. The on -line system is faster, it eliminates mistakes and it allows us to liaise directly with each applicant through their nominated e-mail address. The on-line process is highly confidential and secure and neither the Club nor the County Board can access or see the details filled in on a vetting application form by a host family member or a coach. The form may only be accessed by the National Vetting Bureau (NVB) or by the GAA National Children s Officer, on behalf of the GAA. Before anybody applies for vetting as part of a host family please note that each applicant must supply the Club Féile Coordinator with a copy of photographic ID (e.g. passport copy) and proof of address prior to applying.

Please also note that as part of hosting requirements at Féile 2018 we only vet host family members who are or will be over 16 yrs. of age on the date (s) of hosting. ID documents will be disposed of once the vetting process has been completed. How do you apply for GARDA vetting? Host Families within Louth & Meath An applicant commences the vetting process by going to gaa.ie and the vetting section under Child Welfare and Protection. Step 1: What is called a Vetting ID Form. Once they complete this ID form, and give it to the Féile coordinator along with the ID documents, they then proceed to Step 2. Step 2: The applicant then proceeds to complete the GAA online E-vetting Application Form on the GAA website under vetting. Step 3: The applicant will then receive an email from the NVB containing an invite to complete the vetting application form. Once this form has been submitted to the NVB the GAA would in normal circumstances hope to have informed the applicant that they have successfully completed the process within a two-week period. When the GAA sends the vetting acceptance letter to a host family member by email a copy of that letter is automatically generated to go to the Secretary of the host Club at the same time. This saves time and a huge administrative burden on Clubs. All queries on vetting may be sent to evetting@gaa.ie AccessNI Host Families within Down Vetting is carried out by AccessNI for individuals in clubs in Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone 19

PROMOTING THE EVENT Let people know that your club is hosting Féile Peile na nóg 2018. That the biggest underage festival of football is coming to Down, Louth & Meath on Friday 29th June, Saturday the 30th June and Sunday 1st July. This an honour for your Club, be proud that you are a Host Club. Féile Peile na nóg is an International tournament and it is very important that clubs promote Féile within their club, within the community and within their schools. It is a great opportunity for your Club to hang out its brightest colours, let people see that you are the Hub of your Community. Clubs are encouraged to actively use Social Media, including twitter, Facebook and instagram and their websites to let people know about the build-up of Féile. Clubs should also include information on Féile in their weekly club notes within the local media. Getting posters up in your clubhouse, Schools and Community Halls. Use video and podcasts to create the Féile experience. You have a good news story to tell. Make use of your past links with Féile, County players who represented your Club, Friendships you made and people you met on the Féile journey. Make sure you tag #feilepeile2018, like and follow us on @feilepeile2018

TEAM PREPARATION Teams need to be aware of the playing rules of Féile particularly in relation to timing of games and the substitution rule. In order to help prepare teams it is hoped that a number of Féile type blitzes will take place in the Down, Louth and Meath in the lead up to the event. Clubs should also consider playing friendlies with other clubs that will be hosting in Féile. N.B.: A player may be required by a National Féile Official or their nominee to give his/her signature and date of birth at any time during the Féile. 21

OFFICIAL PROGRAMME / INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS Digital Photograph of Team One good quality Digital Colour Team Photograph - Of the players NO mentors to be included. The photograph should be of a high resolution 300 DPI. (Pictures from IPhones will not be of high enough quality) Make sure all children are looking at the camera. Maximum number of players in photos is 24 - The photos should take the format of 3 rows of 8 Make sure all players are wearing Full team gear with sponsors name prominent Face inserts of missing players will not be accepted If player is missing from photo make reference to it in text of player list Do not take photo from Facebook or Twitter It has to be original List of Team Panellists and Mentors List of maximum of 24 players List of maximum of 4 mentors Club History / Brief Maximum of 150 words outlining the background/history of your club. Due to space within programme we can not accept information if it goes over the 150 words.

5 Facts about your Club For use on Website/App Give us 5 Facts about your club, when it was formed, famous players, something to give people a unique feel for your club This information will appear on website. Club Crest Good high resolution of your clubs crest Coordinates of your Club Facilities Please provide us with the coordinates of your playing facilities. Please provide them in the following format Degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS): 41 24'12.2"N 2 10'26.5"E All programme information is to be forwarded vie email to pro.feilepeile2018@gaa.ie No other means of submitting information will be accepted and only the above information should be sent. All Information must be received in full by host teams by March 1st 2018 Clubs will receive reply once information has been processed. 23

Web: www.feilepeile2018.com Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @feilepeile2018