Last week we looked at how you might go about planning implementing an efficient and effective Club Coaching and Games Structure. This week we will continue with the process.
Once you have your key coaching personnel in place you must plan the best coaches possible for all your age groups.
If they do not have the knowledge or confidence it is up to the club to provide the proper training for them.
This is provided by your count games manager and coaching officer who are responsible for providing suitable course from foundation for all beginners through the three strands of child, youth and adult at award one and two.
The Ulster Council of the GAA also provides CPD courses on various specific topics from weights to coaching systems of play which John Morrison and I will be running shortly in October.
The key here is to have a strong coaching committee in place that are responsible for all coaching and games in the club from appointing managers and coaches for all teams to arranging times of training etc. Any issues are dealt with by this committee who are answerable to the club’s executive committee.
The plan below shows who you might organise the key coaching personnel for your club.
The children’s head coach is responsible for all the teams from U12 down and his/her role is to make sure that the head coaches of the U10’s, U8’s & U.6’s are all “singing from the same hymn sheet” otherwise everyone will simply be doing their own thing with no continuity in progression.
It is advisable for this coach not to be attached to any specific team but to act as a mentor to the other coaches giving guidance where ever needed.
The youth head coach should have responsible for the U14’s, U16’s and minors.
The roles and duties of the key personnel must be planned carefully so everyone knows who does what when as shown in the planners.
Regular meetings, i.e. once per month are essential for the smooth running of the entire coaching operation. Any issues can be nipped in the bud before they fester and rot the whole process.
This is where strong leadership is required and no one should be allowed to derail the process at any cost no matter who they are. Remember the club is bigger than any one person.
One of the biggest problems facing most clubs is getting people to volunteer their time and it seems to be harder all the time.
How and why would you recruit volunteers/parents to your club?
Parents/volunteers need to be:
▪ Asked
▪ Kept informed
▪ Acknowledged for their efforts
Volunteers are the life blood of any club so look after them and treat them with respect.
▪ Skills – None
▪ Mentoring
▪ No expertise in playing or coaching needed
Who should we recruit?
▪ Parents of underage players
▪ Senior Players
Kevin Madden helping the stars of the future.
▪ Ex players
▪ Retired/redundant personnel – teachers etc.
▪ Other club members
▪ Students – This year we ran a five week summer camp in Kilrea with students who we put through the Foundation award. We will be using some of them shortly to help run our winter Gaelic Start programme
Philip Kerr acting as mentor to club coaches.
Your head coaches should act as mentors to your novice coaches and help them gain confidence on their coaching journey upwards through the club.
The clubs who attempt to set this structure up will be the successful clubs of the future those who don’t will fail.
Happy coaching until next week.
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