Coaching Plan

Coaching Plan For Diarmuid O’Mathuna GAA Club

2019 – 2024

This applies from the Clubs teams from (under-6) to minor (under-18) teams.

Club Objectives

The intent of this document is to detail the Club’s Coaching Structure and planning for the next five years. It is only one part of what should be an overall Club Plan. The centre of this Coaching plan is the Child and their Sporting Development. It is our aim that we as a Club try to ensure that we strive to ensure that all players are playing into adulthood with a deep loyalty and affinity for the Club. In five years time, we will be able to say: “Our underage section is one of the best. We have achieved excellence in coaching standards and in providing games for our young players in a safe and enjoyable environment. As a consequence of this our Club’s adult teams perform to their full potential because we have the best possible coaching and games development structures in place at under-age level.”

The Club aims:

To recruit, develop and improve player and mentor technical ability so as to ensure that all our under-age teams are capable of competing at the highest 15-aside level possible.
Increase the awareness of Diarmuid O Mathunas G.A.A Club in the community amongst adults and children in the parish and seek to get these people to participate in the playing/coaching of teams.
Create a formal structure for coaching from nursery to minor levels by:

Ensuring all coaches are qualified to Foundation Level as a minimum,
Ensuring all coaches are Garda Vetted for the Club,
Ensuring all coaches complete Code of Ethics in Sport,
- Ensuring best coaching practice by conducting additional Coaching workshops
- Setting building blocks in place to ensure best preparation for teams,
- Ensuring full participation of all players,
- Putting player ability and development over winning at all cost and also catering for the late developer
- Creating a Club Loyalty.
Increase number of mentor’s year-on-year .
Develop players through coaching that have been taught all the skills of Hurling and Football according to best practice.
Develop players based on the principles of Long Term Player Development (LTPD).
That By following the LTPD pathway we help develop players who progressively become better players that can play at the highest level. We need to ensure that Coaches / Mentors are looking to progress players development at all stages up to Under-18 rather than results.
To be a self-sufficient Club in terms of the number of players playing so that the Club would play under the Diarmuid O Mathuna’s name from Under-6 to adults.
Ensure that the intensity of training and coaching is done at the appropriate level and time of player development according to the LTPD.
To have a Community Practice Model of Training, whereby training sessions are organised at the same time where possible.
Develop a Coaching Link between the Adult and Juvenile Club by involving current adult Club players in coaching on a more frequent basis.
To Produce teams that are capable at Under-16 and Minor levels of winning counties at the highest grade 15-aside Grade possible and ultimately play at Senor Level for the Club.
Develop a culture within the Club that it is important to progress as a Club rather than individuals.
Conduct elite coaching sessions with smaller groups of players. Run winter coaching programme of training use gym, ball alley and indoor leagues especially from U14 to U18.
Play older players on teams up to U14 level so as to ensure player retention and allow for late player development.
That’s Coaches are encouraged to use the Ball Alley more.
Provide adequate and additional training and playing equipment.
To produce a Coaching Manual for Diarmuid O mathunas Coaches.
Those Coaches prepare training programme in advance of session and continue to vary it throughout the season.
To ensure that Coaches use constant dialogue with players and parents to promote and enhance the value of the Club and its ethos.
Run and Coach in our own Cul Camp.
Seek to have at least one player involved in every Cork Development Squad and play at Minor, Under-21 and Senior Level.
Increase communication between coaches, players, parents through email, Club Website and Club Newsletter.
Actively seek continued development of the physical infrastructure of the Club for example, footpaths to pitch, ball alley extension, exercise walkway around the pitch

Under-Age Club Structure

This shall include the following Club Chairperson, Club Secretary, Club Coaching Officer, Club PRO, Child Welfare Officer, Club Designated Person, School Liaison Officer, age-group coaches. This should also include the following sub-committees: Coaching and Games Development Sub-Committee, Player Retention Sub-Committee.

Coaching and Games Development Sub-Committee

A Coaching and games Development Sub-Committee shall be appointed yearly to oversee all aspects of games development within the Club. This will include helping to identify new coaches, seek to encourage more parental involvement in Coaching and ensuring all our Club’s coaches will have GAA Coach Education qualifications, G.A.A Garda vetting and have completed Code of Ethics in Sport. It will also be the job of this committee to ensure that a balanced programme of games are in place and that all players get an opportunity to play, with priority given to the older player. The chairperson of this committee should sit on the adult Club executive committee. The committee will comprise the following: Club Chairperson, Club Secretary, Club Coaching Officer, and a mentor from each age group from Under-6 to Minor. This sub-committee shall meet once a month, but meetings are opened to all coaching members to ensure any issues are addressed in a timely manner.

Coaching and Games Officer

A Coaching and Games Officer shall be appointed yearly and they will act as Chairperson for the Coaching and Games Sub-Committee. He / She will have responsibility for managing the affairs of the Committee and for overseeing all coaching and games related policies.

School Liaison Officer

A School Liaison Officer shall be appointed yearly to develop Club / School links, organizing coaching and games/blitzes within the local primary school. Over the duration of this five year plan, consideration must be given by the Club as to how a better relationship with secondary-schools can be achieved that will help benefit our Club players who attend those schools.

Child Protection Officer

A Child Protection Officer shall be appointed yearly to ensure Player Welfare and Protection. They will ensure that all Officers and Coaches/Mentors are Garda vetted and have completed a Code of Ethics in Sport certification Course.

Club Designated Person

A Club Designated Person will be appointed yearly to help ensure Player Welfare and Protection.

The Club is required to have such a person appointed.

Child Safety: Coach and Officer Mandatory Requirements.

All Club Officers, Coaches and Mentors are required to:

Be Garda G.A.A Vetted.
Have completed Code of Ethics in Sport Certification Course.

Both of these requirements are mandatory. The Club will hold a register of this information that will be posted on the Club Notice Board and will be available to parents.

The Club will run either annually / bi-annually, when sufficient numbers exist, a Code of Ethics in Sport course internally. If insufficient new coaches / officers do not exist to run such a course, the club will sponsor those members to attend via Cork Sports Partnership.

GAA Code of Best Practice and Code of Behavior

We will put in place the GAA Code of Best Practice and Code of Behaviour. Everyone in the Club will show due respect to each other, to Club officers, to team mentors and to the match officials. We will ensure that all our volunteers working with children are Garda vetted and that our children participate in a safe environment.

The Club is required to have a Code of Conduct in Place that is publically available.

Coach Education

We will put in place a programme that makes sure that every player is coached by a person qualified to the appropriate level. All Club coaches will receive GAA coach education qualifications. Each coach will have a minimum of a G.A.A Foundation Award coaching certificate to coach an under-age team. We will aim to have all coaches at Award 1 level over the lifetime of this plan and at least one Level 2 coach involved with every team over the five years of this plan. We will also identify new referees, who will receive referee education and assistance from the County Board.

The Club will run bi-annually a G.A.A Foundation Level Coaching Course to facilitate this. The Club will hold a register that details the qualifications that each Coach / Mentor holds.

Player Development

We will coach players based on best practice as learnt through Coach Education. Coaches will be encouraged at all stages to follow the Long Term Player Development Pathway (LTPD) to create players of a high standard of technical ability so as to be able to perform at the highest level.

Our Coaching strategy should develop all the skills of the players. We wish to develop adaptable players who have the following qualities:

Hard Workers
Team Players
Play with intensity
Have developed all the skills
Can adapt to different tactics and styles of play.

All players should be in addition to playing with Diarmuid O Mathunas, be actively encouraged to play with their secondary-school, Carbery, and to participate with Cork development Squads and third-level Colleges. Coaches need to start influencing players from a very young age about playing with Diarmuid O Mathunas, Carbery, Cork development Squads and Cork so as to build their ambitions. Coaches need to engage with players as to how they are getting on with School /Carbery/Cork teams. The Club’s PRO should be informed of their achievements so that it can be publicized.

Teams

The Club should aspire to play at the highest grade possible under the name where numbers are sufficient. Where possible, teams should field at 15-aside as this develops a better player. If in a given year there is insufficient numbers, consideration should made to field at 13 or 12-aside on a temporary bases or as Ahane Gaels. All such decisions must be made on numbers of available players and in the best interests of Diarmuid O Mathunas. These decisions are to be made by the Coaching and Games Committee of the Club.

All mentors need to start games with the oldest players in preference to playing young players as we wish to retain all players playing with the club. Obviously as players get older, this must be balanced by a need to be successful. It is reasonable to assume such a policy would in force up to U-14 level.

Team Building / Club Bonding

Trips for all Age Groups should be organized to take each team from under-12 level to Minor to play other teams both inside and outside the county in both hurling and football if possible. This will help build team spirit, Club spirit and player confidence.

At the end of the season fun trips should be organized for each team. Examples include Karting, Paintball, adventure camp, etc. Trips to Inter-County League Games where entry is free should also be arranged.

Player Retention

The Club needs to establish a system whereby there is a quick identification of a player who may have stopped playing for the Club.

A sub-committee comprising the Club Chairperson, Club Secretary, Club Child Protection Officer, and Club Coaching Officer shall be established to deal with such player loss. Team Mentors should inform this group of any player who has stopped playing or has not started playing with the Club so that efforts can be made to encourage them to play.

Code of Behaviour for Diarmuid O Mathuna’s Club

PLAYER COACH CLUB PARENTS

Properly attired Prepare well Be supportive Encourage

Be punctual Properly attired Show leadership Be Supportive

Attend regularly Be punctual Guide members Emphasise participation

Communicate if Be patient Uphold discipline Help with transport

Unavailable

Abide by rules Be enthusiastic Impose sanctions Balance child needs

with clubs needs

RESPECT INCULATE PROVIDE RESPECT

Fellow players Dedication Safe environment Players

Opponents Pride Adequate facilities Mentors