GAAWorks jobs network aims to ‘combat rural depopulation’

While there is no shortage of job sites competing for talent, there is always room for one more if it can offer something different for recruiters and job seekers. GAAWorks is a newly minted employment platform and its twist on the traditional path is that it is leveraging the strength of the GAA’s extensive national network to help local businesses find staff and GAA members find employment without leaving their home counties.

GAAWorks is the brainchild of former Cavan footballer Kevin Meehan and two friends who came up with the concept for the platform during the pandemic.

“The idea was born out of the Covid-19 lockdown when a lot of people moved back home and began to see the real benefits of working and living in their local community, surrounded by their support network of friends and family,” says Meehan, who represented his county at minor, U21 and senior level.

“Our aim is to combat rural depopulation and to show the wider GAA community the variety of career opportunities that exist within their rural and urban regions throughout Ireland. Our county team (Cavan) won its first Ulster senior football championship in 23 years in 2020, and it was felt that not having the long commutes to and from work in between the demands of playing intercounty sport contributed greatly to this success.”

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Businesses with part- or full-time job vacancies can sign up to GAAWorks for an annual fee of €360 which allows them to advertise as many roles as they like throughout the year. Where the GAA comes in is that it acts as the conduit by allowing a QR code linked to the platform to be prominently displayed in clubhouses around the country. Members simply scan the code to bring up the situations vacant in their local area.

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There are more than 2,200 GAA clubs running with over 100,000 adult playing members across the 32 counties, and while the process of bringing employers and GAA communities on board is still in its infancy, more than 150 companies have registered to date and close to 400 roles have been advertised on the site, with particular interest shown in apprenticeships and trainee roles, Meehan says.

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“We are the first jobs website solely dedicated to a national sporting community in Ireland,” he adds. “GAA players possess a multitude of skills which are career transferable such as a commitment to working hard, dedication, discipline and loyalty – all characteristics sought by businesses looking for staff. Our platform gives them access to this pool of people in a direct, hassle-free and very cost-effective manner.”

We have put a big effort into making the system really easy and efficient for employers to use. It only takes a few clicks to post a job

—  Kevin Meehan, GAAWorks

Investment in the start-up has been roughly €150,000 to date between personal funding and support from Cavan LEO. Enterprise Ireland also chipped in, providing the company with a stand at the 2022 Ploughing Championships to gain exposure.

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“We are basically working through the county boards – there are too many clubs to go around individually – and the response so far has been extremely positive. And we are pushing hard to get the word out to employers and clubs alike,” says Meehan, who has a background in telecoms marketing.

“We have put a big effort into making the system really easy and efficient for employers to use. It only takes a few clicks to post a job, and where a large organisation is posting a lot of roles, our system can relieve the time burden and add them really quickly.”

Ireland is the company’s initial focus but, with a worldwide GAA network to tap into, Meehan says the ultimate aim is to go global. “I’d love to think that someone living in Australia, or the US or Dubai – there are GAA clubs literally all over the world – would see an ad on our site and it would encourage them to come home and settle locally,” Meehan says.