GAA’s schools initiative a continuing success

The GAA continues to strengthen its grip on primary school participation despite any apparent threat from rugby and soccer. Summer camp numbers, thought to be at “saturation” point, are up again in 2014 and there is a new initiative aimed specifically at the PE curriculum.

Things weren’t always so reassuring. The GAA’s summer camps were actually started up in direct response to the success of the Irish soccer team, particularly at Euro 88, and even if that threat isn’t quite what it used to be, the increasingly prolific success of the Irish rugby team might still be deemed that way.

The GAA, however, are simply protecting their own turf, and have now agreed a two-year extension of their Cúl Camps’ partnership with sponsors’ Kellogg’s, after seeing participation at this summer’s camp increase to 89,022 children, between the ages of six and 12: the camps take place across all 32 counties, and feature a number of top intercounty footballers and hurlers in coaching roles.

Saturation point

“We touched on 90,000 this summer, up from around 82,000 last summer, so we’re obviously delighted with that,” said Jimmy D’Arcy, GAA Games Development Manager. “We would have actually thought we were at the saturation point last year but the numbers are up again.

“And this did all start from Euro 88, the Boys in Green, and all that, because the GAA felt at the time that they needed to do something. There would have been provincial run camps first, before the Cúl Camps, which then went national. And they’ve very much our flagship initiative, now, in terms of introducing children to Gaelic games, in a fun environment.”

While increasing numbers further will always be a motivation, so too is the need to maintain quality: “It’s not just about numbers. It’s about maintaining the quality, fun experience for all the children. The whole Go Games philosophy comes into that too, about having less competitive structures, and more meaningful game time for everyone. Because participation is not watching from the sidelines.”

D’Arcy has also helped front the GAA’s Céim ar Aghaidh/Step Ahead initiative, with around 93 per cent of primary schools in the country now featuring Gaelic games coaching of some sort, including a new on-line teaching tool.

“I would like to think we’re leading the way in that, by going on-line” says D’Arcy, “because you have to use modern technology as well, to give the proper tools to the coaches.

“That figure of coaching in primary schools would be about 93 per cent, through a few different mechanisms. Some counties operate a volunteer school-link model, where some of the clubs would send someone into the schools, on a regular basis. In other counties it would be full-time GAA staff. But overall around 93 per cent of primary schools in the country would have some element of Gaelic games coaching.

Obvious advantage

“I don’t know the statistics for other sports, but they wouldn’t be that high. We have one obvious advantage in that there would be a GAA club in every parish, and in nearly every community.

“But we’re also trying to create some alignment with what the teacher is trying to achieve in terms of the objectives of the PE curriculum in primary school. We’re trying to make it a win-win situation, especially for primary school teachers who mightn’t have a background in Gaelic games.”

None of this, however, is in direct response to any clear or present threat from rugby or soccer, but again more about the GAA protecting its own turf.

“The main feeder system to clubs will always be the primary school, so that will always be part of our focus,” says D’Arcy. “So it wouldn’t be in response to anything. And we would never say children should only play this game or that game, anyway. But look at the literature, in terms of the development of any sport, and the best pathway is to play a number of different games.”