GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP:A MAJOR new games initiative is to be piloted by the GAA in the new year. Two new versions of hurling and football, aimed at those primarily interested in recreational sport, are expected to be rolled out in 2011. The concept, at present under the working title Scilabú, represents a couple of years' work and research into giving Gaelic games a non-competitive outlet.

It’s nearly a year since the launch of

The GAA Strategic Vision and Action Plan 2009-2015

, which undertook to “develop and implement a programme of recreational games for youth and adult players”. Part of the motivation was to provide different outlets for those wishing to play Gaelic games but also to provide an option for those interested in recreational sport, a constituency with whom five-a-side soccer and tag rugby have proved very popular.

“We’re a long way down the road at this stage,” according to Croke Park’s head of games Pat Daly. “There’s a research committee established under Seán Donnelly as chair and it’s taken responsibility for different realms of research.

“There’s technical research, largely to do with equipment, research related to participation and also to the social and recreational side of things. We have settled on a working title of Scilabú, both football and hurling and we’ll be piloting that next year with a roll-out pencilled in for 2011.

“There are a couple of issues. Who’s it aimed at? It’s aimed at people who aren’t interested in the normal competitive stuff but who want to be involved in some shape or form. The biggest difficulty is in trying to get people to accept this is a recreational pursuit and explain what constitutes recreation.

“There is always a temptation in hurling, for instance, to go back to catching and using the shoulder and hooking. But if you want to play hurling, play hurling. The recreational format has to be one that anyone can play. There is a difficulty getting some people to get their heads around that.”

In one way the project reflects the experience of the GAA in Europe where tournaments are organised as part of social weekends in different cities. It has been found the games attract expatriates from a broad background, not just those having a familiarity with Gaelic games.

The activities of the European Board units have also been successful in attracting the interest of citizens in various countries.

“What you’re also looking at is a game that can be played on all-weather surfaces or indoors, basketball courts or hockey pitches,” says Daly. “There is a potential to come up with a format that we will be able to internationalise. For instance there is possible outreach in countries like Germany and the Netherlands where they are used to hockey and can identify more easily with hurling.

“Whereas predominantly recreation, it would be a way of introducing people to our games and doing it in a manner that they could adapt to.”

Even at home within the clubs there is a realisation that more could be done to involve those for whom the traditional club activities are both too competitive and consequently demanding in terms of training and preparation.

“I was talking to Michael Cleary (Tipperary All-Ireland winner) down in Nenagh recently and they (the local Éire Óg club) had a very successful recreational event during the summer as part of the 125 celebrations. They were effectively walk-up games, organised from scratch.

“The model we have in mind would facilitate that but it’s important that people see this for what it is, not competitive but social, mixed and recreational.”

Heavy hitters in the coaching world, Paudie Butler and Joey Carton in hurling and Adrian McGuckin in football, have been working on the games’ actual formats. Equipment will be different with the hurley made from synthetic material and the sliotar replaced with a bigger, softer ball and the football smaller and also softer than in the standard game.

The news comes at the same time as a related concept, which didn’t originate in Croke Park, Gaelic Tag (described as a cross between tag rugby and Gaelic football) has announced details of a one-day blitz in the Iveagh Grounds, Crumlin in Dublin on Saturday, October 17th (further information on www.gaelictag.ie).