Five clubs targeted for coaching

Efforts to improve Gaelic games in urban areas throughout the country have reached Meath with the release of €15,000 Leinster Council grant which will target specific projects locally. Meath Coaching and Games Committee have selected five major towns where they will appoint a coach for a 10-week period to work and develop various initiatives within the local clubs. Five coaches were appointed to take up the positions in Trim, Simonstown, Navan O"Mahonys, Dunboyne and Donaghmore / Ashbourne. They are Donald MacLeod (Trim), Michael Cantwell (Simonstown), Gordon Weldon (Navan O"Mahonys), Martin Wall (Dunboyne) and Ciaran Quigley (Donaghmore / Ashbourne). The coaches have already taken up their new positions and they have a number of exciting and developmental projects to develop on over the next few months. The projects include club nursery programme development, assistance to existing club coaches, street leagues and to foster club and school coaching links. The five coaches will monitor, co-ordinate and evaluate the various initiatives and be in contact with the club committee and the County Games Development Administrator, Christine O"Brien, at all times during their placement. 'We are trying to extend the level of participation in Gaelic games for juveniles during the summer months. 'There can be a lack of games for some juveniles during the summer months, but the idea of having urban coaches is to keep activities running within the clubs,' said Coaching and Games Development officer O"Brien. 'These urban coaches will assist the existing coaches within the clubs and hopefully give them new ideas and try to get them to be as progressive as possible. 'This is something new from Leinster Council. They came up with funding of €15,000 per project and we came up with this initiative. 'We are hoping that the opportunity will be there for a lot more juveniles to play Gaelic games and if teams want to train during the day then these urban coaches will be available to take training sessions. 'They will also monitor evening sessions and also try to identify people that could work with the schools in the winter months. 'The club-school links are very important and we want to have someone that can give coaching in the local schools,' concluded O"Brien.