The Perfect Coaching Session

Last night almost 50 coaches turnout for a Coach Education course titled The Prefect Coaching Session delivered by Tony Scullion and Kevin McGuigan. The Derry minor football squad took part in what was a very enjoyable and worthwhile session. All the players had heart rate monitors on them and they will be given feedback on their performance during the session.

Foundation and Child Protection Course

Day / Date	Programme	Workshop	Title Venue	Cost
Fri 21 Jan	GAA Coaching Awards	Child Protection	Roe Valley L.C.
Sat 22 Jan	GAA Coaching Awards	Foundation Course	Roe Valley L.C.	Free to Limavady Council District Clubs

See above foundation coaching course, Free to clubs within the Limavady Borough council area. £25 to anyone from outside the Borough.

Please forward names to Richard Ferris before Monday 17th January.

Please pass this information on to potential coaches within your club.

Last year we had a great course a wide variety of coaches some great ideas with plenty of craic so don't miss out this time around.

It is now a legal requirement to be certified when working with youth teams and players under the age of 18. This course ensures you are!

Times...

Friday 21st Jan 7pm to 10pm Tutor Child Protection Richard Ferris,

Saturday 22nd Jan 9.30am to 4pm Practical modules Tutors Richard Ferris & Paul Simpson.

Both to be held at Roe Valley Leisure Centre

Richard Ferris

Gaelic Games Development Officer

Limavady Borough Council/Derry GAA

07870988138

Eoghan Rua Foundation Coaching Course

On Friday and Saturday Eoghan Rua GAC Coleraine had a child protection and foundation football & hurling course delivered within their club. Brian Smith and Ben McGuckin delivered the course. Eoghan Rua Coleraine now have twenty three additional coaches with the certification. Which will hopefully give them the confidence to get involved with teams in the future. Well done to everyone involved.

Adapting FUN Games for Football (Under 8 – Under 12)

Tonight 20 - 25 coaches took part in a CPD course "Adapting FUN Games for Football" delivered by Paul Callaghan. Thanks to the 15 Dungiven Under 12 Footballers who run through the coaching workshop.

Level 1 Coaching Course in Owenbeg

On Friday and Saturday 17 coaches from 9 different clubs took part in the first weekend of their Level 1 Coaching Course delivered by Chris Collins and Richard Ferris. They will be back in Owenbeg on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th April to complete their course.

Busy Weekend @ Owenbeg, Derry Centre of Excellence

On Friday 25 people took part in a Child Protection Awareness course, Saturday was an extremely busy day with 105 young players trialing for the Club Derry Under 15 Panel, 40 players trialing for the Under 16 Panel, 20 new referee's being put through their introduction course and 17 new coaches undertaking the Foundation Coaching Award.

Foundation Football and Child Protection Course @ Banagher

On Friday and Saturday Banagher GAC had a child protection and foundation football/hurling course delivered within their club. Brian Smith and Richard Ferris delivered the course. Banagher now have nine additional coaches with the certification which will hopefully give them the confidence to get involved with teams in the future.

Derry Coaching Conference 2010

On Saturday 6th March Derry held their Coaching Conference for 2010 sponsored by Chambers Coach Hire at St. Mary's Grammar School, Magherafelt.


County Chairman, John Keenan opened the conference by welcoming all the delegates, thanking sponsors Chambers for their support and highlighting the hive of activity taking place in Derry over the weekend.

Chambers Managing Director, Eugene Donnelly and UTV's Pamela Ballantine interacted with the audience to give them an overview of the company, stressing the importance of safety.


150 delegates took part in presentations and workshops by an excellent array of guest speakers: Eugene Young, Paudie Butler, Tommy Stevenson, John Morrison, Richard Ferris, Diarmuid Scullion, Terence McWilliams, Ronan Devlin, Ruairi Convery, Daithi Regan, Johnny Bradley, Roger Keenan and Tony Scullion.

Feedback from the day was excellent, thanks to everyone for taking part (Delegates, Guest Speakers, Derry Senior Hurlers and Magherafelt P.2's, Minors, Under 14's and Senior Footballers), to all the Coaching and Games staff for their support, to M.C. for the day Brian Smith, St. Mary's Grammar school and all their catering staff and finally to our Sponsors Chambers.

Foundation Football and Child Protection @ Ballerin GAC

On Friday and Saturday Ballerin GAC had a child protection and foundation football course delivered within their club. Brian Smith and Ruari Convery delivered the course. Ballerin now have twenty two additional coaches with the certification which will hopefully give them the confidence to get involved with teams in the future.

Foundation Football Award at Greenlough GAC

Twelve club members of Greenlough GAC joined Ronan Devlin for a foundation coaching course on a cold Saturday morning, 20th February, having completed their Child Protection Course on Friday evening.

In what was a most enjoyable session; those present learnt the basics of coaching, especially aimed at U-8/10/12 level, both on the field and in theory.

Pictured - (L-R): Niall Bradley, Cormac O'Neill, Paul Downey, Feargal Scullion, Ruairi McGlinchey, Gary O'Neill, Damian McTeague, Hugh Mullan, Sean Madden, Tommy Convery, Diarmuid McCloy, Damian McAlynn and Ronan Devlin (Tutor).

Underage Coaches Education Day @ Faughanvale GAC

18 underage coaches from Faughanvale GAC came out on a very cold morning which was organised by Faughanvale Youth Officer, John Mc Gee. Under the supervision of Richard Ferris they looked at modules on organising and planning a training session including warm ups, movement skills, developing the skills of Gaelic Football, phases of learning, introduction to games, fun games, modified games, shooting for scores and managing an effective coaching session. Thanks to all the coaches for taking part and to the ladies that provide refreshments.

Derry Coaching Conference Sponsored by Chambers

The second Annual Coaching and Games Development Conference, organised by Coiste Chontae Doire and sponsored this year by Chambers Coach Hire, will take place on Saturday 6th March 2010 at St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt.

The conference will aim to better equip coaches in Derry for the task of striving to make their players the best that they can be.

Derry Coaching and Games Manager, Chris Collins explains, "All sessions [at the conference] are designed with our coaches in mind. They focus on how to help them get the most out of their teams through examples, discussions and interactive workshops; to equip them with the tools and inspiration needed to deliver an outstanding level of service to their clubs, schools and county teams."

"We are really excited about this year’s Conference as we feel we have a group of presenters who are at the top of their game and would earn a place at any coaching event in the country. It's a great opportunity for all our coaches to avail of the expertise that will be available on the day."

This year’s speakers include:

Dr. Eugene Young
Eugene is the Director of Coaching and Games Development, Ulster Council GAA. A former Derry senior footballer, Eugene now oversees all aspects of the development of gaelic games at a provincial level.

Richard Ferris and Diarmuid Scullion
Richard worked as the Games Development Officer for 4 years in Derry and has delivered various courses for the Ulster Council. A member of the Derry 1993 All-Ireland winning panel, Richard now plays a key role in grassroots development in Derry. Alongside fellow county coach Diarmuid Scullion, the focus will be on all aspects of developing better links between clubs and schools in the county.

Johnny Bradley and Statzpack
Johnny is a Performance analysis at SINI, coaches attending his workshop will be given an introduction to video analysis. Performance analysis company Statzpack will also be demonstrating their product which doesn’t require videoing of games. The workshop is designed to aid coaches working at club and county level, team statisticians, PE teachers and players, Statzpack GAA allows you to record, share and analyse core game statistics.

John Morrison
John is a master tutor in Gaelic Games and has been coaching teams at the highest level for the past 15 years working with Antrim, Armagh, Donegal, Derry and Mayo (whom he took to the 2006 All Ireland final). He is the current coach of Leitrim senior football team, working alongside manager Mickey Moran, and is widely regarded as one of the most innovative coaches operating in Ireland today.

Paudie Butler
Paudie is the National Director of Hurling and a highly regarded coach. Best known as a coach who stresses the importance of skill development above all else, Paudie has limitless enthusiasm for the game. Hailing from Drombane, Thurles, Butler played hurling at all levels for Tipperary and for his club Drom-Inch with whom he has been heavily involved as a coach. At inter-county level, he coached the Tipperary minors to three Munster Championships and was also involved with the Tipperary Under-21 team. Most recently, he enjoyed a successful spell as manager of the Laois senior hurlers and was manager of the Ireland U-21 Hurling/Shinty team for four years.

Roger Keenan
Roger is the current Ulster GAA Coach Development Manager. Roger hails from Gortin, County Tyrone and was previously the High Performance Manager for Gaelic Football at SINI. Roger was development officer with the Tyrone County Board and manager to previous Tyrone club champions Carrickmore. Taking the prime example of his native county, Roger will discuss nurturing talented young players.

Daithí Regan
A Birr and Offaly man, Daithí played hurling with his club with distinction and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1989 and 1999 Winning 4 Leinster and 1 All-Ireland hurling medal. Regan has had an illustrious career as a manager with his club and county. Diathí currently works as a hurling analyst with TV3.

Terence McWilliams
Terence is the Ulster GAA Games Development Manager and will focus on the Gaelic Start Program which is designed to get young children playing gaelic games. Terence often stresses the importance of small-sided games in the development of generic skills such as catching, throwing and kicking. These fundamental skills, developed with a focus on enjoyment, can be applied across a range of sporting activities.

Tommy Stevenson
Tommy is best known as a hugely successful Strength & Conditioning coach. He is a specialist on such topics as core stability, weight training, power exercises, medicine ball, swiss ball and functional movement. Tommy previously worked with the Armagh football squad and is the current Strength & Conditioning coach with the Antrim Senior hurlers.

The event is made possible this year thanks to the partnership of Derry GAA and Chambers Coach Hire. Collins remarked:

"We are absolutely delighted to announce that Chambers have agreed to sponsor our Conference on the 6th March. Chambers have transported Gaels from Derry to every corner of Ireland for many years, bringing a few trophies home along the way. Chambers has been wonderful supporters of Derry GAA in recent times and their support for the Conference is another indication of the great partnership built up over the years."

Five time Irish tarmac rally champion and business development manager with Chambers, Eugene Donnelly expressed equal satisfaction with the partnership: “I am delighted that a county of Derry’s stature is involved with Chambers Coach Hire, and we look forward to transporting the team throughout the upcoming league and championship campaign.”

The registration cost for the conference is £10. Coaches and other interested parties wishing to register will do so through their club. All club secretaries will shortly receive registration forms for the event, these are to be completed and returned to myself via email. Please register with your club, we will then directly invoice the club for the amount of participants they have booked. The £10 fee covers the price of your meals throughout the day, so it is really good value for money.

Please try and get to the Coaching Conference, we are hoping to have between 200-300 coaches attending, there should be something for everyone.

Participants not affiliated to any Derry clubs can register directly with myself, Chris Collins (Email: chris.collins.gm.derry@gaa.ie or phone +44 (0) 78 432 32208).

CPD Course: Circuit Training for Success

On Wednesday 3rd February Richard Ferris rolled out the final Coach Education course around Circuit Training for Success (seniors) at Roe Valley Leisure Centre, Limavady. It was a slightly disappointing turn out of coaches but the night was first class, great variety. This indoor practical course was aimed at coaches who are looking at the possibility of introducing circuit training. An excellent way to improve mobility, strength and stamina. The circuit training format utilizes a group of strength exercises that are completed one exercise after another with various ranges of equipment to perform the exercises using proper technique.
Thanks to the coaches that came along and to the players for participating.

Oak Leaf School of Excellence Saturday 23rd January @ Limavady GAC

56 players from 12 different clubs attended the Oak Leaf School of Excellence at Limavady GAC on a chilly Saturday morning. The focus was skill technique. They were put through their paces by the very capable coaches under taking their level 1 football course, overseen by Chris Collins and Richard Ferris. The morning went really well, the children were tired at the end of it but they seemed to really enjoy it from the feedback they gave.
The following players have taken their first step to earning the new Club Derry Jersey:

Dungiven: Fintan McGilligan, Conor Granliss, Seoine O' Donnell, Ronan O' Kane, Rory Ballard, Michael McCloskey, Oran McGonigle, Cahir Mullan, Ciaran Steele, Conor Owen, Oran Downey, Martin Henry, Paddy McCloskey and Padraig Judge; Faughanvale: Jamie Gamble; Greenlough: Ryan Henry, Matthew Bradley, Paul Tohill and Caolin Diamond; Limavady: Emmett Fenlan, Matthew Magee, Dillon O' Brien, Liam Boyd, Declan Clancy, Finbarr O' Brien, Conor G, Paul Aitken, Conor Hartin, Dillon McDermott and Cormac Quigley; Ballymaguigan: John Bradley, Liam Cassidy and Martin K; Foreglen: Padraig Morghan, Ruairi McFeely and Liam O'Hara; Glen: Shane Turner, Cathair Glass, Conor Glass, Cathal Mulholland, Danny Tallon and Tomas Convery; Ballerin: Bobby Mullan and Pearse McIntyre; Slaughtneil: Padraig McMullan, Donal Purvis and Conor McAllister; Desertmartin: Eunan O'Kane; Swatragh: John Walsh, Joseph Grant, Cathal Quinn, Sean Quinn, Patrick Kearney, Francis Kearney and Patrick Turner; Drum: Gabriel Farren.

Thanks to all the coaches for doing their bit, to Limavady GAC for hosting the event and providing refreshments and to the players for attending. The next Oak Leaf School of Excellence is on Saturday 27th February 10am – 12 noon @ Castledawson GAC

Unfortunately the City Oaks had to be cancelled on Saturday morning due to Celtic Park health and safety team deeming the pitch unplayable due to frost. The next City Oak’s will also take place on Saturday 27th February @ Celtic Park.

CPD Course: Strength and Conditioning for Young Players

On Wednesday 20th January Richard Ferris and several other tutors rolled out a Coach Education course around strength and conditioning for young players at Roe Valley Leisure Centre, Limavady. It was a slightly disappointing turn out of coaches (22) but the night was first class, great variety. There was various stations; Cardiovascular, Core Stability, Total Body, Legs, Back Chest Shoulders and Arms with various ranges of equipment to preform the exercises using proper technique. Thanks to the followings tutors Kevin Kelly, Francis Scullion, Dairmuid Scullion, Paul Simpson and Eamon Ferris. Also a big thank you to the Derry Vocational School team for participating. Each player left with a 6 week programme.

GAA For All Coaching Workshop

On Wednesday night we held a GAA for All workshop at Foreglen GAC. The workshop was designed to help create ideas for coaches who may be working with children who have a disability or special need. We looked at the equipment that is available as well as looking at games aimed at developing the needs of every child. 13 coaches turned out and everyone agreed it had been a very worthwhile evening. Thanks to Paul Callaghan, Ulster Council, Emmett Stewart, Ashleen McCaul and Shauna McCallion for delivering the session.

Derry City Gaelic Performance Workshop

24 players and 6 coaches took part in an Under 12 Coaching Workshop last Wednesday evening at the Old Library Trust 3G pitch deliver by Derry GPO Paul Simpson

St. Mary's Magherafelt Foundation Coaching Award

On Tuesday 8th December twenty 6th form students from St. Mary's Magherafelt continued with their foundation coaching award. Richard Ferris delivered a number of classroom based workshops with the students in the morning.

Followed by some work in the gym going through the various stages and activities of the GAA Fundamentals. The new coaches worked extremely hard throughout the day and applied themselves really well. The final stage of their foundation award will be to do a practical session with some children from the local primary school. The coaches will be assessed and given feedback and personal improvement goals. Well done to all involved.