LGFA announce details of new ‘BUA’ Leadership Programme, aimed at females aged 16-19

10 May 2021

THE Ladies Gaelic Football Association is delighted to announce details of its new ‘BUA’ Leadership programme.

‘BUA’ is a self-development initiative aimed at supporting young people in the LGFA to development leadership skills and qualities to benefit their local communities.

Aimed at females aged 16-19 years of age, ‘BUA’ will be conducted through expert-led workshops and self-reflection, before participants put their enhanced leadership skills into practice through a club action project.

Selected participants will engage in learning and cover topics essential for young people, including:

Resilience
Dealing with change
Building trust and respect
Conflict resolution
Problem solving
Project planning and delegation
In addition, LGFA-specific topics including introductions to coaching, officiating and administration will be covered.

‘BUA’ will begin in June 2021 and finish in February 2022, with participants attending five leadership training sessions remotely, while there will be two LGFA-specific modules between each leadership session that participants can choose from, depending on their area of interest.

Commenting on the launch of the programme, Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Mícheál Naughton, said: “As a vibrant and thriving Association, we are acutely aware of the needs of our young members, and this brilliant new initiative will provide participants with the opportunity to hone pre-existing skills, while also developing new ones.

“The ‘BUA’ programme will provide participants with tools for life, and I would hope to see many of the participants fulfilling leading roles within our Association in the years to come.

“We actively encourage as many people as possible to register their interest in this exciting new programme and we look forward to helping you on your journey.”

The closing date for applications is Monday May 24, and applicants can register their interest at: https://ladiesgaelic.ie/lgfa-hub/games-development/bua-programme/

Click HERE to download promotional poster.

https://ladiesgaelic.ie/lgfa-announce-details-of-new-bua-leadership-programme-aimed-at-females-aged-16-19/

Notice to all clubs

Can all Club Secretaries please check emails regarding U14 County Trials. The deadline is 5PM Saturday 8th May 2021

Regards

Kerry U14 Management

Covid-19 update: 30/04/2021

I know you will be aware by now of the positive announcement by the Irish Government yesterday in relation to the further relaxing of restrictions for society generally and for Gaelic Games in particular.

As you will appreciate, we need to receive further clarity on aspects of what was announced last evening but broadly speaking the following is what is proposed in the coming weeks:

From 10th May – Outdoor training is permitted at adult level in pods of a maximum of 15 people (including coaches). However, games are not allowed and indoor facilities must remain closed.

From 7th June (and subject to the Public Health situation at the time) – Club games will be permitted at all levels but must be played “behind closed doors”.

We are currently liaising with the relevant Departments to seek further information on the finer details of what will be permitted at various points in the recovery plan. For the moment, we would ask for your patience in relation to questions you and the broader membership no doubt have in relation to the various return dates and the specifics of what will be allowed. It is our intention to issue a more detailed communication to Clubs and Counties next week and once further information is available.

In the interim, we would remind all Clubs in the 26 Counties of the following:

Until May 10th, only training for underage teams (non-contact and in pods of 15) is permitted. “Underage teams” means any registered team at U-18 level or below.
All indoor facilities must remain closed (exception: toilet facilities).
Fundraising events on GAA/LGFA property are not currently permitted.
Gym facilities must remain closed (exception: Adult Inter County players may use their relevant Club Gym for individual training as long as they are following the advice in the Inter County Return to Training and Play document)
Inter County Challenge Games/Intercounty Underage Training

The Lidl National League will commence on the 22nd/23rd May.

The broad announcements yesterday did not make any reference to when Challenge games will be permitted at intercounty level. Nor was there any reference to when intercounty underage teams may return to training.

We are currently seeking clarity on these two points and will communicate directly with County Secretaries in this context once we receive it.

In the interim, we would ask for your patience while we complete this work and we look forward to communicating in detail with you all again as soon as possible in relation to the resumption of Gaelic Games activity.

Helen O’Rourke, LGFA CEO

https://ladiesgaelic.ie/covid-19-update-30-04-2021/

Covid-19 Update: 23/04/21 – Underage Return to Training

Monday, 26^th April is a significant date for Gaelic Games as our clubs continue the resumption of underage club  training activity across the 32 counties. It is the date when activity finally resumes in clubs all over Ireland.

This will be a particularly special day for our young people and their supportive coaches in clubs in the 26 Counties who have missed out on so much fun and the opportunity to play our games, and who will now get to follow the return being enjoyed by members in Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone since earlier this month.

To help the return to play the following resources to support players, coaches, and clubs.

http://Return-to-Gaelic-Games-Infographic.pdf

http://Return-to-Training-Advice.pdf

The opportunity to play was limited by factors outside of our control. But what we can control over the next number of months as we return to training and playing games is the quality of the experience that we can provide our players.

In this regard I would strongly encourage our clubs, coaches, development officers and those responsible for planning and organising fixtures to ensure everyone benefits from a multitude of playing opportunities when games are allowed to resume. Let us all work towards providing as many games opportunities as possible over a longer season, consider allowing more substitutions – or even unlimited – and provide alternative formats to provide a playing environment that creates the best possible experience for all our young players.

The GAA Kellogg’s Cúl Camps will begin in July and John West Féile na Gael and Féile Peil na nÓg festivals to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the tournament will be held on the 21st and 28th August respectively. This will be different to regular Feile and will be localised with smaller numbers of teams at venues but full details will follow over the coming months.

Earlier this year the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association launched a new Gaelic Games Player Pathway, which can be accessed HERE: https://learning.gaa.ie/playerpathway 

Its purpose is to develop players holistically (as players and people) by providing them with The Right Support at The Right Time. The right support, at this time when games are allowed to resume, is to provide meaningful games opportunities to re-engage all our players.

Those of us with a responsibility for nurturing the development of our next generation of players should be mindful of the fact that the benefit of lifelong participation in Gaelic games is not something that we should measure in terms of cups or medals or competitions won. Gaelic Games is about People. It should be about friendships, positive experience and feeling a valued part of something that belongs to all of us.

This vision aligns with the Player Pathway, an important mission statement for coaching and games development. The Pathway is underpinned by six key principles and they should guide and influence our decision making over the next few months. The principles are:

‘Club is Core’ – Club is central to nurturing a love and passion for our games and sustaining communities and lifelong participation
‘Player Centred’ – We develop the player and the person
‘Quality Coaching Experiences’–Our coaches create an enjoyable coaching environment to meet needs and welfare of the player
‘As Many as Possible for as Long as Possible’ – Our Pathway prioritises long-term development with a games programme that supports recruitment, development and retention of players
‘Connection’– Our Pathway promotes Connection through relationship-building opportunities, communication and teamwork
‘Inclusive’ – Gaelic Games are for All, regardless of abilities, background, beliefs or identities
Our return to activity has been made possible by the massive national effort which has taken place to thwart the spread of the virus.

On behalf of the Association, I pay tribute to the significant work done by so many clubs and volunteers in this regard and urge all to continue to play our part and abide by all of the advice and guidelines from health authorities and by completing the Gaelic Games’s Return to Play Health Questionnaire before every session.

We hope that a full return for all club activity through the resumption of outdoor sport for adults in the 26 Counties will happen in the near future.

Life since March 2020 has taught us many things. It has made us appreciate what we have, including an appreciation of what our games and our clubs and our friends and communities mean to us.

From Monday, more clubs get the chance to take the first step into what will ultimately be a post Covid world with the return of juvenile club training. Full details and resources on the resumption of activity is available at https://learning.gaa.ie/covid19

It is a glorious opportunity to continue to bring health and happiness and fun back to young people through our games. Let us all work to ensure that we seize this opportunity.

Helen O’Rourke, LGFA CEO

https://ladiesgaelic.ie/covid-19-update-23-04-21-underage-return-to-training/