Lancashire CDA

Name: Andrew Kane

D.O.B:  06/12/1983

Club:  St Brendans Manchester

Irish Club: Bryansford, Co. Down

Andrew took up the role of CDA (Community Development Administrator) in early 2014 and has done a fantastic job in promoting and developing gaelic games in Lancashire, where he is based between both Manchester and Liverpool. Andrew, has brought gaelic games into new schools, as well as developing schools were the GAA has already been established. The school-club link has been strengthened since Andrew's appointment where he has also help clubs' underage setups. In addition, Andrew has also been helping the local universities in the promotion of the GAA.

Lancashire CDA Report 2015

 

In this report I will summarise the Youth structures for Gaelic Games within the County and I will advise of what work has been undertaken in clubs and schools to develop our games further.  I will also provide my opinion on what changes need to be made in order to further develop and maintain our Gaelic Games within the area of Lancashire.

 

CLUB STRUCTURES

Below is a table which provides a breakdown of the club structures within Lancashire.  It must also be noted that Oisins CLG began youth training in 2015 and although they are in the early stages, it is hoped that they can take part in our fixtures in 2016.

 

Team	Under 8’s	Under 10’s	Under 12’s	Under 14’s	Under 16’s	GIRLS
St Marys	(3)	(3)	(6)	(3)	(2)
St Lawrence’s	(5)	(4)	(6)	(7)	(2)
John Mitchels	(5)	(4)	(5)	(5)	(2)

 

The figures in the boxes above indicate how many fixtures each team attended within Lancashire in 2015.  These teams also attended competitions outside Lancashire which can be seen below:

·        Newcastle Tournament in May 2015

·        Roger Casements Tournament, Coventry in June 2015

·        ABC’s, London in July 2015

·        Brothers Pearse Tournament, Huddersfield in July 2015

·        Madrid Tournament, Madrid in October 2015 (attended by St Marys GAA)

 

Throughout 2015 Lancashire GAA also hosted teams from Co. Kildare, Huddersfield and Glasgow which helps to provide more games for our players against different teams.  Many thanks, to all the volunteers in all the clubs for their hard work in 2015.  I believe 2015 was a good year for our clubs but I believe we should all aim to provide more regular games for our players in 2016.

 

SCHOOL COACHING

In 2015, 16 different primary schools across Lancashire received Gaelic football coaching.  Three different primary school competitions were held in 2015 as a culmination of the different coaching blocks (February, June and October 2015)

We currently have 3 different secondary schools within our coaching timetable with another one possibly coming on board.  Secondary school games will be held in early 2016.

In general school coaching provides a great platform to promote Gaelic football.  However the number of players moving into the club structures as a result of school coaching is disappointing.  I would encourage all clubs to try and develop closer relationships with their local schools.

DEVELOPMENT SQUADS

The Lancashire Feile squad attended the Feile Peil Na Nog in June 2015 were they received great hospitality from our host club Coolkenno, Wicklow.  This was a great experience for all the players and with 15 of this squad still available next year, it is hoped we will have a stronger squad going into next year’s competition.  This squad also took part in the All Britain Feile in June of this year, in Birmingham.

The U-16 Lancashire team were defeated in their All Britain quarter-final against Scotland in June.  This was a disappointing result however all of this squad are still available next year and if they can stick together they should be stronger in 2016.

In 2015, I attempted to coach the Feile squad and U-16 squad together.  However on reflection I believe neither squad benefitted from this.  This meant that due to the fact that I was away with the Feile squad over a number of weekends prior to the U16 game against Scotland, there was no training for the U-16 team.  In order to improve this arrangement I would ask for help from any coaches with the U-16 or U-14 development squads in 2016.

 

This year also seen the first ever Lancashire Girls Team who had a number of competitive games.  It is hoped that they will be allowed to enter the Feile Competition in 2016.  Congratulations must go to the coaches of both St Lawrence’s and John Mitchels for helping to get this team up and running.

 

COACH EDUCATION

In order to increase the number of coaches and to improve the standard of coaching in Lancashire a number of coaching courses were held in 2015.  These can be seen below:

·        A Foundation Coaching Course was held in Manchester in April 2015

·        A Level 1 Coaching Course was held in Liverpool in October & November 2015

·        A Gaelic 4 Girls coaching day was held in Manchester in April 2015

Further workshops are scheduled for February and March 2016 in both Manchester and Liverpool.  I would encourage all coaches to attend as these workshops will be extremely useful and will be delivered by tutors with a lot of expertise.   These opportunities should not be missed as it may be some time before such workshops are delivered in Lancashire again.

 

UNIVERSITIES

Part of my role as Lancashire CDA is to assist in helping to develop Gaelic games in Universities throughout Britain.  In order to do this and to mark the start of the University fixtures calendar, Ladies and Mens Football 7’s Competitions were held across Britain on the weekend of 17^th October 2015.

These 7’s competitions were open to both University and club teams.  In Manchester we had 5 Ladies teams and 5 Mens teams who attended Trafford Metrovicks on the day.  The winners of the Ladies competition were Hope University and the Mens competition was won by Naomh Padraig, Leicester.

It is hoped that these developmental competitions will continue to grow with more University and club teams taking part.  Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped out on the day and thanks to St Brendan’s for the use of the facilities at Trafford Metrovicks.

ISSUES & AIMS FOR 2016

 

Child Protection & Safeguarding is always an issue that all clubs need to be aware of, however it has now been given even more prominence by the British Council and Lancashire GAA.  All coaches of any youth teams must have an up to date DBS Certificate via the GAA and a copy of this certificate must be forwarded to Julie Duffy (Child Protection Officer for Britain GAA).

If a Club or County Chairman allows a person who is not DBS certified to work with children, then it is a criminal offence.  The sentence for such an offence is a £5,000 fine or a 5 year jail term.  Therefore I would urge all clubs and coaches to take the necessary steps to ensure that everyone involved with youth teams is DBS certified.

 

Youth Fixtures are set following agreement from all clubs and then sent out to all the relevant clubs and coaches.  This is done at least 7-8 weeks in advance of fixture dates.  Despite this some parents and players are not aware of the fixtures until two or three days prior to the games.  In order to encourage parents and players into our clubs we have to let them know what is on, when it is on and where it is on.  This is vital if we are to compete with other sports.  I would therefore ask all clubs that once they receive the fixtures, that they are forwarded to parents and uploaded onto relevant club social media sites or websites.  This will encourage increased participation and prevent drop off in player numbers.

 

A U-16 Lancashire/Pennine Competition will be started in 2016 with Yorkshire teams hopefully being involved.  All three Lancashire teams should have enough players for at least a 7 a side team and with the possible involvement of some Yorkshire teams we should have the basis of a competition which will provide much needed games at this age group and prevent drop off.  The Lancashire U-16 Development Squad will also benefit as a result.  I would encourage all clubs to give this competition their full backing because without it there will not be a pathway for their players into their adult teams.

 

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Feile Peil Na Nog 2015

The Lancashire Feile Panel flew into Dublin Airport on Friday 26^th June 2015.  On arrival we were greeted by staff members from Stobart Air who had kindly arranged for a group photograph to be taken on the run way of Dublin Airport.  We then travelled via bus to Clongeen where we were met on arrival by Clongeen club members and members from our host club Coolkenno.

Clongeen  v  Lancashire – Friday 5pm

This was a keenly contested game in which the result was still in doubt right until the final whistle.  The Lancashire team had plenty of possession early on, and eventually took advantage of this when they scored a goal and point without reply.  However Clongeen made a strong comeback and also scored a goal and point.  Into the second half the Clongeen team took a two point lead, but great play from Lancashire resulted in them winning a penalty in the last minutes of the game.  Unfortunately the penalty only resulted in a point, however the Lancashire team played with great confidence and determination and with better finishing the result could have been different.

 Clonmel Og   v   Lancashire – Friday 6pm

This game started with the Lancashire team playing into a strong breeze which did not help them as they struggled to cope with the strength and power of the Clonmel Og team who were dominating around the middle of the pitch.  As a resulted they conceded a few goals and faced an uphill struggle at half time.  Despite this the Lancashire team continued to battle for possession and at time caused the opposition problems but did not take advantage of the possession they had.  The game finished with Lancashire suffering a heavy defeat against a much stronger and older team but after the game, the panel agreed to regroup and not let this experience ruin their trip, or their preparations for their remaining games.

After the game the Lancashire panel and supporters were treated to great hospitality from the Clongeen club and got to mix with many different club members from across the local area.  Both Lancashire and Coolkenno then travelled to the host club where they were met by their host families, who took them to their home for a much needed night’s sleep and rest.

Coolkenno v Lancashire – Saturday 11am

After Fridays game against Clonmel Og, Lancashire were keen to get off to a fast start and that is exactly what they did, when they scored a goal within the first couple of minutes of the game.  They continued to press but unfortunately did not take advantage of their possession and the host club began to take a strong foothold in the game, resulting in them pulling a goal back and going ahead for the first time in the game.  Lancashire started strongly at the start of the second half but Colkenno’s superiority began to result in them putting more scores on the board.  Lancashire had a lot of opportunities to reduce the difference in the score line but failed to take their scores.  Despite this loss it was clear that the Lancashire team had made great strides forward after only three games, and a lot of Coolkenno club members commented on their skill levels after the game.

After the game the Coolkenno laid on a great spread of food and drinks for the Lancashire panel as well as supporters, which had grown in numbers with many parents travelling over on an early Saturday morning flight.  Both teams then made the journey to Bray, on the outskirts of Dublin, to compete in the later stages of the competition.

Lancashire  v  Palatine – Shield Quarter Final – Saturday 3pm

Lancashire made a positive start to this game, which was being played on an astro turf pitch, resulting in some great scores. Eventually Palatine began to gain more possession of the ball and this started to result in scores on the board, however by half time there was only a 1 point difference in the game.  The second half started at a fast pace with the ball being moved from end to end and unfortunately due to the oppositions good defending, Lancashire could not take advantage of their scoring opportunities   Palatine then increased their lead in the last few minutes of the game when the Lancashire team began to show the extent of their efforts over the weekend.  There was definitely no disgrace in this defeat as all the Lancashire continued to play to the final whistle, and the fact that Palatine went on to win the Shield in Division 8, showed what level they were competing at.

After the game the Lancashire lads were disappointed as their Feile was over.   However they were very good representatives of their county which is something they can be very proud of and after the game they were reminded that if they can continue to be committed to training and competing, they will no doubt improve.  15 out of the panel of 22 are still available for next year’s Feile team so it is hoped that these players can continue to improve and represent Lancashire in the future.

Thank You

Special thanks must be given to our host club Coolkenno, whose hospitality over the weekend, for the Lancashire panel and supporters, was outstanding.  It was clear from the very start that so many people from their club had gone to great lengths to make us all feel as comfortable and welcome as possible and I know it is something everyone involved with Lancashire will never forget.

We would also like to thank our sponsors who enabled us to keep the costs of this trip at a minimum with the aim being that any remaining funds be reinvested in youth development.

Thanks must also go to all the players who made the trip.  It was great to see such excitement and enthusiasm for Gaelic games from the Lancashire squad and their behaviour was impeccable, something which the host families pointed out and appreciated.

We must also not forget the parents who made the trip across from Manchester and Liverpool to lend their support to the team.  It was great to see them at every match and their commitment to not only this weekend, but too every training session leading up to the trip and the All Britain Feile in Birmingham, is greatly appreciated.

To those who helped organise the trip; Bernard Muldoon, Mike Keane, Cathal Prunty, Paul O’Brien and Lancashire County Board, without your hard work and dedication the trip could not have happened.  The Feile is such a wonderful competition and it is a great opportunity for these boys to develop their footballing skills, and it will help us keep our players involved and participating in Gaelic games.  Therefore the time and effort that was put into organising this trip is greatly appreciated.