February 2012 edition

GAA and Social Media
Reminder re Player Injury Scheme Registrations and Rebate Reward
AIB GAA All-lreland Club Championship Finals, March 17
National Hurling Development Plan 2012
Club Officer Training Programme
Registration of Players and Members – 2012
Celebrities line up to play Camán Abu and Peil Abú
Skyline Croke Park – Dublin sightseeing has reached new heights
Team List Books for Clubs
Clubs Database – GAA Museum
Award winning comedy coming to a GAA Club near you….
Cúl Kidz Meal – now available at Croke Park for just €5

GAA Respect Initiative

Find and join a Club with our map search

A dedicated section to the GAA Club with info on membership, insurance, IT and more

Introduction

Welcome to the February edition of the GAA Club Nuachtlitir.

Congratulations to the eight teams involved in the AIB GAA All-Ireland Junior and Intermediate Club Finals played in Croke Park on February 11 and 12. All four matches served up some highly entertaining contests with four clubs (Mt. Leinster Rangers, St. Patrick’s Ballyragget (both Hurling) and Naomh Pádraig, Milltown-Castlemaine (both Football) claiming coveted All-Ireland titles.

We would ask clubs to pay particular attention to information about player injury scheme registrations and the registration of players and members. The deadline date for registrations in all instances is March 31.

As the GAA enters another busy year the Association would like to thank clubs for distributing the newsletter to their members and would encourage clubs to continue to do so. Should you have any feedback on any aspect of what we are trying to do, please feel free to contact our Communications Department through queries@gaa.ie.

Is Mise le meas,

Lisa Clancy,
Director of Communications
Cumann Lúthchleas Gael

GAA and Social Media

February 29 saw the GAA launch its official page on Facebook in the presence of Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, Criostóir Ó Cuana and All-Ireland winning Dublin footballer, Cian O’Sullivan in Croke Park.

The GAA is asking all members and supporters to answer a global GAA call and ‘like’ “Official GAA” on Facebook to gain access to exclusive news, updates, competitions, and more throughout the year.

Keeping up to date with what’s happening in the GAA world through social and digital media has never been easier. With almost 17,000 followers on Twitter, @officialgaa brings the latest news, match updates and results direct to its followers.

Apps across three smartphone platforms, iPhone, Android and Nokia also give members and supporters access to the latest news, videos and match tracker for key games.

Find us on Facebook by searching on “Official GAA”, www.facebook.com/officialgaa.

Please note that the GAA Social Media Guidelines and Policies and Social Media Step by Step Setup Guide will be sent directly to Clubs shortly.

Reminder re Player Injury Scheme Registrations and Rebate Reward

Registration and subscriptions for the 2012 player injury scheme are due to be completed and paid to Croke Park by March 31. As previously stated, a €600,000 rebate has been approved to be paid back to counties who were a net contributor to the injury scheme in 2011. A condition of qualification for this rebate is that 75% of clubs in a county must be registered and paid by March 31. Only clubs registered and paid by this date will qualify for the reward.

In addition we are also offering an injury screening and fitness testing reward this year and again only clubs registered and paid by March 31 will qualify for inclusion in this draw. The prize for one club per county is to have injury screening and fitness testing conducted in Croke Park by the Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin for up to 32 club members plus follow up testing and a contribution to travel expenses.

Please register on time to be in with a chance to win.

Fundraising Activities and Security
Clubs are advised to be extra vigilant in the area of security at their premises in particular regarding income generated from fundraisers on both club premises and away from these premises. Special care should be taken by club officers and or members in possession of such funds.

Criminal gangs are targeting clubs in particular at times of fundraising activity when cash is perceived to be available. Clubs are strongly advised to engage with the local Gardaí / PSNI in this regard and they will assist where they can in providing local knowledge and assistance.

AIB GAA All-lreland Club Championship Finals, March 17

Tickets for the AIB GAA All-Ireland Senior Club Championships Finals in Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 are now available to purchase from www.gaa.ie/tickets.

Prices are €25 for adults and just €5 for Juveniles (16s or under). Juvenile tickets are seated in the Cusack and Davin stands only.

Group passes for juveniles are also available for GAA clubs. Juveniles (16s or under) are priced at €3 each with one adult free for every 10 juveniles. To avail of these group passes for clubs, please visit http://www.gaa.ie/tickets-and-merchandise/tickets/gaa-club-offers/ and fill out the necessary form.

Entertainment will also be provided on the day so come along and enjoy the best GAA club action here in Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day.

National Hurling Development Plan 2012

The GAA National Hurling Development Plan was officially launched on Thursday February 16 by Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Criostóir Ó Cuana.

The Plan was devised by the Hurling Development Committee comprised of the following members: Liam O’Neill (Cathaoirleach); John Fenton (Corcaigh); Seán Silke (Gaillimh); Dr. John McSparran (Aontroim); Mary O’Connor (Cumann Camogaíochta na nGael); Jimmy D’Arcy (Bainisteoir – Forbairt agus Tacaíocht Teicneolaíochta) and Pat Daly (Runaí; Stiúrthóir – Forbairt na gCluíchí agus Taighde).

The objective of the plan is to link and bridge the divide between the various levels of Hurling Development across counties in Ireland, so that the discrepancies between Tier 1 and Tier 4 counties are minimised. In this regard the plan identifies six key initiatives to grow the game of Hurling:

The introduction of the Táin Club Hurling League to provide a meaningful programme of Hurling games on a regular basis for adult club players in 13 developing Hurling Counties;
The establishment of a National Hurling and Camogie Development Centre in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Sports Campus;
The provision of Sport Science Supports to six Counties – Antrim, Down, Carlow, Laois, Westmeath, Kerry;
The promotion of a Games-based Approach to Training and Development (Coach10 model);
The appointment of Hurling Mentors as part of a County Hurling Support Team who will collaborate with County Boards and provide guidance to Team Managers and Coaches involved with underage and adult County Teams to maximise participation and optimise performance;
To undertake a Research Study as part of an overall project to facilitate Change Management in a development context.

For a further information or a copy of the plan please contact Caoimhe Ní Néill, Games Development and Research Department at caoimhe.nineill@gaa.ie or 01- 8658622.

To download a copy of the plan, please click here.

Club Officer Training Programme

The 2012 club officer training programme is well underway with events being organised in 24 counties. It is expected that around 2,200 club officers will attend these events that focus on the role of the club chairman, secretary, treasurer and PRO as well as discussion on various other topics.

There is a particular emphasis on the promotion of the GAA club advice manual, which is a resource that provides information for club officers on all aspects of club activity. This is available on the GAA website at http://www.gaa.ie/clubzone/club-manual.

Registration of Players and Members – 2012

Registration of players and members for 2012 on the online registration system is well underway. To date, almost 200,000 members have been registered and it is expected that the weeks in the lead up to the March 31 deadline will be particularly busy. Please note that all full and youth members and all players must be registered in accordance with rule 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 of the Official Guide.

Name and address is mandatory for all members, along with the date of birth in the case of all players and youth members. If clubs have any queries, please contact the support helpline at gaasupport@servasport.com or call 04890313845. Support is available until 10pm each night, Monday to Saturday.

Celebrities line up to play Camán Abu and Peil Abú

Sunday February 12 saw a celebrity team managed by Brian Kerr line up to participate in Camán Abú and Peil Abú (GAA Recreational and Social Games) in aid of charity.

The daytime family event at the Lucan Sarsfield’s GAA Club featured Peil Abú and Camán Abú games involved a mixed Lucan Sarsfield team play against a celebrity team which included; Paul Casey (Dublin footballer), Johnny McCaffrey (Dublin hurler), Joe Dooley (Former Offaly player and manager), Paul Curran (former Dublin footballer), John and Martin Quigley (former Wexford hurlers) and Declan Carr (former Tipperary hurler).

The games were played over 20 minutes, first half Camán Abú, second half Peil Abú. Team ages ranged from 20 to 50 years with neither teams having participated in Camán Abú or Peil Abú before.

Paul Casey said: “This is fun, with a competitive element to it” with Declan Carr adding, “this is a game for everybody, old, young, boys, girls”. Michael O’Grady (former Dublin Hurling manager) said: “It’s a very social game as youths can play with parents….It has a future”.

For interviews and action from the day, please visit http://www.gaa.ie/coaching-and-games-development/recreational-football-and-hurling/.

Skyline Croke Park – Dublin sightseeing has reached new heights

Dublin’s newest and most exciting attraction, SKYLINE CROKE PARK is launching at the start of June 2012 combining adventure, stunning views and extreme highs in an unforgettable tour. You will soon be able to experience Dublin from 17 storeys high on the roof of one of the world’s most impressive stadiums.

This guided multi-lingual audio tour will offer insights into key landmarks and top visitor attractions from five viewing platforms. Be brave and take in a spectacular view of Croke Park from a suspended walkway over the pitch. Further updates to follow at www.skylinecrokepark.ie.