In late September Monaghan Coaching and Games launched their new Club Development Programme. The programme aims to assist clubs in a number of different areas from developing club juvenile/ coaching committees to running club coaching workshops. Overall 21 clubs have so far received assistance in an area where they feel they could use the help.

Inside the past month Martin Corey has rolled out two Strength and Conditioning workshops for club coaches. The workshop was used as an introduction on how to roll out the programme within a club setting. It is also important to note that the programme which was given to all the clubs that attended the workshop is the one which is currently been undertaken with our football Development Squads. As a follow on from this our full time coaching staff have visited a number of their clubs to see how they are getting on with the strength and conditioning programme in their club. It is great to see clubs active at this time of the year and looking to progress and seek improvements for the 2015 season.

A number of clubs also received assistance in setting up a winter Nursery Programme for the youngest members of their club. There is currently a number of clubs currently in the middle of a Winter Nursery Programme and by all accounts they are going very well. In addition to this a number of clubs who requested it have received a quite comprehensive number of session planners that can be used not only during a Winter Nursery Programme but also next year when the new season gets into full swing.

2014 was a long season, so a number of clubs have decided that they would not take their players out this time of the year but this hasn’t stopped them from developing their coaching skills or improving the coaching/ juvenile structures within their club. A small number of clubs looked for assistance in establishing juvenile/ coaching committees which would help improve the coaching structures within their club. Our full time staff have had a number of meetings with these clubs and hopefully all of them by the turn of the year will have a fully functioning juvenile/ coaching committee up and running.

This time of the year is a great time for coaches to develop themselves and a number of clubs have already completed a number coaching workshops over the course of the past month and more workshops are planned for the clubs which requested it for the end of November/ the start of December. The current assistance plan runs up until the end of December. After that we plan to review the Club Development Programme, see how it can be improved and continue to help the clubs between January and April. So if you or your club have any questions in relation to the programme please get in contact with the staff member assigned to your club.

The clubs who have so far received assistance are: Truagh, Emyvale, Scotstown, Clones, Killeevan, Carrickmacross, Magheracloone, Ballybay, Drumhowan, Doohamlet, Castleblayney, Aughnamullen, Rockcorry, Corduff, Tyholland, Monaghan Harps, Sean McDermotts, Aghabog, Cremartin, Clontibret and Toome.