HOW many games can you recall where a team has struggled in the first half and after a half-time interval have come out a completely different side and you wonder to yourself, what went on in that changing room? We have all heard of famous inspirational half times in the past where medals and heads have […]
WE are four games into the National Football League and only three teams have a 100 per cent record in all four divisions, Derry, Dublin and Cavan. After this weekend it can only be two as Derry and the Dubs meet in Celtic Park on Saturday in what promises to be a cracking game. Other […]
LAST Friday evening in our school, St Joseph’s Newry, hosted the second of our January coach education evenings, with Clare Senior Football Coach Mark Doran delivering a brilliant session on using games to break down a crowded defence. There was 150 coaches at it and the previous week there was over 200 coaches there to witness […]
HAVING travelled to Croke Park for the All-Ireland Club football semi-finals, I came away hugely impressed with the supreme levels of physical conditioning in all four teams. It showed just how much the club game has progressed with players both individually and collectively taking huge pride in their conditioning. Gone now are the days at […]
I WAS chatting to an old friend recently who is now coaching in a club side in Ulster. After a short spell in another club as manager, he said he thoroughly enjoys the coaching so much more than the managing. He said some nights after training, there was a queue waiting to speak to him […]
I WAS listening to a podcast recently centring around a debate on coach education qualifications within the GAA. I have all my awards, including foundation award, one and two, but I must be honest, I don’t think I have gained more knowledge, experience or skills through these awards. That knowledge, in my opinion, has come […]
I RECENTLY travelled to Jordanstown for the annual Ulster Coaching Conference. A brilliant collage of coaches and speakers were assembled by Ulster GAA and provided the patrons with a wonderful action-packed day of learning. One of the biggest attractions – and a massive improvement – in the Ulster Conference is the huge variety of practical […]
AS we enter the off season for coaches, I suppose it is important we all critically reflect on the past year and what we did well as coaches, what things didn’t go so well and how can we improve both individually and collectively within a group environment. This is a time of year for coaches […]
FORMER Roscommon and Carlow coach Steven Poacher has been added to the Fermanagh hurling management team for the 2023 season. Erne boss Joe Baldwin had intended to add a strong presence to his coaching team for the season ahead and has landed on the Newry native. Poacher had been linked to the Fermanagh football job […]
IT’S around this time of the year that most coaches are close to finishing off their respective seasons across the province, whether that be with an underage or a senior team. Unless you are involved in the latter stages of championship semi-finals or finals, your season is coming to a close. A lot of coaches […]
