Leisure Management students train local children in Gaelic For Girls through Dublin City Council sports clubs

Lecturers: Sinead McNulty, Ita Coughlan, Geraldine Gorman, Mary Dillon, Peter Griffin

As part of the BA and BSc in Leisure Management 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students trained as referees and coaches in a ladies Gaelic football programme called Gaelic 4 Girls.

Gaelic 4 Girls aims to increase participation in Ladies Gaelic Football by training and supporting volunteers to deliver a coaching programme to young girls. This project was a partnership project between Dublin City Council – Sports Development and Sports & Recreation Teams, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and DIT. It involved DIT students being trained to coach and referee Gaelic 4 Girls, and gaining 6 weeks practical experience coaching children in their local communities. At the end of the module students were responsible for organising a Blitz Event for the participants in the programme. The students were required to keep a reflection log and record their learning on the module, which formed part of the assessment of the module.  

What do the students get?

Students gain internationally recognised coaching and refereeing qualifications which they can use in local club and county setting. They gain practical coaching and referring experience, all of which makes them more employable during the summer breaks and once they complete the leisure management degree programme. They also gain valuable industry links with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Dublin City Council Sports Development and Sports & Recreation Services, and develop key employability skills in leadership, team-work, planning, co-ordinating and evaluating a sporting event, as well as developing the skill of reflection.

What does the local community get ?

Form the community partner’s perspective Gaelic 4 Girls facilitates increased participation in physical activity for the young girls participating in the programme. In particular the introduction of the sport of Ladies Gaelic Football can provide the girls with a new hobby, and develop links with local GAA clubs to create more sustainable activities into the future. Training and supporting students to deliver a coaching programme to young girls, also creates an opportunity for these children to meet students from a third level institution and learn about third level courses that they may decide to one day undertake. The programme helps to breaking down barriers, building relationships between the community and Dublin Institute of Technology.

What does Dublin City Council get?

For Dublin City Council Sports Development and Sports & Recreation they gain by having access to additional trained coaches and referees working in the city centre and helping them to meet their targets of increasing participation in physical activity across the Dublin city community. Having worked with the students, Dublin City Council also get the opportunity to maintain contact with these students and engage them in follow on projects in the Dublin City area.

What does Ladies Gaelic Football Association get?

The benefits to the Ladies Gaelic football Association include, bringing the sport of Ladies Gaelic football into communities where there was no previous history of the sport being played. They also develop new coaches and referees who can deliver coaching and refereeing nationally and internationally. The partnership helps to promote the Association in Dublin City and in DIT, and provides links for future projects and activities (e.g. students have returned to work with the LGFA on local coaching camps and assisting in preparation and planning for large events – e.g. preparing Croke Park for the Ladies All Ireland finals.)

This programme has been hugely beneficial – and enjoyable to all concerned, and all parties are committed to delivering the Gaelic 4 Girls module on an annual basis into the future.

Community Partners