Connacht GAA now taking applications for Provincial Strength & Conditioning Course.

Since the appointment of Cathal Cregg as Provincial Strength and Conditioning Officer by Connacht GAA, a Level 1 Strength & Conditioning Course has been developed. Up to the present time Cathal & the staff at the centre have worked closely with schools, clubs and academy squads throughout Connacht providing assistance in areas such as fitness testing, screening for injury prevention, program design and video analysis.

This course has been developed in order to give coaches an opportunity to gain greater knowledge in the area of physical fitness, or as it has become more commonly known in recent years as strength and conditioning. It allows coaches to increase their understanding of the many aspects associated with strength and conditioning and to be able to safely and correctly implement programs designed from the Connacht GAA Strength and Conditioning staff. A follow on course which is in the process of being developed will allow coaches to develop and safely implement programs.
The first pilot of the course was rolled out in January 2015 with a group of 25 academy coaches from each of the provincial counties in both hurling and football. This course was reviewed and has since been ran with another group of academy coaches and one group of club coaches from each of the 5 provincial counties.
The course is the first of its kind in the GAA in terms of Strength and Conditioning. All the theoretical learning is provided on-line through a specially designed interactive SCORM used through the new GAA e-learning website. This is allowing us to make the most of the coaches’ time and moving away from the traditional gathering to watch a tutor give presentations. The theory side of the course can be done through the GAA e-learning portal at any stage over the designated period of time which can accommodate coach’s personal schedules. For the practical side of the course the coaches come together for practical’s on the various modules and group led discussion. Once the process has been completed the coach must demonstrate competency in the areas covered during the practical sessions.

Modules include:
1.    Demands of Gaelic Games (Football and Hurling)
2.    Basic Science Theory of Gaelic Games
3.    Fitness Testing and Functional Assessment
4.    Warm Up and The Recovery Process
5.    Conditioning for Gaelic Games
6.    Supervision of a Body Weight Resistance Training Program

To Apply:
•    Coaches must have completed an Award 1 coaching course
•    Must be coaching in their own club
•    Application form must be filled out and given to the county games manager by your club coaching, (Places are limited to 12 persons per county).

Closing date for applications is:
•    Galway – September 5th
•    Leitrim – September 7th
•    Sligo – September 14th
•    Roscommon – September 21st
•    Mayo – September 28th

For more information, email
Galway (Football):             Tom McManus tom.mcmanus.gm.galway@gaa.ie
Galway (Hurling):             Damien Coleman Damien.coleman.connacht@gaa.ie
Leitrim:                               Thomas Keenan  thomas.keenan.gm.leitrim@gaa.ie
Mayo:                                  Billy McNicholas  billy.mcnicholas.gm.mayo@gaa.ie
Roscommon:                     Willie Hegarty willie.hegarty.gm.roscommon@gaa.ie
Sligo:                                   Liam Og Gormley  liamog.gormley.gm.sligo@gaa.ie

Application form can be downloaded from the following link:

Connacht GAA S&C Coach Application Form