A new pathway to progress for Clare football

If Clare football is to make any headway in the years ahead, years of top-class organisational development will be required. How else can the much sought after coaching regime be put in place?
An element of this was formally launched in the West County Hotel last Tuesday week, on the same night the Bórd na n-óg Peil AGM was held.
Entitled Clare Football Development Pathway, the launch detailed how various divisional, regional and county development squads are to be operated and organised.
At U-14 level, six divisional squads have been established. The squads are Cill Cheathar (Cooraclare, Kilmihil, Kilmurry Ibrickane, Miltown); Corca Baiscinn (Naomh Eoin, O’Curry’s, Kilkee, Doonbeg, Kilrush, Killimer); Estuary Gaels (Shannon Gaels, Coolmeen, Kildysart, Clondegad, Lissycasey); Inis Faughs (the four urban clubs, Eire Óg, Doora-Barefield, Banner); An Tuaisceart (Liscannor, St Breckan’s, Ballyvaughan, Michael Cusack’s, Ennistymon, Kilfenora, Corofin); Boru (Wolfe Tones, Cratloe, Clooney-Quin, Wolfe Tones).
All six divisional teams have had a set of jerseys and a crest designed for them.
At regional U-14 and U-15 grades the following divisions amalgamate to create a divisional team: Cill Cheathar and An Tuaisceart; Corca Baiscinn and Estuary Gaels, Inis Faughs and Boru.
A notch up from the regional squads are two U-14 and U-15 development squads, which are called Atlantic (Corca Baiscinn, Cill Cheathar, Ana Tuaisceart) and Boru (Estuary Gaels, Inish Faughs, Boru).
The final link in the chain from all the aforementioned groups is the Clare U-14 and U-15 Tournament Development Squads. All players for these squads come through the development tier from divisional, regional and development squad level.
Last week’s launch featured the distribution of an information pamphlet, which gives specific details on what fixtures, coaching sessions and coaching courses to be held from December until March. Details of various management teams for the divisional championships are also contained in the pamphlet.

Population decline impacting upon underage development
Clare GAA games development administrator (GDA) John Enright, oversees coaching in 53 primary schools, which are located in 21 primarily football-oriented parishes in West and North Clare.
While he has established coaching structures from as young as U-9 upwards, Enright has found dwindling rural ­populations is something that is stymieing the potential development of Clare football.
“In the entire 53 schools that I coach, in the 21 parishes we’ve 1,023 boys, apart from junior and senior infants,” he explained.
“In the 21 clubs, we have about 1,300 boys at national school,” the Kilkee and former Clare county footballer added.
Enright also revealed figures he compiled in 2009 showed that the four secondary schools in West Clare (Kilrush, Kilmihil, Kildysart and Kilkee) had a total of 535 boys attending, while the North Clare schools had 530.
“Your total of secondary school boys is around 1,065. So we’re trying to pick county teams from them, plus the handful that play in dual clubs,” he added.
Aside from concerns over the declining rural population, Enright has spearheaded several football coaching initiatives over the last four years.
Starting at U-9 level, players are now afforded coaching up to and including county U-14 development squad level.
“They’re not elite squads or county squads. They’re lads that we see in schools we say we’d like to give them an extra bit of coaching. Sometimes the clubs send along other lads as well.
“We’re not just concentrating on the elite player,” Enright explained, with reference to the coaching of primary school children.
Another very significant development has been the participation of West Clare Colleges (Kilrush, Kilkee, Kildysart and Kilmihil) in the U-15, U-161/2 and senior teams in the A Munster colleges grades. It is planned that this will incorporate North Clare Colleges in 2012.
While West Clare Colleges have yet to win a game at senior level in their 2010 and 2011 fixtures, the U-15 team reached this year’s Munster semi-final, where they lost to Rochestown College at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
However, players are getting an opportunity to play a high level of football, which combined with ongoing development squad work, should help Clare minor teams to compete at a higher level in the coming years.