Coleman gives the thumbs up to how Galway develop talent

ALTHOUGH there are many who would love to see Dublin GAA’s games development model employed in their own county, Connacht Hurling Games Manager and Portumna native Damien Coleman believes that it would not work in Galway.

There has been much debate about Dublin GAA and the financial backing it gets from the Association and sponsors, all of which have afforded several dozens of the capital’s clubs to recruit their own Games Promotion Officers (GPOs).

As it stands in Galway, there are four GPOs for hurling and the same for football – all part-time – to cover the 81 clubs in the county. These are supported by Games Development Administrator Dennis Carr.

While Coleman accepts a structure can always be improved, he says the strategy that Galway GAA has in place now is as good a system as they ever had. “Every county has its own model, based on geography and understanding of the area,” he begins, “but I am not an advocate of firing money into something and, saying, ‘now it is going to be better’.

“There can be huge wastage when you start firing money at stuff and I would have concerns about putting people in to do the work of the volunteers. I think, if Galway had a model where they had a full-time GPO per club, the clubs wouldn’t be able for it.”

For one, each club, as is the case in Dublin, would have to raise half of the GPO’s salary (up to €18,000) – putting them under huge financial strain. The aim, he notes, should be to empower clubs and make them self-sufficient and self-sustainable, as is the volunteer ethos of the Association.

Although he outlines the remit of the GPOs is extensive between liaising with clubs, county academies and primary and post-primary schools, he states the part-time system works for Galway.

“We have about 240 national schools to service and it works on two eight-week blocks with the eight coaches. Between hurling and football, everything fits fairly neat between those eight coaches.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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