By John Harrington
For the last four years Blessington GAA’s All-Stars programme has been a beacon of inclusivity in their community.
Children with additional needs in the wider Wicklow/Kildare/Dublin region congregate at the club every Sunday morning for an hour of fun activities that enable both they and their parents to feel part of something special.
Established initially as a once-off event in September 2020, it was such a positive experience for everyone that the club immediately made it a fixture in their weekly coaching plan.
Blessington have a very committed Healthy Club team that’s given great backing by the club’s executive, and they sent out an email to the local primary schools telling them they were going to organise a hour of coaching for children with additional needs in the club’s enclosed astro-pitch facility.
12 children turned up for the first coaching session and in the four years since the Blessington All-Stars have gone from strength to strength.
Blessington GAA’s Healthy Club team completed Autism in Sports course run by CARA and the club have also drawn on the experience of local Special Needs Teacher, Julie Finan, for tips on what sort of fun games to incorporate in the sessions.
Younger members of the club have also helped run the coaching sessions as part of their participation in the Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative or Gaisce programme, so the Blessington All-Stars has been an inclusive experience in many different ways.
“It's fantastic,” says Blesssington GAA club’s Children’s Officer, Rachel O’Donovan. “It takes place every Sunday without fail. Hail, rain, or snow we're there from 10 until 11.
“It's brilliant for the kids and the parents love it too. For one parent in particular it's the only place where she feels comfortable bringing her child. He can run around freely and explore and not have any worries.
“The parents have the opportunity to talk to one another and share ideas on what works in their house and I think a lot of parents have made friends out of it too which is great.”
Blessington All-Stars coaches and players get their multi-coloured parachute into action.
As well as their weekly All-Stars coaching session, Blessington have also rolled out other initiatives for children with additional needs.
Their inclusive Cúl Camps are hugely popular, and last year they organised a fundraiser for a Sensory Bus to come and visit the club for a morning.
“That was hugely successful,” says O’Dononvan. “Kids got to spend an hour and half jumping on and off the bus and we had different games on the astro for them.
“The Blessington All-Stars is just such a positive experience. We get so much out of it as coaches. It's just brilliant. It would be amazing if other clubs followed suit. It doesn't take that much, a couple of volunteers every Sunday morning, open up your grounds, and just provide little games.
“It's very child-led as well because with kids with additional needs you might set up lots of drills and we have in the past but we've learned it's best to go with the flow and let them do their own thing.”
Blessington will further enhance their All-Stars programme in 2025 by building a sensory room at the club for children with additional needs.
“We have some children who come from quite a good distance away and by the time they get to the pitch on the Sunday morning they're quite over stimulated,” says O’Donovan.
“They will be able to go in to this room and self-regulate with the sensory equipment that we'll have in the room.
“We've just ordered the room from a local company, MyCabin in Blessington, and we'll hopefully have it all set up early in the New Year."
Blessington GAA club is a member of the Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Programme. For more information on the Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Programme, go HERE.