Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Jarlath Burns during a GAA Green Club Event at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile.
Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns praised the “incredible efforts” of the 94 Gaelic Games clubs who were presented with Green Club awards in Croke Park last Saturday, 9 November. The Green Club Programme, a partnership between the GAA and local authorities, was established in 2020 to support GAA, LGFA and Camogie clubs to take action across five thematic areas of Energy, Waste, Water, Biodiversity, Travel & Transport and is funded with support from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
Attendees at the event in Croke Park heard from Green Clubs from across the island who have achieved big cuts to club running costs and carbon emissions by introducing sustainable energy measures from clubhouse improvements to solar PV installation and LED upgrades. Over two thirds of Green Clubs have installed outdoor taps and drinking water stations, introduced reusable water bottles or run gear swaps to cut down on waste produced by the club and reduce spending for club members while nearly half the clubs have taken action, frequently with support from community partnerships and local or national grant funding, to encourage sustainable travel with the introduction of bike racks and car-pooling initiatives and the improvement of safe walking and cycling routes to clubs.
Presenting the clubs with their awards, the GAA President described how Green Clubs are reinforcing the GAA’s social leadership, improving club facilities, and helping ensure a better future for their communities. “The breadth of initiatives being celebrated here today, spanning energy, waste, water, biodiversity, and travel, speaks volumes about the innovative and community-focused spirit of our clubs. The diversity of these projects demonstrates how clubs are finding creative ways to address local challenges while contributing to a national movement.”
James Magee of St. Peter's, Armagh speaking to Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin during a GAA Green Club Event at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile
Guest speaker at the event Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin spoke of the positive legacy Green Clubs are creating for future generations. The academic and former Chair of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss highlighted how Green Clubs have transformed the appearance of their own club grounds as well as changed the perception of club grounds nationally with pollinator-friendly planting in club colours, biodiversity walkways for the health & well-being of club and community members and native tree planting to support local biodiversity, provide shade and shelter and reduce flood risk.
The impact of the Green Club programme is being felt not only within Gaelic Games clubs but further afield. The GAA and Croke Park, along with FA Wales, the Danish FA and FC Porto, are partners in the EU-Funded ACCESS project (https://access-cc.eu/)), designed to encourage sustainability in sport. As part of this European project, the
GAA’s Green Club programme is being promoted as a model for supporting grassroots sports clubs across Europe in taking simple and effective climate and sustainability actions to future-proof their clubs, enhance their local communities and protect the environment.
Padraig Fallon, Chair of the GAA Green Club Steering Group, referenced the GAA’s values as a driving force behind the GAA’s Green Club Programme. “Place, belonging and respect are at the heart of what the GAA is and does. The Green Clubs being celebrated here today have demonstrated how respect for and a commitment to protecting our environment helps make our clubs and communities stronger, more resilient and a better place for all.”
A list of all Green Clubs can be found in the GAA Green Club Toolkit available at https://learning.gaa.ie/GreenClub.
The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Associations are inviting new clubs to apply to become Green Clubs. Applications are open from now until January for the next round of the Green Club programme. Interested clubs can apply at: https://greenclubs.gaa.ie/