Chairpersons Joan Henchy (New York GAA), Kerry Mortimer (Canada GAA), Mary Coughlan (Donegal GAA), and Jenn Treacy (Scotland GAA) pictured with GAA President Jarlath Burns.
By Cian O’Connell
These are encouraging times for Scotland GAA. Since getting involved as a player just over a decade ago, Jenn Treacy has seen the GAA through several lenses.
So, being part of the GAA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee matters deeply to her. “I think having anyone, and I hate to call it overseas GAA, but anybody who has a different perspective than being in the island of Ireland is good to have on the committee,” she says.
“GAA is worldwide, and you need that bit of insight in order to provide that dynamic vision. It is making sure you still have your finger on the pulse, making sure your policies and strategy encompass all the people that are part of the association.”
When moving to Scotland to study for a PhD, Treacy simply embraced the GAA community in Glasgow Gaels. “I've been here for 12 years, nearly 13 years,” she explains.
“I started off as a player as most people do, I really enjoyed my playing time. I'm coming to the end of it, but I still dip my toe in every once in a while, when the club needs me. I've seen it from that perspective, playing, how it has provided such a base for people away from home.
“Also, we've a lot more Scottish girls coming on board, making the club really vibrant. I've seen huge change over the last 12 years, how many local girls we're getting. Some of the girls are coming up through the underage, that makes a big difference.
“I've seen it from a coaching perspective, I'm an underage coach, at the minute I'm coaching U13 boys which is interesting.
“The parents are always really interested that it is a female coach, it is really important that they see that, and other girls see that you don't have to be male to be a coach.”
Developing the underage offering is crucial for the long term sustainability of clubs. Community Development Administrator’s have boosted Britain GAA significantly. “We're really lucky to have that, they go into schools to recruit and promote Gaelic Football,” she says.
Jenn Treacy plays for Glasgow Gaels in Scotland.
“Recently, in 2019 Ceann Créige Hurling and Camogie have established themselves in Scotland. That has made a huge difference in terms of offering hurling in Scotland. We didn't really have it previously; we had small pockets.
“Now, we've a quite established hurling and camogie team that provides games for other codes. The underage is all homegrown and people, who might never even have heard of the sport before.”
Reaching out to people with different backgrounds is key according to Treacy. “We do have a lot of players without any Irish roots at all, that hadn't heard of the sport before,” she responds.
“They come along, start enjoying it, and their parents get involved. There is a real community for them. Wherever a club is based, for example my club, Glasgow Gaels, we're based in Clydebank. So, the CDA goes into the schools in Clydebank and encourages them to come to club training.
“They have a community of people, who live in the same area, just like you would in Ireland. It isn't there as much with football because you can sign for whatever team. Since there are so few Gaelic Football teams, you do get that sense of community.
“That is what the vision is, having these teams that're community based, providing that positive connection in a community.”
Ultimately, it makes for a vibrant GAA scene. “We've six clubs, Dundee and Aberdeen combined to make Dalriada in the north east, they cater for a very large area,” Treacy says.
“Then you have one team in Edinburgh, three in the Glasgow area, that is just Gaelic Football, and you've one hurling and camogie team in the Glasgow area.”
Leaders emerge, young people have to be ready, willing, and able to volunteer for the club cause. “It is really difficult when you're away from home,” she says.
The Provincial Council of Britain GAA continues to make progress.
“You don't really have the older, retired people helping to run the club, it is all of the younger players helping to run the club. So, you have people wearing a lot of different hats in a club with real enthusiasm.
“The clubs run quite differently over here than they do in Ireland because they have to. We struggle for sponsorship, do a lot of fundraisers, so we rely a lot on students. So, it is quite different to a club in Ireland.”
It meant Treacy got involved in the administrative side of the GAA. “The representation sometimes just isn't there, that is one reason I've bought into administration because I've some ideas about the county and how it could run better,” she says about female participation.
“A famous line I heard is that nobody ever changed anything from the outside. So, I got involved doing PRO stuff for Scotland, moved into a natural step up to secretary, and I did secretary for five years. Now, I've stepped up to chair.
“I didn't realise I was only the fifth ever county female chairperson in the GAA until I got a phone call from the Irish World. So, I was actually quite shocked about that. It is really important that we continue to increase female participation. If you can't see it, you can't be it.”
Born in Guam, Treacy subsequently lived in Hawaii and Colorado before moving to Scotland. “My husband is from Tyrone, he first got me involved in playing,” she says. “My first sport was gymnastics, I did that my whole life, at university and stuff. You retire from gymnastics at quite a young age.
“So, I was looking for physical activity, something to be involved in, and he was managing one of the mens teams in the Gaels. We did a combined circuit session, and the womens coach came over to ask would I play.
“I said I'd give it a go, I'd never played a sport with a ball before. Ever since I fell in love with the team sport aspect, the social aspect, we went from there.”
Encouraging signs have been available in Scotland with Treacy adamant about the future potential. “It is still in its infancy, some clubs have established teams from U9 all the way up, even some U7,” she says.
The online sessions will give a clear overview of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
“What we find is there can be a hard gap between U15 and senior. At U15 we get the opportunity to participate in Féile as a county team. Then, after that the gap is really, really difficult to bridge, not as much in ladies football because they can play for their senior team when they're 16, but it can be a long time between 15 and 18.
“If they don't have regular, meaningful games with a group of their friends, it becomes really difficult to keep them on board. That really is what our focus is on in the next couple of years.”
Enhancing the player pathway is vital for the longer term. Being part of the EDI Committee is another important step. “I think it is one of those things, I've worked really closely with Ulster GAA in the past, and Jarlath Burns has come over to see what we're doing,” she says.
“He has come over to a couple of events, he heard my story, how I got involved, so I got the opportunity to be involved in the EDI committee.
“I've that outside voice and I'm somebody who has done a lot of roles and maybe got a different perspective to those who've lived in Ireland for their whole lives. They've so much experience.
“The people I'm on the committee with are extremely well versed on their codes and EDI, especially programmes in Ireland, I find their knowledge really inspiring.”
It also benefits Scotland and Britain GAA according to Treacy. “I take their experiences and discussions back with me to Scotland and Britain,” she adds.
“I'm hoping to start an EDI committee in Britain, I'll take all of the lessons and feedback I've gathered from that committee.
“Sinead Crowley, the chairperson, is a lovely and inclusive person, they're all doing brilliant things. It is transformative, their input on making sure that the GAA is at the forefront of EDI.”
Online Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Training for all members will take place in 2025.
Registration Links:
- Thursday March 13th – https://learning.gaa.ie/node/289900
- Tuesday November 4th – https://learning.gaa.ie/node/289901
Please note:
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In order to register, attendees will be required to login via their Tobar account. If you do not have an account, you will be required to make one.
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Information on creating an account can be found here - https://learning.gaa.ie/CreateAccount
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Users should use their own personal email address when creating an account and not an Official GAA account.
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The link to access the webinar will be made available via the enrolment page 1 hour before the start time.