New and different ways of delivering workshops are being found with Wednesday’s TURAS Webinar for Nursery Coaches set to provide plenty of insight from former Kildare footballers Tadhg Fennin and Johnny Doyle.

During the past couple of months Fennin has been encouraged by the response of clubs in Kildare to the initiatives carried out by staff in the county.

“I think most counties have a series of webinars of some sort on, we went at it twofold in Kildare,” Fennin explains.

“We have county wide webinars covering some general things - a strength and conditioning one, building resilience in players, movement in children, and we have them going on in May and June.

“On top of that because the GDAs and GPOs in Kildare look after particular clubs, the webinars we are doing with them is the TURAS Player Pathway which has been rolled out by Leinster GAA. We are doing them for our own clubs too, so it is a two fold strategy on the webinars.

“It has been going well so far. There have been some good ones, and we have been getting good responses. I think people are interested, they are interested in a bit of engagement when we just can't meet. People are looking for ideas to improve even though they aren't on the field.”

Leinster GAA’s TURAS project continues to earn significant praise with Fennin acknowledging the progress being made.

“The TURAS workshops can be a one club model where you take all the coaches from the age groups in the one club or else it is age based,” Fennin says.

“Johnny and I are just doing an age based one for all the different nursery coaches within our clubs. The TURAS model is based on a workshop and practicals to go along with it.

“We can't do the practical element, but we can still describe it, talk about it, get some feedback. Hopefully when we get back going we will be visiting the coaches as part of the TURAS initiative and we can see them in action then.”

Operating as a coach for more than a decade Fennin is adamant that significant improvements have taken place.

“The pathways and the way the GAA has taken on the coach education and player pathways is very important,” Fennin replies.

“Players were being dragged in all directions with different sports and different things going on in their lives. There was a time years ago when the GAA was 'this is the way we are going to do it and that is the way we have always done it.'

“That had to change, we have to move with the times, to give people what they want. That is a structure on their lives, although a lot of these coaches and players are amateurs they put a lot of time and work into it.

“They need to see that the GAA and provincial councils have a pathway and a way for them to move along their lives in the GAA. Moving forward in technology it has been forced on people with the Covid 19 time at the minute, we have all dived into the webinar thing, the Microsoft Teams that we use in the GAA.

“We just learn by doing really. It is something we should be really looking at anyway and that door has been opened for us.”

Clubs throughout the country are investing time and resources in developing nurseries attempting to provide a valuable coaching service for young children.

“A lot of innovative stuff is being done at nursery level,” Fennin admits. “The GAA has moved away from the competitive nature of GAA at that age. It is just about inducting them into the club, giving them the experience of being part of a team, and then there is a retention element for the GAA.

“If they are giving good experiences at this age group chances are that hopefully those players will develop and grow within the club, becoming part of teams at a later age.”

Fennin believes that clubs can benefit immensely through including new families in areas and ensuring that the sporting experience supplied is joyful.

“Of course, along with the players come parents and you are picking up parents, who might become involved at coaching or administration level,” Fennin continues.

“There is a ripple effect from that point of view, the fact that people are conscious nowadays about having their kids active, whatever sport it is.

"There definitely is a conversation to be had as regards how much or what kind of pigeon holing sports should be doing at that age, but the GAA is coming around to the fact you give them the best experience that you can so they will want to come back.

“At the same time parents themselves will try to encourage their kids to try different sports. Ar a coaching level the GAA is trying to give them the experience and if they play other sports or experience different things that they will come back to the GAA at some stage in their lives. That is what it is about.”

It is an interesting time in the Lilywhite GAA story. Fennin has witnessed the emergence and development of a new generation of players and is optimistic for the future of Gaelic Football in Kildare.

“I think we haven't been reaching our potential,” is Fennin’s assessment. “In the coaching element we see so many strong clubs here, strong clubs with underage teams who can hold their own against teams from many counties within the province and beyond.

“It is just jumping that bridge at provincial level from minor and Under 20, we have had success. The Under 20s did take it to the next level, that was something Kildare were striving to do and got there.

“So now how to we build on that, how do we keep producing teams that can first of all be consistently up there at provincial level and then how do we get to the next level as regards national honours.

“It isn't easy, you have a lot of counties in our own situation too, they are all looking at what they can do.

“I think if we can stay producing the players, and progressive clubs we have in Kildare it will only be a matter of time before we can make a breakthrough, to hopefully be at the top table for a little while.”

For further information on upcoming Kildare GAA webinars click here.