By Cian O’Connell

A remarkable sporting life has taught Pat Critchley many lessons.

An innovator, Critchley is still relishing being involved training teams. That his native Portlaoise contest another Laois SFC Final on Sunday is a source of pride. With another distinguished coaching figure, Mick Dempsey, in the St Joseph’s camp, merely adds another layer of intrigue.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, a decorated figure in the Portlaoise story, manages the proud town team with Critchley providing plenty of knowledge in a highly regarded backroom team.

“It is going to be like back in the day when Mick and myself were playing, there was a great rivalry between Portlaoise and St Joseph's over those years,” Critchley laughs.

“We had some fantastic games. There is great respect between the two clubs for each other. We've played well ourselves, we've improved in the last number of games, we played some really good football the last day, but so did Joseph's to beat the reigning champions, Portarlington.

“They are a very well turned out team, they are organised and composed, and will be a big, big challenge in the final. Everyone is looking forward to a really good final.”

It is an approach that continues to serve Critchley well. There has always been a match imminent – basketball, hurling or football. Regardless of the code, whether playing or coaching, Critchley embraces challenges.

Being part of the Portlaoise senior football set-up again has brought joy. “Kevin Fitzpatrick has gone in as manager with a great backroom team with Ronan Molloy and the lads,” Critchley says.

“Over the last number of years they have blooded in a lot of younger players. We also got to the intermediate semi-final this year with both squads training together. That has worked out really well.

“It has given a lot of young players good opportunities to play at adult level - at intermediate and senior.

“So it is great to see some of those younger lads coming through. Also the older lads are great leaders, they show great dedication to training and with their approach to things. They are great role models for those players.

“Two years ago we got badly beaten in the final against Portarlington, last year we came close to beating them in the semi-final, so they have been gradually improving, especially in the last two games. We have been getting a better flow with their football, hopefully we will get a good performance from them on Sunday.”

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Even during his playing days, coaching captured Critchley’s imagination. With a thirst for knowledge, Critchley wanted to sample new ways. “I got the buzz for it very early on, I had a great passion for it,” Critchley responds.

“Going to Thomond College too, it is 40 years ago now, but Thomond College was very innovative in regard to coaching. Some of the lecturers there like Dave Weldrick, he coached us with our senior footballers, Niall Moyna was with our fresher team.

“It was very innovative when you look back at some of the stuff we were doing back 40 years ago. It was almost like a coaching laboratory down there. That was a big influence in constantly looking to innovate and evolve as a coach.”

Sport always mattered to Critchley. Every game counted, some new skill or trick could be stored in the locker for future use. “We grew up in a housing estate in Portlaoise, St Brigid's Place, it was nicknamed Hungry Hill -in that estate we were just fanatics for all sports,” Critchley remarks.

“We played everything. When Wimbledon was on, we were out playing tennis, we did the showjumping after the Aga Khan with no horses in the backyards. Golf, rugby, Gaelic Games, Brother Summers introduced us to basketball to try to keep us busy between the hurling and football seasons.”

Reflecting back, Critchley acknowledges it was time well spent. “Getting a wide range of motor skills at a young age really stands to you as you go through your career,” he adds.

“I think the AFL at one stage tried to specialise very early with their youngsters, but they have gone away from that now. Generally they find they are getting more balanced players when players are exposed to a wide range of sports and motor skills. There is a lot of things that cross over too.

“From the basketball, the emphasis on footwork as a fundamental of the game was always huge in basketball and peripheral vision and peripheral awareness - being aware of everything around you so you can make good decisions.”

Even during his own playing career, the busy schedule didn’t remotely bother Critchley. “Every game is different, but I found it very refreshing changing from one game to another,” he recalls.

“Back in the day the National League hurling had games before Christmas so you were crossing over with the basketball. Then you'd be involved with hurling and football with the club.

“Almost every year through the 80s we got good runs in the club championships. You could be going from playing basketball to football to hurling in the space of a week or two.

“I always found it refreshing, there were different challenges in every game. You had a very high level of fitness to carry you through.”

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The Covid lockdowns tested the resolve and resilience of everyone. Matches and training were off the agenda. So Critchley started putting a new book ‘A Coaching Way’ together. “Over the years coaches would maybe call you looking for a few ideas or a lot of the time they'd ask for a few drills for a bit of variety,” he explains.

“So we'd have to delve into what team they had and what they were trying to focus on. They might say have you anything written down?

“A lot of the stuff was in your head, you'd be organised for your sessions, but it would be almost like shorthand which mightn't make sense to anyone reading it.

“We'd always have names on games and drills for skills. So when the first lockdown came I thought maybe I'll have a go at putting it from the head on to the page. A few of the objectives would be to give coaches an idea where everything fits in.

“Even that question, have you a few drills for a bit of variety? You do need your players enjoying it, having fun along the way, but it isn't a variety show either.

Everything you do has to fit in for the performance of the players and the team. Just to give them an idea where everything fits in, the mind and the person at the very heart of it.”

As the process unfolded, Critchley also explored many other facets involved in running a team. “Things like why we coach?,” he says. “We just sometimes coach from year to year, we don't really reflect on why we coach and what influences us.

“Reflecting on that has a big impact on how we coach and the coaching environment we set up, how you communicate with people, being positive with people.

“Having a growth mindset, that you are not putting players or teams or generations in boxes, that you are constantly evolving. You can't give good feedback or evaluation if you're not communicating well and if you don't have growth mindset or if you haven't a good coaching environment developed around the team.

“All of those things and some of the messy things. What I was hoping to do was to give practical examples, that it isn't very heavy on sports science or heavy on theory, that you have practical examples. Anecdotes that actually happened on the ground, so it is coming from experience.

“Hopefully that will help coaches to see where everything fits. Any coaching book I've read has reaffirmed lots of good things happening in coaching.

“Really coaching has come on so much over the years, it will reaffirm and maybe give some new ideas, particularly if it has coaches reflecting on why they are coaching and how they are coaching.”

A coaching community has been established. People are ready, willing, and able to share information. “Going back a long number of years it was always a given in the basketball coaching community,” he says.

“You'd always be exchanging ideas, traditionally in the GAA community you'd be keeping what you know. You wouldn't be giving it to the opposition or to the local rivals, but gradually that has changed too.

“Coaches are bouncing off each other, learning all of the time, that is the way it should be because at the end of the day it is a benefit to the players, especially young players, that they are getting a chance.”

Critchley has given thousands an opportunity to develop and flourish on pitches and courts throughout Ireland. A rewarding coaching journey continues.

**Pat Critchley's new book 'A Coaching Way' can be purchased here.