GAA Healthy Club Project opens to new applicants

GAA clubs are invited to submit expressions of interest to join the next phase of the Healthy Club project which will commence on February 1st, 2020. There are 150 places available to interested clubs. Click HERE to complete your Expression of Interest Closing date to submit completed applications is Friday 15th November 2019

Saturday’s successful Healthy Club Conference in Croke Park saw an additional 84 clubs become officially recognised as ‘Healthy Clubs’ thanks to their contributions to wellbeing of their members and communities. The Healthy Club Project, proudly supported by Irish Life and Healthy Ireland, has grown from a small pilot in 2013 involving just 16 clubs to nationwide movement involving 150 clubs to date (multiples in each county).

The Healthy Club journey takes 18 months to complete and requires clubs to appoint a Healthy Club officer and project team. They receive training and support along the way to assist them in completing the seven steps involved in receiving official recognition as a Healthy Club. The steps include engaging with members and communities to identity activities upon which to focus and the development of an action plan to bring these to life.

The most common areas include:

• physical activity for non-playing members

• mental fitness and emotional wellbeing

• healthy eating

• gambling, drug, and alcohol education, including clubs becoming smoke-free campuses

• community development, including making our clubs more diverse and inclusive to persons of all abilities and needs and ensuring our clubs support positive aging through the likes of the GAA Social Initiative

Over 400 delegates attended Saturday’s Healthy Club conference in Croke Park, where GAA master coaching tutor Paudie Butler gave an thought-provoking keynote address on coaching for wellbeing. Ambassadors Noel McGrath and Nicole Owens inspired with their personal and sporting stories. Healthy Clubs, through practical workshops, revealed the breath and impact of their work while partners such as Samaritans, Jigsaw, Get Ireland Walking, TILDA, and the Public Health Agency (serving the six counties) highlighted how they can assist clubs in bringing their plans to fruition.

An Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, John Horan, said: “I want to offer my congratulations to the 84 clubs that received official recognition as Healthy Clubs at the conference. The work they have undertaken over the course of their journey has been a credit to the Association. I also urge other clubs to attend and get involved in the Healthy Club Project. It helps the GAA live up to the values of its new manifesto: ‘Where We All Belong’. This exciting work couldn’t happen without our partners Irish Life and Healthy Ireland and I want to acknowledge their continued support for the project.”

David Harney, CEO, Irish Life said: “We are passionate at Irish Life about helping people build better futures. Working together with the GAA through the Healthy Clubs project, we want to bring information on health to every community in Ireland. The Healthy Clubs initiative brings information to people in a unique and empowering way. Similar to our new Irish Life MyLife app, this is about providing people with the knowledge to live a healthier lifestyle and to help people understand their own personal health.”

Minister for Health Promotion, Catherine Byrne T.D., said: “The Healthy Clubs project is a great example of how health and wellbeing can be encouraged and promoted at local level in communities. Healthy Ireland is very happy to support the GAA in this and I would like to join Uachtarán Horan in congratulating the 84 clubs who will now be recognised as Healthy Clubs. I also want to wish the Association every success in its plans to recruit a further 150 clubs to join this project.”

Click HERE to register your club’s expression of interest to be considered for Phase 4 of the Healthy Club Project. Closing date to submit completed applications is Friday 15th November 2019