Galway hurler Aidan Harte, Galway camogie player Ava Lynskey, Dublin ladies footballer Ciara Trant and Dublin footballer Dean Rock alongside pupils from St Joseph's Drogheda, Gort Community School, Colaiste Chiarain Croom in Limerick, St Michaels Holy Faith in Finglas, St Macartans in Monaghan and Oatlands College Mount Merrion in Co. Dublin during the Future Leaders Transition Year Programme Launch at Croke Park in Dublin.
By John Harrington
The rapid growth of the GAA/PDST Future Leaders Transition Year Programme has been one of the Association’s greatest success stories in recent times.
The cross-curricular programme comprising of eight Modules in subjects as diverse as Coaching, Sports Journalism and Event Management, is designed to provide a learning experience based on the practical application of the skills from each module, by empowering every student to play an active role in the organisation of a Gaelic Games opportunity in their school or community.
It's the brainchild of Eoghan Hanley, a teacher at Gort Community in Galway, who first rolled it out to his 56 Transition Year students in 2015.
Just three years later, there are now 262 schools with over 15,000 pupils signed up to the Future Leaders Programme.
“It's unbelievable,” Hanley told GAA.ie “It's only when I'm speaking to someone who's new to it that you actually stop for a second and realise just how quickly it has grown.
“When I started this in Gort I remember the very first phone-call I got about the Super Games Centre from Damien Coleman and back then I never thought that in a short period of time we'd have 262 schools doing the programme.
“Going forward the aim of this is to get into as many schools in the country as possible. There are 700-odd schools in the country and we want to get into as many as them as possible.
“We have six schools up north who are doing it now and we want to work closely with them to see what works and doesn't work so we can adapt it slightly for the Northern education system with the view of expanding it across the north and into England because there are lots of GAA clubs in England who would really benefit from this.”
The popularity of Gaelic Games has sky-rocketed internationally in recent years with new clubs springing up regularly.
Eoghan Hanley pictured discussing The GAA Future Leaders Programme at the 2018 GAA Games Development Conference at Croke Park.
Hanley hopes the Future Leaders programme can accelerate this growth even further in the USA most immediately, and then in other countries where Gaelic Games are thriving.
“We've already two high-schools in Rockland County, in New York,” he said. “And we're working closely with Rockland GAA to give them any support that they need.
“We'll get feedback from them and tailor the programme to the US education system with the view of likewise growing it there. Because there are GAA clubs and Irish communities all over the states that I think could really benefit from something like this.
“We're definitely looking forward to expanding this on the international scene in general.
“We also have UCD doing it as well at third level on a pilot. We have 60 trainee teachers, PME (Professional Master of Education) students, in UCD.
“When they're finished their PME course they'll be going straight out to schools that hopefully have the programme or else starting the programme in ones that don't.
“It'll be fantastic to have them coming straight out of College and in. So we'd obviously be hoping to expand that across all the teaching training colleges in the country.”
The hope would be that the Future Leaders Programme will help future-proof the GAA.
It’s designed to appeal to students who aren’t already active in the GAA as players by showing them that there are many other roles they would make them just as vital to their club and community.
Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael John Horan with, from left, Mary Keane, President of National Association Principals and Deputy Principals, Ciara O'Donnell, Director PDST, Eoghan Hanley, National coordinator, GAA/PDST Future Leaders TY Programme, and Yvonne McKenna, CEO Gaisce, at the GAA/PDST Future Leaders TY Programme Launch at Croke Park in Dublin.
Volunteerism is the lifeblood of the GAA, and the Future Leaders Programme will hopefully produce a new generation of enthusiastic and capable volunteers who can make the Association an even more vibrant sporting organisation.
“We're hoping to develop skills and capacities in young people so they can use those skills in any area of life,” said Hanley.
“But, obviously, we would hope that even if a percentage of those huge numbers we have got involved in GAA clubs having not previously been involved, that would be fantastic.
“Not necessarily as players, but as administrators or coaches or referees or whatever it is, the impact would be huge.
“The will be the reason why you have thousands and thousands of children, five, six, seven year olds, starting playing games.
“Clubs up and down the country are crying out for administrators and all those various roles to be filled. If we just have all players, we have no games. If we have just all coaches, we have no games. If we have just all administrators we have no games.
“We need everything. That's the long-term aim of the programme - you are future-proofing the games.
“Kids who might not want to play or excel on the field have a huge skill-set and giving them meaningful roles in the GAA will add to their lives hugely and also add to their clubs and local communities.
“That's the thought behind the whole programme.”
Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael John Horan with Cork camogie player Julia White and former Clare hurler Colin Ryan at the GAA/PDST Future Leaders TY Programme Launch at Croke Park in Dublin.
Former Clare hurler Colin Ryan is a teacher at Salesian Secondary College in Pallaskenry where he’s responsible for the Transition Year programme.
This is the first year they’ve rolled out the Future Leaders programme, but he’s already seen the positive benefits of it first hand.
**“**In terms of cross-curriculum, it's hitting all the marks for what our kids should be learning,” Ryan told GAA.ie.
“To do it through sport, especially through the GAA which they can so easily relate to, is just great.
“The diversity of kids in front of me, while they don't all play GAA, they all have some interest in it or want to be involved so we're trying to find a role for them and that's absolutely brilliant.
“A thing I say to the kids is that Marty Morrissey is one of the best commentators in the country and he didn't play to an extraordinarily high level. It's not all about playing - you can be a good photographer or a good nutritionist or a good event manager or get a job in Croke Park doing something on game-day.
“It's not all about being the best player, you can still make a huge contribution to your local community. If you're interested in administration or social media or taking pictures and putting stuff up online, there's definitely a role for you in your GAA club.
“All clubs need more volunteers, and maybe sometimes people feel they can't be involved in a club if they're not playing a sport, so it's great to give them the opportunity to find out that's not the case.”
Former Clare hurler Colin Ryan pictured at the GAA/PDST Future Leaders TY Programme Launch at Croke Park in Dublin.
The success of the Future Leaders programme is a testament yet again to the absolutely vital role played by teachers in the GAA.
The countless hours, much of them extra-curricular, they devote to coaching and developing young players is one of the main reasons why our national games are as popular as they are.
Their involvement in the Future Leaders programme is just the latest contribution from teachers to the health of the GAA, but Ryan believes it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
“Teachers have done a lot for the GAA but the GAA has done a lot for teachers, I think it goes both ways,” said Ryan.
“It's probably a job that suits people with an interest in the GAA.
“As well as that, teachers obviously like working with kids. They like imparting their knowledge and trying to bring them along and I think that's exactly what the GAA is all about.
“Coaching kids, bringing them along, it's lovely to see their progress when you engage with them and give them a small bit of help.
“Teaching and coaching are both trying to do the same thing really in different capacities under different models, but they definitely go hand in hand.
“The opportunities the GAA has given me and what teaching has done for me in regards to the GAA, it's all really made me a better person.”