Derry Coaching Conference

The second Annual Coaching and Games Development Conference, organised by Coiste Chontae Doire and sponsored this year by Chambers Coach Hire, will take place on Saturday 6th March 2010 at St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt.

The conference will aim to better equip coaches in Derry for the task of striving to make their players the best that they can be.

Derry Coaching and Games Manager, Chris Collins explains, “All sessions [at the conference] are designed with our coaches in mind. They focus on how to help them get the most out of their teams through examples, discussions and interactive workshops; to equip them with the tools and inspiration needed to deliver an outstanding level of service to their clubs, schools and county teams.”

“We are really excited about this year’s Conference as we feel we have a group of presenters who are at the top of their game and would earn a place at any coaching event in the country. It’s a great opportunity for all our coaches to avail of the expertise that will be available on the day.”

This year’s speakers include:

Dr. Eugene Young
Eugene is the Director of Coaching and Games Development, Ulster Council GAA. A former Derry senior footballer, Eugene now oversees all aspects of the development of gaelic games at a provincial level.

Richard Ferris and Diarmuid Scullion
Richard worked as the Games Development Officer for 4 years in Derry and has delivered various courses for the Ulster Council. A member of the Derry 1993 All-Ireland winning panel, Richard now plays a key role in grassroots development in Derry.  Alongside fellow county coach Diarmuid Scullion, the focus will be on all aspects of developing better links between clubs and schools in the county.

Johnny Bradley and Statzpack
Johnny is a Performance analysis at SINI, coaches attending his workshop will be given an introduction to video analysis.  Performance analysis company Statzpack will also be demonstrating their product which doesn’t require videoing of games.  The workshop is designed to aid coaches working at club and county level, team statisticians, PE teachers and players, Statzpack GAA allows you to record, share and analyse core game statistics.

John Morrison
John is a master tutor in Gaelic Games and has been coaching teams at the highest level for the past 15 years working with Antrim, Armagh, Donegal, Derry and Mayo (whom he took to the 2006 All Ireland final). He is the current coach of Leitrim senior football team, working alongside manager Mickey Moran, and is widely regarded as one of the most innovative coaches operating in Ireland today.

Paudie Butler
Paudie is the National Director of Hurling and a highly regarded coach. Best known as a coach who stresses the importance of skill development above all else, Paudie has limitless enthusiasm for the game. Hailing from Drombane, Thurles, Butler played hurling at all levels for Tipperary and for his club Drom-Inch with whom he has been heavily involved as a coach. At inter-county level, he coached the Tipperary minors to three Munster Championships and was also involved with the Tipperary Under-21 team. Most recently, he enjoyed a successful spell as manager of the Laois senior hurlers and was manager of the Ireland U-21 Hurling/Shinty team for four years.

Roger Keenan
Roger is the current Ulster GAA Coach Development Manager. Roger hails from Gortin, County Tyrone and was previously the High Performance Manager for Gaelic Football at SINI. Roger was development officer with the Tyrone County Board and manager to previous Tyrone club champions Carrickmore. Taking the prime example of his native county, Roger will discuss nurturing talented young players.

Daithí Regan
A Birr and Offaly man, Daithí played hurling with his club with distinction and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1989 and 1999 Winning 4 Leinster and 1 All-Ireland hurling medal.  Regan has had an illustrious career as a manager with his club and county.  Diathí currently works as a hurling analyst with TV3.

Terence McWilliams
Terence is the Ulster GAA Games Development Manager and will focus on the Gaelic Start Program which is designed to get young children playing gaelic games. Terence often stresses the importance of small-sided games in the development of generic skills such as catching, throwing and kicking. These fundamental skills, developed with a focus on enjoyment, can be applied across a range of sporting activities.

Tommy Stevenson
Tommy is best known as a hugely successful Strength & Conditioning coach. He is a specialist on such topics as core stability, weight training, power exercises, medicine ball, swiss ball and functional movement. Tommy previously worked with the Armagh football squad and is the current Strength & Conditioning coach with the Antrim Senior hurlers.

The event is made possible this year thanks to the partnership of Derry GAA and Chambers Coach Hire. Collins remarked:

“We are absolutely delighted to announce that Chambers have agreed to sponsor our Conference on the 6th March.  Chambers have transported Gaels from Derry to every corner of Ireland for many years, bringing a few trophies home along the way.  Chambers has been wonderful supporters of Derry GAA in recent times and their support for the Conference is another indication of the great partnership built up over the years.”

Five time Irish tarmac rally champion and business development manager with Chambers, Eugene Donnelly expressed equal satisfaction with the partnership: “I am delighted that a county of Derry’s stature is involved with Chambers Coach Hire, and we look forward to transporting the team throughout the upcoming league and championship campaign.”

The registration cost for the conference is £10.  Coaches and other interested parties wishing to register will do so through their club. All club secretaries will shortly receive registration forms for the event, these are to be completed and returned to myself via email.  Please register with your club, we will then directly invoice the club for the amount of participants they have booked.  The £10 fee covers the price of your meals throughout the day, so it is really good value for money.

Please try and get to the Coaching Conference, we are hoping to have between 200-300 coaches attending, there should be something for everyone.

Participants not affiliated to any Derry clubs can register directly with Chris Collins (Email: chris.collins.gm.derry@gaa.ie or phone +44 (0) 78 432 32208.