Final Coaching Corner of 2015 written by Peter Casey

From little acorns

"I was just doing what I was coached to do by Johnny O'Rourke since I was a child” Niall Arthur after the Munster U21 Final 2012

Clare underage football got a huge boost last week when the county under 17 football team defeated Tipperary in the final of the Daryl Darcy cup. This group of players brought the cup back to the county for the second time in 3 years. Hopefully they can continue to develop as they prepare for much bigger challenges in the future but it has to be satisfying to the coaches and parents of these players that they were successful in this four team tournament.

The St. Breckans club had four players on the team that won the final. To have over a quarter of the team is a unique achievement for the club and a marvellous accolade for these boys and their families. These four boys form part of a very good group in their club. On hearing the result, I thought about Kieran Flanagan, the man who started all these boys playing football in Lisdoonvarna, Doolin and Kilshanny. Very few people outside of North Clare would give him any credit for Clare winning a football tournament. However these boys remember all the time and effort that he put into developing them from under 8 through to under 12.

Kieran got into coaching like so many other people – because there were very few others to do it. He wanted to ensure that his children and their friends got an opportunity to play football. Like most of us who coached during those years, he would probably admit that some of his practices from the time are now outdated. However he had one vital ingredient that money can’t buy. He had a passion. His passion was that these boys would be the best they could and that everyone in the parish would play. He used several methods to coax boys along and brought others along to help so that they could all improve and develop into fine players.

I was coaching hurling at the time and we were just starting to have a bit of success – most children in the parish were playing. Some people were fearful that hurling was going to take over and football was going to suffer. They were entitled to their fears as they were passionate about football and perhaps initially Kieran also shared these fears. However I soon appreciated that he wanted to put the children first was willing to do whatever was necessary in order for this to happen. It became very easy to work with him.

His level of organisation was infectious and I learned so much from him about doing the right thing. We would talk every day and as a result it became easier to solve problems. The vast majority of boys in the parish played hurling, football and soccer and it became possible for them to do so. Agreement was got between the different coaches to ensure that everyone got their fair share and that boys got enough activity and rest. Without Kieran that wouldn’t have been possible. He was excellent at flagging potential problems and about finding compromises so that the boys could enjoy their sports. He brought great energy to his team and some of the matches they played brought more entertainment to the adults of the parish than any world cup match ever could. As far as he was concerned, this was the most important team in the world.

Matthew Syed in his book Bounce, lists 3 factors that are critical in the development of successful sports people. Firstly they must get a series of opportunities to play, secondly they must engage in deliberate practice over a sustained period of time and thirdly they must receive effective coaching. These four players got all three. They must be commended for working hard on their games, and Kieran, his team of coaches and the people who followed them must take the credit for giving opportunities to play and for coaching. He continued to develop as a coach and brought his group of boys to 12 years of age, highly competent in the skills of football and also in hurling. Every club gets a good group of players every so often but if the opportunities to play aren’t available or if the level of coaching isn’t up to scratch then that generation are wasted
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Most sports scientists and educators encourage children to play multiple sports at a young age. There are huge amount of benefits to be gained from playing a wide range of sports and early specialisation should be avoided as playing only one or two sports doesn’t allow children to experience a full array of movement skills. This happens best of all in a parish where the coaches of different teams work together. It also happens when children just play their own age group, where possible. That means that all children are treated equally and nobody is flogged because they are classed as being more talented than others. Probably the most important factor is that these decisions and their purpose are communicated to parents. The GAA has 4 sports which are extremely beneficial to the development of children. They do not all have to get equal priority or equal playing time in a parish but children should have a right to play hurling, football, handball and rounders. When coaches plan and organise, this is possible.

Some of the St Breckans boys who played last week also play hurling and other sports. These sports, the environment they grew up in, their attitude towards improvement and the level of coaching they have received up to now have got them to this point. I’m sure all the other players on the panel have similar stories to tell about their journey up to now – and we hope that their journey is only beginning. Sometimes when we hear about great coaches whose teams win All Irelands, World Cups and Champions Leagues we forget about the people who started the young children off in small villages. We forget about the volunteer coaches who are in the field 3 times a week, who send out texts, organise games and training sessions and drive to the Gaeltacht to bring players back for matches, because they have passion. That passion in people like Kieran Flanagan and Johnny O’Rourke is what keeps the GAA alive in every parish. These are the people who help produce club and county stars.