EDITORIAL: 'A coaching style that drowned young teenagers in statistics and strategy'

Under-age teams need kind, caring coaches where the kids come before winning the match.

These young players need top-quality mentors.

And often times, in fact nearly always, these coaches and managers have to come from players’ fathers or local men with a passion for the club.

It is a wonderful thing about the GAA - and so many sports - that people volunteer so much of their time and it is a huge responsibility.

Because how these volunteers perform could determine whether a child stays playing the sport or not. It also takes up a huge amount of people’s time, going to and preparing training sessions and then the matches.

But being a good coach at that level does not require detailed statistics or strategies that suck the life out of the game for young players. Being a top-quality coach can be achieved when you support the players and make training/games enjoyable.

I’ve seen two types of hurling coaches recently; one in my home parish where good club men have created a strong team that play with the shackles off and it is beautiful to see.

The game, even on a harsh Sunday morning in November, seemed like great fun. Played with fluidity and immense skill; all players were supported and encouraged.

It’s what the game should be about; at that level anyway. Then I saw another style of coaching, in another county, up the country recently.

A style that drowned young teenagers in statistics and strategy, that made good players play to a “system” that took away the fun of the game.

Young hurlers and footballers need to be protected and minded. It’s the only way to keep them playing the game. Liam Sheedy, in the Irish Examiner recently, wrote: “The only question a parent needs to ask after training and matches when they are young is ‘Did you enjoy it?’ Everything after that is a bonus.”

Local coaches, selectors and managers have a huge role to play in whether or not the child enjoys the sport.

If all coaches set out to make the game enjoyable for ALL members of the panel, the results would inevitably follow.