Largest Cúl Camps yet as 2,340 get involved in GAA
WHEN Cúl Camp co-ordinator Liam Óg Gormley first got involved with the summer camps ten years ago, there was 780 children taking part. Roll onto 2017 and the figure has increased significantly to 2,340. It’s a huge leap and outside of the primary school programme, the biggest project for the coaching and games during the year in Sligo.
Liam Óg, who is the Games Manager with Sligo GAA, said the five week Cúl Camps were a fantastic success this year. “Since the brand of Kelloggs Cúl Camp came on board ten years or so ago, the numbers have really jumped up. To go from 780 in 2007 to 2,340 this year is massive. I think a big part of it the brand gear which really stands out. The gear includes a zip top, jersey and bag and the numbers taking part have jumped even in the last three years because of the gear. We had a jump of 1200 over the last three years which is massive.”
The Cúl Camps began the first week of July and continued until last Friday, with most clubs hosting their own camps. The cost was €60 for one child and then €50 for the second child from the same family and €45 for the third. Camps were held across five days, teaching the young players aged between six and 13 an array of GAA skills through its qualified coaches. “Another thing is the jump in the Cúl Camps and the coaches. It used to be 12 camps in the county and now that’s gone up to 20 so nearly every club hosts their own one. There are four clubs who didn’t this year but they contribute to camps in other local clubs,” Liam Óg explained.
A big help is the co-ordinators at each club, which help run the programme efficiently. “The co-ordinators are a huge part of the camps and also the coaches of course. This summer we had 50 youngsters coaching. They get paid so it’s wages for them during the week which is good. A lot of them are on the inter-county teams, we had 12 from our current U21 team with us this year as well as Paddy O’Connor and Kyle Cawley who are on the Senior team and a couple of minors too. We have ladies players too, the girls coaches are the hardest to recruit, I don’t know why that is.” Even though coaches are young, they are qualified, Liam Óg points out.
“They have their coaching badges, child protection and garda vetting. The standard of coaching is very good. While the coaches are young, they are very experienced. They all have been coaching for at least three or four years,” he said. The numbers have increased from 2,165 to 2,340 for 2017. It is amazing to have that many and hopefully it will keep on growing.
“The ratio between boys and girls is narrowing too. This year, we had 1,400 boys and 950 girls so the difference wasn’t that much, the gap is beginning to close.”
The reason behind why the numbers are so big Liam Óg reckons is to do with the whole branding around the camps. “Also the level of coaching is extremely high. The coaches work out the sessions the best they can, so we have one coach to every ten kids.”
The programme includes learning not only Gaelic football and hurling skills but also incorporates fun games and rounders to name a few. “The Nursery Programme which has been a success is also feeding into the camps, where the young kids learn fundamental skills of GAA.
“The main thing about the camps is to keep it fun. We work a system within the camps to rotate the groups every 40 minutes so they don’t get bored or that.”
The reaction from both players, parents and coaches has been excellent. “We have got really brilliant feedback and the co-ordinators and coaches have said it was superb so that’s always good to hear.”
He praised the work of Sligo GAA’s Charlie Harrison the National Cúl Camp co-ordinator in Croke Park and his predecessor Jimmy O’Dwyer for playing a significant role in the development of Cúl Camps. “Our own county man Charlie and Jimmy have been fantastic in promoting Cúl Camps. Kelloggs too have been very good with the packs and all that and having it promoted on tv gives it a wide audience around the country.”
The brand gear too is of a high standard. “The fact that generally the colours of the Cúl Camp gear is so bright, it helps a lot too. Someone said to me recently that they were walking down Fifth Avenue and immediately spotted a Cúl Camp jersey, so they’re eye-catching anyhow!”.
With 130,000 children taking part in Cúl Camps throughout Ireland the last five weeks,it’s been a busy time for Liam Óg and other co-ordinators around the country. Now attention will turn back to schools and the development squads. “We have a couple of development camps in August for U13 and for U11s and U12s in Scarden.”
Liam Óg was thankful to everyone who helped in making Cúl Camps 2017 a huge success in Sligo. “The clubs have been brilliant, the co-ordinators and coaches are fantastic, it wouldn’t have run well without them.
“The biggest attendance we had was in Tubbercurry with 222, the biggest yearly increase was Drumcliffe/Rosses Point from 134 up to 173. There was a new camp in Coolaney/Mullinabreena with 119 players, which for the first year was fantastic. There was great numbers too in St John’s, up from 45 to 89.
“I want to say a big thank you too to the parents and the club people for their support. It’s been a hectic but enjoyable five weeks. We’ll be starting the camps again in the first week next July.
“The camps are a massive promoter of GAA for children of a young age. Another thing too is that the money which is made goes back into coaching and games and coaching programmes and it goes back into the primary school programme.”
The camps not only encourage young children to take up the sport but they also are something to enjoy when they are on their long summer holidays.
“There’s a feel good factor to it. If a child is going home at the end of the week with a smile on their faces, then that’s what it’s all about.
“I think down the road for us within the GAA too is that young people are learning to be coaches and that means when their playing careers are finished they will have the knowledge of coaching and that is a major plus. It’s a big win win for us,” he added.