A day out in Geevagh for girls’ match
I ATTENDED my first away underage football game in years last weekend. Coolera-Strandhill U-10 girls versus Geevagh. In Geevagh.
And if I’m honest, I don’t know too much about Geevagh. I chased after Kevin Byrne for the day in a club game there years ago. Former county teammates include Darren Kearns, of course, who has one of the best strikes of a ball I ever saw, and Kenny (Haj) Sweeney, who scored a crucial point in the second-half in the 2007 Connacht final. Saxophonist Cathal Roche lives out that direction too, and I also paid a very enjoyable visit to St Patrick’s National School on a tour of primary schools I did one year. I got a great welcome from Sheena Hallissy and the gentle giant John Hughes there, among others, and the children had some great questions for me on both music and football. But back to the match. Firstly it was great to see the new pitch (possibly not that new any more but certainly my first time to see it). A great surface and while I didn’t measure it, it looked to me like one of the bigger GAA pitches in the county. I looked at it wondering how did I ever get up and down pitches like this.
As I said above, I’m new to this, and what I’m about to point out will not be news to regulars on the circuit. However, my children are interested now and I’m getting a great kick, as many parents do, from seeing them enjoy the games, the training and the fun.
But the differences from when I played underage are marked. We’re talking the late 80s/early 90s here, so I probably should have expected some change, but it was great to see the strides that have been made.
Firstly, the fact that there are girls’ U-10 games at all. Thirty years ago it was basically unheard of for girls and even adult women to play any sort of football. And now our club has 21 players looking to play a 10-a-side game.
I learnt that there were no scores kept until U-12 level. It reminded me of articles I read about La Masia, the underage football academy in Barcelona which produced the golden generation of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Puyol, Fabregas and others. Focus not on winning, but on the development of players. And this tallied very much with the message given out by coaches on both sides.
And then there was the directive given to parents on the sideline before the game not to criticise players on either side. Encouragement only.
And so the atmosphere in Geevagh that morning was pleasant and girls and parents alike enjoyed the experience.
I’m sure it’s not all rosy. A chat with some more seasoned parents revealed that unsavoury incidents at underage games are still an unfortunate occurrence around the country. However, cultural change in any large organisation is difficult, so attempts to do so in a positive way deserve credit. Kieran Quinn plays piano and brings people together in music. You can sign up for his weekly email letter by visiting kieranquinn.ie/letter and he can be contacted by email at kieran@kieranquinn.ie