Gaelic Games Europe Hosts Successful Coach Developer Training at the Irish Embassy in Paris
This past weekend, Gaelic Games Europe achieved an important milestone as the Irish Embassy in Paris hosted a transformative two-day Coach Developer training session. Organised in collaboration with the Leinster Council, the initiative aims to strengthen the coaching infrastructure across Europe and ensure the sustained growth of Gaelic sports.
GGE would like to thank Ambassador Niall Burgess for the Embassy’s hospitality and frequent support of the development efforts in France.
Gaelic Games Europe Coaching Officer Anna-Marie O’Rourke has been instrumental in paving the way for coach development across the continent, creating a clear pathway for the next generation of coaches in Europe.
“The priority for Gaelic Games Europe is to have qualified tutors in every region. It’s the first step in enabling all active clubs to run more courses, which have been requested via the regions,” O’Rourke explained.
The goal of the weekend was to provide Coach Developers with a deeper understanding of their role, empowering them to lead coaching courses confidently at the grassroots level. Developing a strong coaching base is critical to Gaelic Games Europe’s commitment to growing the GAA community across the continent.
This event holds great significance as it marks the first time Coach Developer training for Europe-based Coach Developers has taken place outside of Ireland.
The twelve dedicated Coach Developers who attended the training hailed from various parts of Europe and participated in this high-level program, which was facilitated by two of Ireland’s most distinguished coaching experts—Liam Moggan, widely regarded as “The Coach of Coaches” across all sports, and Seán Dempsey, former coach of County Laois. Their expertise set the tone for an engaging and impactful seminar.
All aspiring coaches should seek out the work of Liam Moggan. Thankfully, he has released some free podcasts for all to enjoy, and learn from – Click here for the podcast
The twelve participants included Alan Fitzgerald (Earls of Leuven) from Belgium, Tony Bass (Maastricht Gaels) from the Netherlands, Diarmuid Kelly (Dresden) and Lauritz Bonnen (Setanta Berlin) from Germany, Juan Luis Fernández Pérez (Turonia Gondomar GF) from Galicia, and Frankie Kelly (Valencia) from the Central-East of Spain.
France was particularly well-represented, with six participants from various parts of the country: Anna-Marie O’Rourke, Eileen Jennings, Tangi L’Hostis, Pearse Bell, Stephen Hegarty, and Olivier Kowarski. Their participation underscores the strength of the GAA community in France and its continued commitment to expanding Gaelic Games at a local level. Four of the French representatives are experienced Coach Developers, and this weekend served as a refresher course for them. The remaining participants will soon be qualified and ready to train coaches across the continent.
Among the Coach Developers, there is a wide range of expertise, with seven focusing on youth coaching, some bringing deep knowledge in Hurling and Camogie, and others specialising in integrating Gaelic Games into European universities, primarily coaching students. Collectively, the group boasts nearly 100 years of general coaching experience and is well-equipped to deliver Gaelic Games courses in nine languages: French, German, Spanish, Galician, Catalan, Portuguese, Flemish, English, and Irish.
Another huge thank you goes to Jamie Queeney, Head of Games Development for Leinster, who was a key point of reference in Ireland throughout the planning process. Queeney facilitated the online portion of the course and played a crucial role in bringing the entire training initiative together.
Additional thanks are extended to Anna-Marie O’Rourke, whose dedication ensured the smooth running of the seminar, as well as to Liam Moggan and Seán Dempsey for their invaluable contributions throughout the weekend. Gratitude is also due to the Embassy of Ireland for graciously hosting the event in such a prestigious venue.
This seminar marks a significant step forward in the development of Gaelic Games in Europe. By training Coach Developers, Gaelic Games Europe is fostering the next generation of coaches who will inspire and develop players across the continent, ensuring the sustained growth of the GAA in both new and established regions.
A big thank you to McKeever Sports for providing the Coach Developers with their kit for this historic event!
For clubs interested in organizing a coaching course, please contact your regional representative.
