Main menu
Developing Club/School Links
What is a club-
A school-
1. meet the needs of all young people, whether they want to get involved:
as an elite performer
to enjoy the sport and develop their skills
for social or recreational reasons
to maintain or develop their fitness
as a young leader or coach
as a club officer
2. provide new and varied opportunities for young people
3. help young people to realize their ambitions in sport by providing pathways for them to follow
4. agree good standards of provision and put in place quality controls and club and school developments to ensure that standards remain high
Why Develop Club/School Link?
Some schools don't even know what Clubs are in their area
Posters, flyers and notes are not enough
Personal Contact is the best way to promote your club
Children get involved if they know what they're dealing with
Club coaches seen in the familiar surrounding of their school, Children are more likely to attend the club
Unless the youth know where opportunities exist to take part in Ladies Gaelic Football, they will never engage them
Both parties can work together to promote opportunities to participate in the sport much more effectively
How can a Club/School Link Work?
What can the club do?
Provide information and promotional material about the club
Run a competition at the school or between local schools in the community
Run a club open/fun day at the club for the school
Provide coaches to assist with extra curricular clubs
Run a few coaching sessions on the school site during term time
Provide club facilities for sports day ore events
What can the school do?
Promote club -
Provide facilities for training sessions
Invite club coaches/ players to speak at assemblies or PTA meetings
Dedicate a notice board to the club
Provide letters of support for funding applications
Putting a link into practice
Getting started
Those responsible for managing the school-
Reaching an agreement -
The club and school then need to work together to put the link into practice by:
explaining the benefits of the link to young people, teachers, coaches, parents and club members
ensuring that young people have enough time to get involved and achieve
providing the right teachers, coaches and volunteers and making sure that they have attended child protection
providing enough space and resources
ensuring that school and club environments are safe and welcoming
celebrating young people's achievements and involvement
listening to and acting on the views of young people, parents and others.
Five Steps to establishing Club/School Link
Step 1
-
-
-
Step 2
-
> outline the clubs work in the community
> highlight the Club youth and coaching programme
-
> make arrangements for promoting the club activities within the school and vice versa
> agree contacts from both the school and the club
Step 3
-
> updated weekly
> informing the children of the club activities and events.
-
Step 4
-
-
Step 5
-
-
Providing the right people
It is essential to have experienced teachers, coaches, assistants and volunteers who are qualified to work with young people and are keen to improve their expertise. People involved in school-
The Co-
someone to organise and control the development of Ladies Gaelic Football in school
can be available during school time
Important to have someone who will actively co-
Consider the teacher in charge of PE or sport, a schools coach, the school principal, the club development officer or a semi/retired club coach
Responsibilities:
Co-
On-
Consult school staff regarding sessions, games and blitz's, as it may affect other activities in the school
Remain up-
Actively promote Ladies Gaelic Football in the school and acknowledge staff goodwill in the implementation of the programmes
What makes a Club/School Link Effective and Successful?
When a school and club are working well together, they:
Talk to each other regularly -
Respect each other
Have a shared vision and approach; Agree expectations and goals
Find ways of enabling young people to take part in activity
Share and develop teaching and coaching expertise
Recognize, share and celebrate achievements
Share facilities, equipment and resources
Making a link sustainable
Continuity
Continuity for young people comes through linking the PU curriculum, out of hours activities and the school club link. Young people who join clubs after experiencing particular spoils in PI; at school arc usually more confident in their ability and knowledge. Teachers can help make links by promoting clubs
Immediately after a unit of work or
during an out of hours activity. If young people know a club's coaching staff or other members -
Shared Standards
Many schools are proud of their standards in PI: and school sport
and are anxious that clubs reinforce
Good practice. In line with this, teachers and coaches need to work together to ensure that they share a common approach to working with young people and involving parents/carers. Areas for discussion might include expected standards of behaviour and attitude (of both young people and adults), preparation and planning, providing positive feedback, and involving voung people in their own learning.
Agreement
A formal agreement, whether
written or achieve through mutual understanding, should be negotiated at the start of the link and maintained throughout. This should clarify roles and responsibilities, and agree a vision, expectations and goals.
What makes a
club-
sustainable?
Understanding and respect
For a link to be sustainable, the club and school must show respect for one another's role. They need to actively promote and support each other, rather than being in competition for young people's time and commitment. They also need to understand and appreciate the roles and responsibilities of others that support the link
Cominiuncation
Good communication is crucial to a sustainable link. Clubs and schools need to be in regular contact and share each other's achievements, talking about and celebrating young people's progress. Clubs and schools also need to ensure that they communicate well with young people and their parents/carers.
Involving young people
Most coaches and teachers acknowledge that they need at least five to ten young people to establish an effective, sustainable link. However high number of participants does not necessarily mean that a link is effective. A better indication is the number of young people who stay year after year, attend regularly and eventually become lull members.
Coaches in schools
Many schools value the input of club coaches, as they have good knowledge and are up to date with rules, coaching methods, events and issues in their sport. Having the opportunity to work together strengthens the partnership between coaches and teachers, helping them to share and develop approaches and expertise.