Bandon GAA club promote Gaelic Games for all with new camp

BANDON GAA Club recently held a very successful All-Stars Inclusive GAA Camp every Saturday morning over several weeks for 14 children.

Bandon GAA Healthy Club officer Liz Gleeson said the initiative was designed to bring joy to the kids. 

“The initiative brought joy to the kids. 14 kids with physical difficulties turned up for one hour every Saturday morning. These kids would never have the opportunity to be part of mainstream GAA training. They proudly wear their Bandon jersey and practice all the skills under the eye of the underage coaches,” she said.

The Bandon GAA club member said the inclusive GAA camp is all about ‘community’ outreach. 

“This is about community outreach and about placing inclusivity at the centre of the GAA club. There was a strong committee involved in setting up the camp. Amy Allen was a huge help. It is good for the kids involved and preaches a pertinent message to all. We are due to start another block of inclusive camps at the end of January. We are running them off in six weeks blocks at a time.” 

The inclusive GAA camps are held in both the Bandon GAA club pavilion and on their astroturf pitch. 

“We are running it when the coaches are available as they have their own underage groups. It is quieter in the winter months, so they have more time to come on board and do the skills with the kids. We use the club pavilion for some of the kids while other kids go out onto the astroturf. We will use the main pitch going forward when the weather improves.

“All the kids loved the first block, so they are all coming back for the second installment. We take in 14 kids at a time, and we also have some kids on a waiting list. I am hoping to recruit some more parents in January to do disability-inclusive training and safeguarding so more parents will be able to come on board. We also had some of the Dermot Earley participants help us out which was great,” she added.

The 14 kids engage in several GAA skills during the inclusive camp. Gleeson said their main aim is to ensure the boys and girls have fun. 

“They are doing GAA skills in both hurling and football. We have set up an obstacle course in the pavilion which incorporates GAA skills. We make sure they have a lot of fun. More kids are then out on the astroturf. They tend to be older, so they do more advanced skills. The kids range from the age of 5 to 12. They are all from Bandon and the greater locality.” 

The Bandon GAA healthy club officer said everyone benefited from the inclusive GAA camp. 

“They have a range of disabilities. It is very inclusive. 

It was amazing, even for us as coaches. We got so much out of it. 

"It became such a fun morning for both the kids and coaches. The parents got to step aside and have a cup of tea or coffee. They got to meet other parents in similar situations. It became a lovely event every Saturday morning.” 

SPONSORED

After the 14 kids completed the inclusive GAA camp, they were presented with Bandon GAA jerseys and a trophy. 

“After they completed the programme, they each got a Bandon GAA jersey and a lovely trophy. We were very lucky that Caulfield’s SuperValu who are our underage sponsors came on board and sponsored a jersey for the children who completed our pilot programme.” 

Earlier this year Bandon GAA club became the first Cork GAA club to run and complete the Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative. 

“We set up a healthy club initiative just over a year ago. The Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative and the inclusive camp both came out of that. The inclusive camp was very much encouraged by our chairperson John Aherne. All the underage coaches in Bandon got involved with it. The healthy club is all about providing a hub for health and wellbeing in the community. We have a great committee. A lot of people are interested in the different programmes.

“The healthy club has pushed things on. We are doing a walking initiative now in January as part of the Ireland Lights Up campaign. The walk will start and finish at the GAA club. We have done a sun-safe programme and healthy eating with the kids. 

There is great work going on behind the scenes in our GAA club. We have great facilities. So many people are driving things on. 

"There is great unity and a great sense of pride in our community. We are all striving to make it more inclusive and open for all,” she added.

“It was one of the most rewarding initiatives I was ever involved in. It was just fantastic. The kids got so much out of it. The smiles on their faces told their own story. They loved it. The parents loved it as well. They loved seeing their kids feel part of a team and club. We really want to spread the message that these kids should have the opportunity to have activities the same as every other kid in Bandon.”