By 
2025 COUNTY CONVENTION
THE leading Coaching Officer in the County has praised the response of clubs to the North Tyrone Project, launched this past year to help galvanise Gaelic Games in that locality.
Roger Keenan, chairperson of the Coaching and Games Committee, states in his report to the annual Convention that he has been heartened by the positive feed back of the ten clubs involved in the scheme.
The Project had earmarked ten adjacent North Tyrone clubs who are are all operating at Grade3 or 4 level in youth, as well as Junior and Intermediate at adult level. Rural depopulation and a decrease in playing numbers in the majority of clubs (except Strabane) was also a worrying trend the County Board was looking to address; as well as a distinct lack of active coaches on the ground and a need to embrace coach education programmes.
Mr Keenan, is his first year as the County Coaching Officer, explained the thinking behind the initiative.
“ We felt it was important to reach out and support these clubs in terms of providing better coaching support, as well as providing a better support system for players in terms of skill development, tactical development and lifestyle/wellness support.
“ The buy-in from the clubs was excellent with over forty U14 players attending six coaching sessions based on skill development, decision making, attacking and defending principles.
“ We also had upwards of thirty club coaches attending, interacting and taking notes on these sessions, thus building real coaching capacity back in their clubs.”
The Gortin man added that parents were also exposed to classroom sessions on Athletic Development, Nutrition and Hydration.
He stated that while this was a pilot project, plans are already being made to roll out this programme to other regions in Tyrone in Spring 2026.
While generally upbeat in his assessment of the quality of and commitment to Coaching and Games in Tyrone which has made the County a ‘formidable force’ in Gaelic Games across the country, Mr Keenan warned that all stakeholders had to guard against complacency.
“ This doesn’t happen by accident but through hard work, a long-term vision and most importantly all of us rowing in the one direction. While our senior county teams may be the barometer on which we are judged the health of a county is often in the bricks and mortar found at club level.
“ So with that in mind, a word of caution. While our academies and underage teams are the envy of every other county in Ireland, that alone will not guarantee senior county success. We must keep a watchful eye on our clubs, and particularly those that are deemed as weaker.
“Nothing stays the same and demographic trends would indicate that the next 10 years could potentially see significant challenges for some clubs. We are all pieces of the jigsaw that makes up Tyrone GAA and any piece that falls or goes out of existence will have repercussions for us all.”
