FOOTBALL 4 FUN

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Ladies Gaelic Football Presentation to CUSAI

• FOOTBALL 4 FUN
• (A working title)

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Outline of the Presentation

• Background
• Trends in Irish team sport
• Challenges for Ladies football
• Gaelic4Mothers A Case Study
• Maximising synergies
• Our proposal
• Investments required
• Success criteria
• Comments

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Background

• Ladies Football is the fastest growing team
  sport for females in Ireland today
• Membership in excess of 130,000 in over 1000
  locations
• Has been successful as a gateway sport for
  girls/women reengaging in sport after a number of
  years non activity or participating in sport for
  the first time
• Gaelic 4 Girls
• Gaelic4 Mothers
• We want to target 3rd level students who have not
  
• been engaged in the sport to participate in a
• team sport in a fun / enjoyable environment

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Trends in Irish Team Sport

• Drop off in participation in 18 t0 22 age profile
  especially in the female population
• Elite format mainly promoted in Third Level team
  sports
• Sport has proven to be a support for Student
  coming to terms with the demands of Third Level
  infrastructure

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Challenges for Ladies Football

• Hugh growth across a wide variety of Counties and
  internationally ( 10 year on year)
• Challenge at University / Third levels to promote
  non elite participation and recreational
  sports/activities
• Limited infrastructure / resources
• Fall off in Participation results from
• players moving from traditional rural
• Clubs to urban environments

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Gaelic4Mothers a case study

• 2008 Programme piloted in 22 locations
• In excess of 450 women participated in the
  programme
• Six week programme over 60 of Programmes
  continued
• Focus on Fun and recreation
• 2009 35 Centres part of the Programme
• Whitehall attracted over 90 participants
• Age profile late 20s mid 50s
• Has grown in numbers and popularity from the 2008
  pilot

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Maximising synergies

• Ladies Football wants to increase the numbers of
  players participating in the Sport
• A key goal is the development of a non elite tier
  of competition within third level institutions -
  providing a safe introduction to the sport
• Key role of CUSAI- drive up participation in
  Sports in third level institutions
• Key Concern about the drop off in females
  participating in team sports in third level
  institutions
• Real challenge for first years to engage in team
  sports that will allow themselves network into
  the various institutions outside of academic
  class groups

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Our Proposal

• Pilot a new initiative called Football 4 Fun in
  third level institutions
• DIT / Mary Immaculate have expressed interest
• We would require 5 institutions
• Limit the pilot to Five institutions to match
• our resources
• Promote the concept as an introductory non
  competitive team sport with fun being the
  central component

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Format for the Games

• Based on Gaelic4Mothers recreational concept
• Small sided with teams of 9-a-side
• Unlimited substitution to ensure maximum
  participation
• A safe learning fun environment
• Shorter format (2x15 minute halves)
• Skill development through participation in games
• Focus on participation rather than competition

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Key success Criteria

• Target of 60 Students for each location (300 in
  Total)
• 5 Introductory sessions and a Blitz in each
  location
• Representative teams invited from each college to
  participate in a cluster Football 4 Fun blitz
• National roll out September 2010 dependant on the
  success of the 09 pilot

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Investments required- Ladies Football

• Project Coach / facilitator in each location to
  be identified
• Introduction session support material provided
• Footballs/ Training bibs
• Mentor role provided by LGF for each project
  Coach
• Referees provided for blitzes
• Co-ordination and organisation of all activities
  associated with cluster Blitz
• Promotional material launch in conjunction with
  the All Ireland Finals

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Investment required CUSAI

• Champion identified to assist promote the
  Football 4 Fun concept in each location and
  promotion of the concept through existing
  communication channels
• Facilities to be provided in each location
• 50 contribution towards the cost of getting
  teams to the cluster blitz (circa 600 per
  institution)

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Return on Investment

• 300 new participants in team sports across the
  third level institutions (Not previously involved
  in team sports )
• New non- elite tier established as a pilot for
  increasing participation in Ladies football
• Greater involvement in sport for key focus area
  for the Colleges and ladies football females
  (18-24)
• Model to facilitate scalability in clusters
• across all campuses in 2010

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Next Steps

• Proposal to be considered by CUSAI as a joint
  venture
• Steering groups to be established with
  participating institutions
• Budgets agreed
• Launch in September to coincide with the All
  Irelands
• Pilot commence in September
• Cluster blitz completed by Christmas