Cumann Lútchleas Gael - Coiste Átha Cliath

Comhairle na nÓg 

Comhdháil Bhliantúil

Páirc Parnell 

10ú Nollaig, 2014 

An Clár

1. Minutes of last AGM

2. Adoption of Standing Orders

3. Secretary’s Report

4. Chairman’s Address

5. Appointment of Tellers

Standing Orders for Convention 

1. The Proposer of a Resolution or Amendment thereto, may speak for 5 minutes but not longer.

1. A Delegate speaking to a Resolution, or amendment, shall not exceed 3 minutes.

1. The Proposer of a Resolution, or Amendment, may speak a second time for 5 minutes, before a vote is taken, but no other Delegate may speak a second time to any Resolution or Amendment.

1. The Chairman shall, at any time he considers a matter has been sufficiently discussed, call on the Proposer to reply, after which a vote will be taken.

1. A Delegate may, with the consent of the Chairman, move “that the question be now put” after which, when the Proposer has spoken, a vote must be taken.

The following people served on committees in 2014

Bord na nÓg

• Cathaoirleach - Cionnaith Ó Suilleabháin / Ken O'Sullivan ( Cuala)

• Leas Cathaoirleach - Bean Uí Lochlainn / Bernie MacLaughlin ( Round Towers Clondalkin)

• Leas Rúnaí - Déaglán Ó Laoire / Declan O'Leary ( Lucan Sarsfields)

• Ball / Member – Tomás Ó Riain / Tom Ryan ( Na Fianna)

• Ball / Member – Caoimhín Ó Seachnasaigh /Kevin O’Shaughnessy

• Ball / Member - Eibhlín Ní Conghaile / Aileen Connolly

CCC1

• Cathaoirleach - Niall Ó Connachtáin / Niall Connaughton ( Round Towers Clondalkin)

• Leas Cathaoirleach - Áine Ó Deá / Anne O'Dea ( Na Fianna)

• Ball / Member - Darren Mac an Ultaigh / Darren Nulty ( O'Dwyers)

• Ball / Member - Stiofán Ó Dúlaoich / Stephen Dooley ( Skerries Harps)

• Ball / Member - Déaglán Ó Coltair / Declan Coulter ( Nh Barrog)

CCC2

• Cathaoirleach - Seán Ó Lorcáin / John Larkin ( St Peregrines)

• Leas Cathaoirleach - Mícheál Ó hÁinle / Mike Hanley ( Lucan Sarsfields)

• Ball / Member - Daibhéid de Hearfort / Dave Harford ( Ballyboden St Enda's)

• Ball / Member - Rónán Ó Liongsigh / Ronan Lynch ( St Sylvesters)

Juvenile Hearing Committee

• Cathaoirleach - Ailin Conchur / Alan O Connor ( St Vincents)

• Rúnaí – Eibhlín Ó Dúláin / Elaine Dolan ( Balinteer St John's)

• Ball / Member - Mait Ó Doinn / Matt Dunne ( Crumlin)

• Ball / Member - Liam Mac Mathúna / Liam McMahon ( St Judes)

• Ball / Member - Tomás Ó Flannabhra / Tommy Flannery ( Lucan Sarsfields)

• Ball / Member - Gearard Ó Rothláin / Gerry Rowley ( Scoil UI Chonaill 

Tuarascáil An Rúnaí

INTRODUCTION

Our first fixtures for the 2014 season were issued on Saturday February 1st with the season concluding on Saturday November 29th. In all between CCC1 and CCC2 over 13,500 fixtures have been circulated to clubs during the year which was an increase of about 900 fixtures on last year driven primarily by increased CCC1 activity.

The aim continues to be to encourage and create more opportunities for our young players to participate in as much hurling and football as is possible. The core objective is to provide games around a structured fixture calendar programme for all stakeholders (mentors, parents and players).

Some Advice for Coaching our very Young Players

• During training get them to play as much hurling / football as possible

• Make yourself aware of the various age-appropriate games/exercises to facilitate individual skills

• Try for having … no lines, no laps, no lectures

• As a Coach enjoy yourself .. if in a bad mood, act like you’re enjoying yourself.. kids pick up on body language

• Greet each player when they arrive in a way that lets them know you’re happy to see them

• Always end practice on an upbeat, happy note. Even if they drove you absolutely crazy.

• See the game through the children's eyes.

• Do not yell instructions at them. Do not coach from the sidelines during games. This interferes severely in their learning process.

• During the game no need to patrol the sideline as this can create tension and unnerve your players.

The above are personal observations which may help some of our new mentors entering into the Go Games programme. On www.dublingaa.ie in the juvenile section you will find all age and code related rules and regulations in addition to hurling and football contact details for all clubs within the County .

Also make sure you check out the Dublin Coaching and Games Development website at www.dublingaagamesdevelopment.ie which is full of training drills and other resources.

CCC1 Go Games Programme (U8 to U12)

We commenced on Saturday 8th February and by Saturday 22nd February all five age groups from Under 8 to Under 12 had been fixed for games in both Football and Hurling.

CCC1 has issued over 9,800 Go Games fixtures this year. We continue to see growth in all age groups and in both codes. In 2014 Football numbers + 4.5% and Hurling also + 4.7% ( excluding Naas ). If we look at activity levels versus 2008 , Football is + 27% and Hurling is + 49%. An interesting measurement is to look at the percentage participation in Hurling versus Football. In 2008 this was 64.5% and for the 2014 season it is 86.2%. So for every 100 children playing Football 86 are also playing Hurling at CCC1 level.

The above statistics show the Coiste na nÓg policy of giving equal importance to the promotion of Juvenile Football and Hurling over the last decade has clearly worked. When combined with the structured weekly programme of activity for Hurling and Football , I continue to believe the high participation rates allow us to compete well against soccer, rugby and other past times for the time and attention of our young players in the important Under 8 to Under 12 age group.

The 2014 season saw one notable change in that U/12 Football like Hurling moved to All County Leagues. So all U/11 & U/12 activity in both codes is now organised on an All County format. We continue to retain Northside and Southside divisions for U/8, U/9 & U/10 in Football. In Hurling at U/10 we continue with a mix of All County and Regional groupings. While at U/8 & U/9 Hurling, we operate on a Northside / Southside basis.

The U/12 teams presented CCC1 with a concern at the start of the season. How to grade U/12 teams? At U/12 level teams participate as a single team unit, moving away from the 2/3 team grouping concept under Go Games and are also taking part in competitive matches with results captured for the first time.

The issue was how to arrive at the grading for 90 Football and 71 Hurling U/12 teams with no prior results / performance information to go on. On receipt of team entries for the 2014 season, CCC1 asked Clubs to self-grad their U/12 teams themselves for the initial five U/12 Football / Hurling Blitz games. The process worked well and led to the drawing up of fairly accurate / competitive divisions (nine in each code) which were used for the League campaigns.

Cathaoirleach CCC1, Niall Connaughton, has more information on the CCC1 season later in this report.

CCC2 Programme

The U/13 to U/16 age groups commenced Football on Saturday 1^st February and the Hurling season began Saturday 1^st March. CCC2 through 112 competitions issued 3,700 competitive fixtures this year similar to the 2013 season.

The activity programme was as follows:

• U/13 Football 19 games & Hurling 15 games

• U/14 Football (15-18) games & Hurling ( 14-16) games

• U/15 Football ( 16-18) games & Hurling ( 11-14) games

• U/16 Football ( 16-20) games & Hurling ( 16-17) games

All of our competitions have been completed. This is a great achievement bearing in mind the number of games we lost at the start of season due to bad weather and the fact that when Teams finish with equal points in deciding 1st or 2nd place for all U/16 and younger age grade League competitions a Play Off must take place... head to head results or score difference cannot be used.

For the 2010 season we introduced the U/14 Football Cup in addition to the U/16 Football Cup and both competitions took place on hurling weekends. The purpose of these competitions was to schedule games for a football only player in a club. At the time CCC2 appealed to clubs to not enter if they did not intend to fulfil the full programme. With the growth of hurling and the fact nearly 50% of the scheduled 188 fixtures were conceded this year, it is unlikely these Football Cup competition will be scheduled in 2015.

On a more positive note was the new National Féile format. The National Féile tournaments for 2014 comprised of a series of tournaments held at National, Regional and Provincial level over the weekends of June 20th – 22nd (Féile na nGael) and June 27th – 29th (Féile na nÓg). Ulster was awarded the national Féile na nGael tournament for both 2014 and 2015, while Connacht hosted the national Féile na nÓg tournament for 2014. 

The new format allowed for a greater participation by all clubs.

• In Football at the National Finals in Connacht , Dublin was represented by Ballyboden St Enda’s and Raheny.

• At Football Regional level by Whitehall Colmcille in Garvahy, Tyrone , with Castleknock going to Mallow, Cork and Kilmacud Crokes attending Hawkfield, Kildare.

• Dublin also had 10 clubs taking part in the Leinster Football Blitzes on the Saturday which took place throughout the Province.

• In Hurling at the National Finals in Ulster, Dublin was represented by St Oliver Plunketts/ Eoghan Ruadh, Castleknock and St Brigids.

• At Hurling Regional level by Kilmacud Crokes in Thurles, Whitehall Colmcille in Mallow, with Ballinteer St Johns going to Galway, Ballyboden St Enda’s to Portlaoise and Na Fianna in Kilkenny.

• Dublin also had 10 clubs taking part in the Leinster Hurling Blitzes on the Saturday throughout the Province.

As the Provincial Féile are open to all Clubs and to facilitate planning for next year:

• Dublin Féile na nGael with take place on Saturday May 2^nd & Sunday May 3^rd with the National Hurling date being Saturday June 20^th .

• Dublin Féile Peil will take place on Saturday May 16^th & Sunday May 17^th with the National Football date being Saturday June 27^th

Finally, Cathaoirleach CCC2, John Larkin’s, has more detail on the programme later in this report and I fully support his comments.

Discipline

With nearly 13,500 fixtures issued this year by CCC1 & CCC2 , it is inevitable due to the sheer number of games that issues around discipline will occur.

At the time of drawing up this report 126 Straight Red Cards ( + 30 v C'13) have been issued to players , broke down as follows : 61 CCC2 Football , 59 CCC2 Hurling , 2 CCC1 Football & 4 CCC1 Hurling.

While the Black Card only applies to Football , it was decided the Black Card would not be used in Go Games fixtures , so the 89 Black Cards issued relate to CCC2 Football. In addition a total of 48 ( - 7 v C'13) Double Yellow carded players leading to a Red Card were issued.

79 Disciplinary Notices ( + 30 v C'13 ) have been issued to Clubs , Mentors , Supporters concerning inappropriate conduct by Team Officials and Partisans' ( 10 of the 79 relate to CCC1). A further 22 warnings have been issued to clubs drawing attention to inappropriate behaviour as CCC1 & CCC2 felt going down the disciplinary route was not the best way to deal with the matters brought to its attention.

Out of the 205 Disciplinary Notices issued , Clubs requested 16 Hearings.

Fines of € 5,123 have been issued with a further € 3,850 placed in Bond of which € 1,450 called in. Clubs who have not paid will be contacted and all outstanding monies must be paid before the start of the 2015 season.

Two incidents were referred to the County Children’s Officer.

From a statistical view point 1.5% is the percentage of Notices of Disciplinary Action to the number of games issued. I also accept maybe not all incidents are reported to Parnell Park. Particularly for the Go Game fixtures it is recommended Clubs initially through their Juvenile Chairpersons try and resolve any issues before passing the matter on to CCC1 or CCC2 if still not satisfied. From speaking to Clubs I know this happens and it is to be encouraged as a first action while knowing the matter can still be forwarded on to me for investigation by the CCCs’.

My concern centres on the behaviour from the side line of mentor, parents and supporters. Adults simply can’t engage in the same behaviour when watching ten year olds as they think is acceptable when watching adult games. The shouting, yelling and loud voicing of opinions towards the referee, their own players and towards the behaviour of the opposition players (children) is simply not acceptable and we must have zero tolerance to these all too common scenarios.

Young players cannot learn how to make their own decisions on the pitch if they are used to receiving constant instructions from the side line. We have to trust the child and let them work it out for themselves. They will never discover how to play properly if you keep shouting instructions at them. We must remember the research indicates the majority of children care less about winning than playing for fun and being with their friends. Competition is healthy but it must come from the children and not originate from the influence of adults.

Spectators need to remember the following at our games:

• Welcome the opposing team’s supporters, mentors and players

• Cheer for your team and not against your opponent

• Respect all officials, players and mentors

• Applaud all good plays

• Never use foul language or ridicule participants

• Respect the facilities

• Keep games fun and enjoyable

• Remember it is not an All Ireland Final

The Football Tackle

The 2014 season saw the introduction of Gaelic Football Rule Changes:

• Introduction of a Black Card for Cynical Behaviour Fouls

• Change in the number of substitutes allowed

• Distinction between Deliberate and Accidental Fouls.

• Definition of the Tackle

• Introduction of a clearer Advantage Rule

• A player in possession may score a point with an open-handed hand-pass

Have these initiatives addressed the concerns around Football. The Black Card was introduced this year. Bord na nÓg / CCC1 were of the belief applying it to Go Games was not appropriate. At CCC2 level 89 Black Cards have been issued. The Black Card was introduced to deal with foul and cynical play and from a juvenile perspective; it is important in setting out to our young players how football should be played.

Every organization should look at itself and assess itself on an ongoing basis. If an area needs to be addressed then it should be. I have a concern about the football tackle and how specifically it is being applied at juvenile level.

The Tackle is re-defined as:
“The Tackle is a skill by which a player may dispossess an opponent or frustrate his objective within the Rules of Fair Play. The tackle is aimed at the ball, not the player. The tackler may use his body to confront the opponent but deliberate bodily contact (such as punching, slapping, arm holding, pushing, tripping, jersey pulling or a full frontal charge) is forbidden. The only deliberate physical contact can be a Fair Charge i.e. Shoulder-to-shoulder with at least one foot on the ground. More than one player can tackle the player in possession.”

At a recent Coiste na nÓg meeting with the Clubs I raised my concerns. What shocked me was not the unanimous confirmation many of our players are being physically punched, slapped and having their arms held all in the process of “tackling” but the resignation of the delegates present that these unfortunate tactics are now just part of the game. This is simply not acceptable that juvenile players can be subjected to this state of affairs. The blame game is easy, …. the referees , the coaches, what they see on the television , etc. I have asked the Coaching and Games department to look at tackling, sorry , addressing this matter. I am hopeful they will come up with an education programme for all stakeholders to roll out in the new year in advance of the new 2015 season.

Bord na nÓg Survey

At the end of last year , Bord na nÓg circulated a survey seeking responses over a number of broad areas affecting Juvenile games in Dublin. The response to the survey/questions were excellent . Many clubs put some real time and effort into providing constructive feedback to Bord na nOg. The feedback from the clubs defined what they felt was affecting them , both positively and negatively in relation to how our games are played/managed/organised/referee'd.

Bord na nOg reviewed the 138 separate responses to the primary questions and through analysis defined 50 possible actionable items from this.

The actionable items were primarily in the following areas

Player Pathway – Many clubs identified issues with player retention issues from CCC1 to CCC2 and into Adult. Bord na nOg believe that the continued provision of our extensive games program through the non-competitive CCC1 and into CCC2 is best suited to addressing majority of the concerns raised that are within the remit of Bord na nOg.

Logistics – The feedback primarily pertained to concerns over travel distances , and while we have North/South splits at the younger ages to alleviate some travel issues - the need for increased competition leads to All-County games from U11 upwards. Another request was for the CCC's to schedule games for Friday Evenings - Bord na nOg feel that there is enough scope within rule for teams/clubs to arrange Friday games as they see fit.

Development Squads – Concerns were raised regarding the availability of players, burn-out and fixture rescheduling due to player involvement in Development squads. These concerns have been relayed to Games and Development for consideration.

Coaching Support - Requests for additional coaching support especially in Hurling. These requests have been passed onto Games and Development to aid in defining the coach education programs for the coming year.

Rules/By-Laws/Regulations – Some requests to review the Re-fixtures rules and Go –game rules … it has been agreed that the Go Games rules should not be amended as the overall feedback from delegates at meetings is the programme is working and to avoid creating confusion by rule changes. One suggestion I put forward at the 2015 Calendar meeting with Clubs in October was to introduce “streaming “ at the U/11 age group as opposed to the current U/9 age group. There was overwhelming support to maintain the current status quo as the flexible “streaming” policy recognises each player’s current ability and benefits the long term development of the weaker players …. Without streaming the better players would dominate games from U/9 onwards

Referees –  The survey findings reported back to the Juvenile Referee Committee re: Support, Standards, Training and requests for a Constructive Feedback process.

Calendar/Competitions – Requests for additional competitions, additional games/blitz’s and changes to league formats. Arising from the survey feedback and the Coiste na nÓg meeting in October , CCC2 has tried to build this into the proposed 2015 Juvenile Fixture Calendar.

The feedback from this survey has led to various changes already and will further drive changes in the year/years ahead. It is very important to note that Bord na nOg feel that the feedback effectively called for a fine tuning of the games program to provide an even better offering in the coming year/'s. Overall, the feedback from all was very positive and was seen as a testament to the hard work and dedication of volunteers throughout our clubs across Dublin in delivering in conjunction with Bord na nOg , CCC1 and CCC2 , a games program that is second to none in realms of the GAA or other sports.

Communication

It has never been easier to make contact with people. All mentors and referees have given permission for their mobile numbers to be posted on www.dublingaa.ie . The mobile version of the new website is particularly useful as with 3 clicks on your smartphone you can dial one of these numbers.

However, only a small percentage of home mentors’ make contact with the referee to confirm availability or to inform him of any venue change etc. Mentors just assume referees will turn up. It is most disappointing that several times during the year I have to request Clubs to  make their CCC2 Mentors aware of the process . Mentors, when dealing with juvenile players (children) and parents, do not make last minute changes to starting times or match venues.  Therefore the Referee should be informed by the Wednesday if the time of a fixture, or indeed the venue, is changing.

Another frustrating experience which often takes place is the last minute cancellation or concession of a game. We all understand the situation that can develop leading to a walk over but please at least keep your opposition mentor informed of any potential difficulties on your part. We are dealing with children and basic courtesy should be followed. From your first U/8 game onwards mentors should always communicate with the opposition team prior to the Saturday game. At Go Games level, you can also draw attention to a number shortfall which again can happen from time to time with a two team or three team grouping.

Conclusion

I would like to thank all the officers of Bord na nÓg, CCC1, CCC2, the Juvenile Hearings Committee and County Hearing Committee for all their assistance and support during the year. In particular I would like to acknowledge the help and guidance from Ken O’Sullivan Cathaoirleach Coiste na nÓg and John Larkin Cathaoirleach CCC2. As Niall Connaughton is not going forward next year as Cathaoirleach CCC1, I want to recognize and express on all our behalves our appreciation of his contribution to juvenile affairs in Dublin GAA over the last four years as Cathaoirleach.

Many thanks to all Club Referee Coordinators who each weekend are responsible for allocating nearly 300 referee for our Go Games programme. I wish to acknowledge their role and thank them. I also wish to thank Derek Doran who handles all late / last minute referee changes for CCC2 games. On one weekend in September John Larkin and Derek had to replace nearly 40 referees. I really appreciate the time, effort and enthusiasm that Derek puts in to this vital role.

I would like to thank the Herald and Kevin Nolan & Ronan MacLochlainn in particular for the coverage of juvenile games given in each Tuesday’s edition.

I would like to thank all my work colleagues in Parnell Park especially County Secretary John Costello, Adult CCC Secretary John McNicholas and the Coaching and Games department. To Patsy Kiernan , Noel Brady, Noel Murphy and all the ground staff who assist with the many finals we hold in Parnell Park. To our County Chairman , Andy Kettle, for attending many of our Delegate meetings and for his continued strong support of juvenile games in the county. As always a special thanks to Kathleen McPoland for her continued help, guidance and assistance throughout the year.

Finally, thanks to all club officials, delegates, mentors and referees for their support in 2014 and I look forward to all of us collectively making sure all our young players, regardless of their level of ability, are provided with the opportunities to develop within the GAA family.

I continue to be surprised by the time and effort put in by so many people. Each week hundreds of people give of their personal time to coach teams. They are backed up by parents who help with travel arrangements each match day and who provide refreshments for visiting teams on our many blitz days among a list of chores. Then we have those dedicated club members who maintain club facilities, look after pitch maintenance and those people who are constantly looking at opportunities to fund raise for their club. As Pat Gilroy recently said “Sports aren’t meant to be just elitist, only for the best”. Every week we see great attitudes , values and philosophies in how our games are played and through enormous goodwill and positive feedback in all our activities. At Juvenile level in Dublin this is something we should all be very proud of.

Damian Ó Murchú

Rúnaí

Coiste na nÓg

Chairperson CCC1 Annual Report

As we reach the end of my fourth season as Chairman of CCC1, it’s time to look back on what I would like to believe has been a hugely successful season. This is my ninth year involved with CCC1 and I genuinely believe the games program currently at CCC1 is at an all-time high. The efforts from all stakeholders responsible – players, mentors, clubs & committee is fantastic and I believe that games at CCC1 level in Dublin continue to go from strength to strength. Participation numbers and team entries continue to increase.

One area that needs to be continually monitored is the groupings of clubs at specific age groups. Since the rule changes regarding competition and score keeping, it is not becoming any easier to ensure that all clubs are placed in the correct groupings. While it is not an exact science, playing numbers per age group remain the best method of allocating teams. CCC1 allow clubs to change the groups they are in after the summer break from (U8-U11) as playing numbers can go up and down throughout the year and flexibility in this regard is required.

This was the third year of the U12 all-county Football Blitz which replaced the defunct annual Leinster Hurling tournament. The U12 all-county blitz took place on the same day as the U11 Camaint finals as there was no other CCC1 activity on that day thus there were no issues with pitch availability.

The annual Camaint Tournament continues to be hugely popular and despite this the U11 Camaint tournament being non-competitive for the second year, it doesn’t appear to have diminished it’s appeal. Entry numbers & feedback indicate that it remains a highlight for many. Continuing our position from last year, we did not seek results outside of the finals day. The U12 Camaint continues to proceed as normal and a great finals day was held in Parnell Park.

CCC1 is always grateful to the stewards and grounds committee for their help and support in allowing us fix the Camaint finals for Parnell Park.

I’m pleased to report that on-field indiscipline has been at a low level in 2014 and I would hope this trend continues into 2015.

Despite a very wet February & November, we did not have to issue any blanket weather call off’s. It may be to do with the increased availability of all-weather pitches but there are fewer remaining games than other years. CCC1 is grateful to the continued proactive nature of clubs and mentors in getting fixtures played and the instances where we are having clashes and ongoing discussions over communions, entrance exams and other such events which were huge issues in the past is on the decrease.

My sincere thanks to all Club delegates & mentors who I’ve had the pleasure of serving this year. All the staff in Parnell Park – in particular Kathleen McPoland, Patsy Kiernan, Noel Brady, Chairman of Bord na nÓg Ken O’Sullivan, County Chairman Andy Kettle and County Secretary John Costello for their assistance in ensuring CCC1 could deliver the game program they did.

Regrettably work and club commitments will curtail my involvement in 2015. I would have loved to have completed a five year term as Chairman of CCC1 to go with four years as an Officer, however I was elected last month as Chairman of Round Towers and cannot perform both roles.

I'm not going too far however and will remain on the CCC1 committee in 2015 and I wish my successor, the best of luck in their new role and I’m sure it will be a massive success. I would like to finally thank all the mentor, delegates and players whom I've had the pleasure serving over the last number of years and wish all the best of luck in 2015.

Is mise le meas,

Niall Ó Connachtaín

CCC2 Report 2014

Season Overview

The early season was, unfortunately, dominated by the weather. By mid-March, we had in excess of 200 back matches. Most back matches had to be fixed midweek and in fairness to the clubs the vast majority of them got on with it without complaint, ensuring we were able to finish our season on time and for that CCC2 is very grateful. The fact that we fixed in excess of 3700 fixtures and finished all competitions by 29th November was a remarkable achievement and a testament to the commitment of the clubs in Dublin to getting the games played.

Congratulations to Ballyboden St Enda and Kilmacud Crokes on winning the Dublin Feiles. They along with all other clubs representing Dublin, competed extremely well at national, provincial, and regional levels, under the revised format of the tournament.

Other performances of note came from Ballyboden St Endas, who won 3 of the 4 U15 & U16 A championships. Amongst those clubs winning multiple sets of medals were Kilmacud Crokes, Parnell’s, O’Tooles, St. Peregrine’s, Fingallians, Raheny and St. Pats (P). It was good to see St James Gaels, Round Towers (L) & O’Dwyers win Football Leagues, along with Round Towers (L) winning a hurling league. They are examples of clubs that will hopefully continue to grow and it is hoped that other small clubs will follow their example.

Competitions

CCC2 ran 57 football competitions (excluding 12 grading leagues) and 43 hurling competitions. We continued with league semi-finals and finals for U14 & 16 football , but we have decided to change this system to straightforward finals between the top 2 clubs. U/15 hurling had semi-finals and finals but as with football we have decided to go straight to finals, as well as introducing finals in under 14 hurling. We have amended the calendar slightly to facilitate the feile weekends and have not scheduled any games on bank holiday weekends, along with reducing the number of back matches prior to the exam break. We will however utilise the bank holiday weekends for back matches, should this be required. We will be highlighting back match dates in the calendar, and clubs are advised to get their games played in advance of these, if possible. We will publish a list of all back matches and revised dates on www.dublingaa.ie , so please advise your mentors, to be aware of this, as games once fixed are play or concede.

Leagues

The leagues remain the cornerstone of our competitions. They offer regular games to our players and from that point of view they are essential. The vast majority of our leagues ran to time and schedule this year but once again a couple had to be redrawn. CCC2 would again ask clubs not to enter teams they did not have. Hurling numbers have improved again this year, with this in mind we are considering not running the football cup tournaments, as there is too much of a gap in the standards of participating teams, which has consistently lead to teams conceding games or dropping out of the competition. Unfortunately we do not have sufficient teams to justify multiple leagues.

Championships / Feile

We ran the championships in a single draw format. CCC2 are happy with the working of the draws this year, and clubs appear to be happy using this system for all championships. The championships ran smoothly, and in general the grading does appear to have been competitive enough. It has been this committee’s policy for many years now that, for the championships held at the end of the year, clubs doing well in leagues are promoted and clubs doing poorly are relegated. This is in order to ensure that a team gets at least one competition in the year where it can be competitive. I understand that this irks some clubs but what disadvantages you this year may well benefit you next year and I am asking that clubs understand this. To our minds it is vital to be fair to teams and, as stated above, to allow them one competition in the year they can hope to compete.

In relation to the Feile competitions, we structured the fixtures again this, with result texts being sent to the venue co-ordinator, this again got positive feedback. I want to thank all venue co-ordinators for giving up their time to ensure the smooth running of our Feile competitions.

I wish to thank the staff in Parnell Park, O’Toole Park and the executive Committee of St. Peregrines. All 33 of our Feile and Championship finals were hosted across these venues and we are enormously grateful for their co-operation and assistance.

Referees

We had quite a few cases where referees were verbally abused this year. This will not be tolerated by CCC2 and in each case a suspension has been issued. We would ask clubs to ensure that mentors, players & partisans act in a proper manner while attending our games. We had an oversupply of referees again this year which meant that we were able to replace refs who were unavailable. Very few games therefore went ahead without a referee. Indeed this only tended to happen when a ref had to withdraw in an emergency circumstance. Every effort is made by CCC2 to ensure that all refs get a fair number of games. I would like to thank all of the referees who served us this year. They are the cornerstone of our Association, without whom there would be no games, something that is worth remembering the next time you think it’s ok to shower abuse on one of them. I would like to particularly thank Derek Doran, who took on the task of finding replacement referees, for late changes. This on occasion turned out to be an onerous task as in one week alone Derek had to make 24 changes between Thursday evening, and the weekend’s games. We would ask all mentors to ensure they contact the appointed referee well in advance of their fixtures, to give us ample time to find a replacement if required. This in the main does not appear to be happening unfortunately, it would appear to be the same mentors who contact us on a regular basis, should they require a replacement. We would also ask clubs to inform us as soon as possible if their games are reversed, as unless we are informed the fixture will be left with a referee from a local club, who generally then require changing. We spread our Finals across the referees with 74 being offered our various finals held.

Development Squads

We have worked well with the Coaching and Games department this year, and have not had any problems in relation to clashes between our fixtures and development squad fixtures; much credit is due to the Football and Hurling officers of the county board for their willingness to engage with us. In return CCC2 is always willing to assist the development squads in whatever way we can while at the same time seeking to protect the integrity of our calendar. We thank the Coaching and Games Department for their understanding that the clubs must take priority at this level. We will continue to allocate whatever time we can to the squads in order to ensure they get a decent amount of competition in the year.

Communications

We again have had a couple of issues with U13 mentors this year, and I would ask all clubs to ensure that their lead mentor attend the grading meeting. This is where they will be instructed on the workings of CCC 2 and in particular the regulations we operate under.

In relation to the returning of match results, we have seen an improvement in the numbers of results being returned shortly after the completion of games, but still have to chase several clubs regularly. There are many reasons why this may be the case so I would ask all clubs to ensure that the contact list is checked on receipt, and any amendments required are informed to us to allow us issue accurate information.

We have asked that mentors contact the text line, should the assigned referee be unavailable, this unfortunately is only happening in the minority of cases (less than 10% across the season). If mentors do not contact the referee in adequate time, we will not be in a position to guarantee finding a replacement, and the games will then be refereed by the opposition.

Problems Moving Forward

Poor adult behaviour was the main issue raised in the referees reports. I would remind all mentors that we are dealing with children here, who should be allowed to play football and hurling without being intimidated by opposing side-lines.

As mentioned above the other issue is returning results. Clubs are asked to remind mentors that all weekend results should be returned before 12.00 Monday, and midweek games the following day.

Thanks

My thanks first of all to our Runai, Damian Murphy, who puts in an enormous amount of work, and has made my job a whole lot easier. Thanks to my fellow committee members Mike Hanley, Dave Harford and Ronan Lynch for their invaluable contributions and time through the year. Thanks to County Chairman Andy Kettle and County Secretary John Costello for their unstinting support and to Leas Runai Kathleen McPoland for her continued work on behalf of the committee. Finally I would like to thank all delegates for their attendance and input at the meetings this year, and the clubs for assisting us by hosting various group stages of our competitions.

John Larkin

Cathaoirlach, CCC2

Coiste Eisteachta na nOg – Juvenile Hearings Committee Report -2014

The Juvenile Hearings Committee deals with all requests for hearings from players who have had a penalty prosed against them or clubs who have been charged under the various rules of the Official Guide regarding the behaviour of players, mentors and known partisans.

The Committee met six times this year in response to requests for hearings. None of these requests came from players. All came from clubs who had been charged with failing to control their players/mentors/supporters or who had been charged with conduct which was considered to have discredited the Association.

While six hearings is not a high figure the cases themselves were uniformly serious and in all cases Coiste Eisteachta na nOg found, to a greater or lesser extent, that the clubs concerned had to take the blame for the conduct of their members. None of the clubs appealed our decision and I wish to acknowledge that clubs were willing to accept their punishment as decided by this Committee.

The fact that players are accepting the decisions handed down by CCC2 when they stray beyond the bounds of acceptable behaviour is also to be commended. The less this committee meets the better it is for all of us promoting Gaelic games in Dublin.

I wish to thank our secretary, Elaine Dolan of Naomh Eoin/Baile an tSaoir for her sterling work and also the other members of the committee; Liam McMahon, Naomh Jude, Gerry Rowley, Scoil Ui Chonaill and Tommy Flannery, Na Sairsealaigh Leamhcain, for their work during the year.

Beir bua is beannacht

Ailin O’Conchur (Alan O’Connor)

Cathaoirlach, Coiste Eisteachta na nOg

Coaching Academy/Development Squads

The ethos of our Coaching Academy in both Hurling and Football is to provide an opportunity for players from all clubs to achieve their potential. While these squads participate in various inter county competitions during the year the main focus at these age groups is on development rather than results. Its is important to note that all Squads at all age groups are fluid and are capable of integrating a late developer or a player who for whatever reason has not been nominated by his club at an earlier stage.

The below table’s illustrates the large number of clubs currently represented in the Coaching Academy and this is now following through to minor level where this year there were 14 clubs represented on the Dublin Minor Hurling Panel while there were 18 clubs represented on the Dublin Minor Football Panel.

We would like to sincerely thank all the Clubs involved for their co-operation throughout the year and we would also like to thank CCC2 for their help and co-operation with Fixture Planning. Finally we would like to acknowledge the efforts of all our Coaching Academy mentors who in addition to coaching and often playing in their own clubs find the time to lend their expertise to the Coaching Academies.

Colm Burtchaell Stephen O Shaughnessy

Hurling Development Officer Football Development Officer

Hurling

Football

Children’s Officer Report 

Coiste Átha Cliath are committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all young people who participate in our Gaelic Games and activities. “Our Games - Our Code” is the GAA’s overall Code of Best Practice. Implementing this code at all levels is a key objective of the County Children’s Officer and Club Children’s Officer. “Our Games - Our Code” is a joint Code subscribed to by the GAA, LGFA, Camogie, Rounders and Handball.  It is enshrined in Rule 1:13 of the GAA Official Guide. The National Child Welfare and Protection Committee consistently review and update the Code of Best practice in line with impending legislation and guidance from the Irish Sports Council (ISC) & TULSA. This year they have put structures in place to help and support the role of Children’s Officer at club & county. This year some of these changes have been

• Clarifying the role of the club executive when complaints of alleged breaches have been received.

• Clarifying the role and make-up of the Code of Best Practice Hearings Committee

• At county level implementing a Code of Best Practise in Youth Sport County Determining Committee

As has been the norm over the last number of years, there are a number of mandatory obligations for all adults working with children in the GAA. This includes being garda vetted through the GAA, LGFA, Camogie, Rounders or Handball, having completed the child protection in sport awareness workshops and at minimum, having completed the foundation coaching award. These will be an ongoing process and every club should provide their coaches with opportunities to attend coaching & training courses relevant to their role.

Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshops

One of the primary roles that the Children’s Officer is to promote and coordinate the 3 hour ISC/GAA Child Protection in Sport Awareness workshops. These workshops are compulsory for everyone working with young people in sport. Dublin has 7 active tutors who have been delivering these workshops to GAA clubs on behalf of the GAA and the Irish Sports Council (ISC). 2014 has been an exceptionally busy year for these tutors. There has been a huge increase in the number of people completing this course over the past year, with numbers jumping from 850 completing it in 2013 to 1,526 people in 2014. This is a total of 96 courses. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the tutors who give up their time to assist in the delivery of these courses, it is always appreciated. In 2015 this workshop will still be a top priority and we aim to double the number of tutors available to deliver the course to make them even more accessible for clubs.

Children’s Officer and Designated Person Training

Each year we have provided training for Club Children’s Officers & Designated Persons. The course has been revised in 2014 by the National Child Welfare and Protection Committee and was rolled out for Children Officers in October with 20 clubs in attendance. The feedback from officers in attendance was very positive and we will host another course in early 2015.

Anti – Bullying: GAA tackling bullying

The National Child Welfare and Protection Committee have developed a training workshop in response to a growing awareness of the impact of bullying in society and particularly in sport. We are the first sporting body to develop such a resource and it has been presented to the ISC so to enable them to aid other sports organisation develop a similar programme. It consists of a two hour training workshop and is suitable for everyone in a club – coaches, parents, players and other club personnel. 2014 saw the first of these courses being delivered in Dublin on a need by need basis.

I also feel a need to highlight the Code of Behaviour, which is one section of ‘Our Games- Our Code’. This is one of the most important sections of the code and needs to be communicated to everyone in a club – the committee, the coaches, the players, the parents and supporters. It addresses the minimum appropriate levels of behaviour, practice and conduct required of all our members working with children and I feel every member needs to be reminded of the code of behaviour on an annual basis. Unfortunately this year I have noticed a rise in the number of minor breaches in this code. Most of these breaches were easily and effectively dealt with but all were avoidable if the code had been followed effectively. Everyone involved in our sport and in our activities should accept the roles and responsibilities that they undertake as we commit ourselves to maintaining an enjoyable and safe environment for all. The safeguarding of our members will always be a key priority as we recognise that the welfare of the child is of paramount importance in our work.

Finally, I would like to thank all the Club Children’s Officers, for the dedication and hard work they have been doing in their clubs over the year. I would also like to thank Gearóid Ó Maoilmhichí, the National GAA Children’s Officer, who is always on hand for advice and help when needed.

Aileen Connolly
Dublin GAA Children’s Officer

Roll of Honour 2014

Football

Hurling

 Motions

That, starting in 2016, Coiste na nÓg Átha Cliath, through CCC2, establish a Dublin Under U14 Hurling Championship competition – to be played in the months of August, September and October each year. ( Cill Mochuda na Crócaigh)