Youth Athletic Development Course completed
yesterday marked the completion of a major milestone for coaching and player development at St Sylvester’s, with 30 club coaches successfully finishing the Youth Athletic Development Course.
This achievement places the club among a very small group, with St Sylvester’s becoming just the second club in Dublin to complete this programme. It reflects a strong commitment to long term player development and to continuously raising coaching standards across all areas of the club.
The course involved a significant commitment from coaches, with 12 hours in total made up of eight online learning modules followed by an in person practical workshop, which took place yesterday. Coaches from a wide mix of age groups and codes across the club took part, creating a great opportunity for shared learning and collaboration.
Feedback from the final workshop was extremely positive. Coaches reported strong learning outcomes and left the session feeling confident and equipped to apply new ideas within their own team environments. The practical nature of the day allowed coaches to explore how athletic development concepts can be brought to life through age appropriate drills, games and activities.
The focus now turns to implementation. Coaches will begin embedding the ideas, strategies, drills and games from the course into their 2026 team plans. All content created during the workshop will be shared with course participants, and additional feedback will be gathered and circulated to support continued learning and refinement.
Given the success of this programme, the club plans to run the course again in the future as another positive step in supporting both coach development and player progression across the club.
A big thank you to St Oliver Plunkett’s National School for providing top class facilities for the practical workshop, and to Treasa and the Dublin GAA County Board for their support in facilitating and delivering this excellent new course.
Syls Abú.
yesterday marked the completion of a major milestone for coaching and player development at St Sylvester’s, with 30 club coaches successfully finishing the Youth Athletic Development Course.
This achievement places the club among a very small group, with St Sylvester’s becoming just the second club in Dublin to complete this programme. It reflects a strong commitment to long term player development and to continuously raising coaching standards across all areas of the club.
The course involved a significant commitment from coaches, with 12 hours in total made up of eight online learning modules followed by an in person practical workshop, which took place yesterday. Coaches from a wide mix of age groups and codes across the club took part, creating a great opportunity for shared learning and collaboration.
Feedback from the final workshop was extremely positive. Coaches reported strong learning outcomes and left the session feeling confident and equipped to apply new ideas within their own team environments. The practical nature of the day allowed coaches to explore how athletic development concepts can be brought to life through age appropriate drills, games and activities.
The focus now turns to implementation. Coaches will begin embedding the ideas, strategies, drills and games from the course into their 2026 team plans. All content created during the workshop will be shared with course participants, and additional feedback will be gathered and circulated to support continued learning and refinement.
Given the success of this programme, the club plans to run the course again in the future as another positive step in supporting both coach development and player progression across the club.
A big thank you to St Oliver Plunkett’s National School for providing top class facilities for the practical workshop, and to Treasa and the Dublin GAA County Board for their support in facilitating and delivering this excellent new course.
Syls Abú.
