Opportunity for local GAA Clubs

The GAA is offering 16 clubs across the four provinces of Ireland the opportunity to participate in an exciting new project aimed at enriching the lives of club members and players while further strengthening each club's ties to their local community. The successful applicants will be assisted in putting health and well-being at the heart of everything they do as a club. The GAA Healthy Club Project aims to ensure that the club becomes associated with fitness and wellbeing for all its members (players and non-players) as well as for the wider community. GAA clubs all over the world already provide great health benefits for their players, members and communities alike. Yet there exists an on-going hunger from clubs for guidance in many areas relating to health promotion including healthy eating and diet, drugs and alcohol misuse, mental health and well-being, suicide prevention and response, the promotion of health and well-being through physical activity, activities for older and non-playing members, and health and safety. The 'GAA Healthy Club Project' aims to highlight and re-enforce the great work already being done by clubs while assisting them in identifying and responding to the most important health issues amongst their membership and in their communities. 16 clubs - four from each province - will be selected to participate for Phase 1 of the 'GAA Healthy Club Project' which will run for 24 months starting in early 2013. This project is being run in conjunction with the HSE and the Department of Health. The participating clubs will work closely with the Project team and will receive, where necessary, appropriate training and access to external expertise and resources. The long term benefits of engaging in this project should be seen on and off the playing field, and should place your GAA club at the core of your community's health. If a GAA Club would like to be considered for this project, they should visit www.gaa.ie/healthyclubproject for more information and complete the expression of interest form located there. For further information contact: GAA Community and Health Promotion Manager Colin Regan on 01-8658674