TURAS Programme To Assist Coach & Player Development

A new programme for all GAA coaches has been devised by Leinster GAA to help ensure a coherent approach to player development across clubs, schools and talent academies.

TURAS – the Irish word for Journey – was chosen to reflect the journey taken by both coaches and players up through the grades. The initiative is aimed at mentors working with players from four to 17 years of age in clubs and schools, and players from 13 to 17 years of age in academies.

In clubs, for example, TURAS will work by providing player pathway workshops applicable to each age group, and offering resources to all coaches. Workshops will also be provided for club coaching officers to assist them in rolling out TURAS, and staff employed by Leinster GAA and the County Boards will provide practical supports to coaches while they are engaged with their own teams in their club.

TURAS recognises that coaching is central to player development and investing in quality, long-term and sustainable coach education will have significant and positive impacts on the progress of young players and the competiveness of senior teams into the future.

“If coaches engage in this programme, they will be exposed to best practise and more learning opportunities for them and their players,” according to Leinster GAA Games Development Manager, James Devane. “Clubs and schools will then have better coaches and, in turn, more players, while counties will have a better and deeper player pool in addition to a coherent coaching system.”

TURAS is based on five key principles that, when applied, will positively improve coach and player performance:

• Testing and Challenging: all players should be challenged to improve at their level
• Understands the player is at the centre of the game and provides individualised development (player centred)
• Resembles the game (game based)
• All players involved, all the time – lots of touches, lots of decisions
• Should be an enjoyable, appropriate and holistic GAA experience

“All our staff have been trained extensively on delivering the TURAS programme and they will each take charge of a region in their own county,” said James Devane. “Our aim with TURAS is to support 5,000 coaches right through the age groups, and our staff will track and record their interaction with them.”

“Club coaches told us that their number one need was resources, so we will be providing them with supports to get all players onto a similar programme, no matter where they are in the province,” he added.

“Ultimately, we expect that TURAS will have positive outcomes at all levels by bringing more players into clubs and schools, then developing thriving, developmental and competitive structures in clubs and schools, and achieving success at county level.”