1. The Club Nursery Joey Carton Munster Games Manager

2. What is a Club Nursery ?

3. A Club Nursery  Where children are introduced to our games for the first time  May have different names e.g. Academy, Beginners Section  Often taken for granted (Where is Under 12 team this year?)  Strong clubs put emphasis on this section

4. Three Areas of Concern  When is the correct time to start children  What should we be doing with beginners  When should we start playing games

5. When is the correct time ? Background  Historically Primary Schools made this decision  Now clubs have this responsibility  Most clubs have Nursery/Beginners/Academy Sections  In some cases children of 4 years are accepted (fear of other codes)  No real planning goes into this area

6. When is the Correct time ? General Guidelines  Six years of age (senior infants) is young enough  Start with friends and classmates  Good weather/conditions i.e May,Astro or Indoor  Ideally group should cater up to 10 years

7. What should we be doing ?  Recruit How? (local schools, leaflet, have a go days)  Registration Day (attendance records vital)  Correct ratio of coaches to children 1:5 (use assistants)  Co-ordinator and other helpers required  Start and finish on time (1 hour in total)

8. What should we be doing ? Have a Proper Structure

9. What should we be doing? Managing the Coaches  Best coaches in club  Specialised training provided for all  Coaches need to meet ½ hour beforehand  Coaches should meet during season

10. What should we be doing? Activities  Introduce Skills in fun environment  ABC’s Have a Ball Programmes are vital  Plenty of fun games  Station training generally works  Variety is vital

11. What should we be doing ? Equipment?  Adequate equipment  Correct size hurleys  Large ball, first touch sliotar,football

12. Some Issues to Consider  All children want to play matches  All children want to wear a jersey  Show them how to tackle/protect themselves at an early age  Small-sided games at all times  Blitzes provide better opportunities for everyone to play  Work hard to recruit but can loose them very easy  First Impressions can be lasting

13. Conclusion