Den Haag GAA Youth

Whilst sport has been hit and miss for us adults with Covid-19 restrictions, Den Haag GAA Youth have been all go since we started back after the summer holidays.

The Youth division welcomes boys and girls of all levels, and all nationalities, from age 4 to 13 years. With us, your children will learn the ABCs of sports: (A)gility, (B)alance, (C)ordination and (s)peed – elementary skills needed for nearly all sports. We are a social club where children learn basic (and more advanced) Gaelic football and hurling skills, improve their general fitness, develop self-confidence, and make new friends in a fun, safe and congenial setting.

Special recognition is due to our “regulars”, the children who’ve been out there every Sunday, all year, come rain, sun or hail:  Nathan, Thomas, Saul, Basil, Tomás, Cormac, Micheál, Cian, Ruadhán, Isabelle, Fionn E, Mike & Aileen – thank you all for your tenacity and dedication!

Rugby goes GAA

We recently organised a Gaelic football training for 90 children at the Haagsche Rugby Club, WRC Te Werve, Beresteinlaan, The Hague. The sheer numbers were a challenge in itself, but head coach, Chris Kelly, put together a meticulously (as always) planned session which saw all 90 children learning the basic skills before playing a mini competition. We got great feedback from both children and their coaches alike. Huge thanks to Chris and everyone who helped out.

Our children, the future

We were all very chuffed to see a photo of Den Haag GAA Youth included in the report produced by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, check out page 14 and see how many faces you recognise!

Global Ireland – Irish Diaspora – Strategy 2020 – 2025

Open Days

We’ve had two very successful open days which brought some new members to the club. A big warm welcome to Farouk, Amira, Daithí, Cillian, Ashling, Miguel & Liam. It’s great to have you on board! And a warm welcome back to Fionn D. who has returned to us after a recent injury.

Training

Back at our regular trainings we welcome Danielle (Dani) McCallion as coach to ‘the little ones’ (aged 4 to 7 years). Dani brings a wealth of experience with her and is helped by the ever capable Matt Moran. Dani and Matt teach the children basic skills through lots of fun and games.

For the older children, two of our secondary school players Nathan & Basil, are assisting Chris in teaching new skills whilst building on the basics as part of their ‘Service as Action’ school project to help the local community. Thanks Nathan & Basil, you’re doing a great job!

We train Sundays in Escamp. From 2021, we’ll be organising regularly monthly pop up trainings at Westbroekpark. If you’d like to bring your child along to try out Gaelic games we welcome all children aged 4 to 14 years, no experience necessary.

Our training sessions are designed to cater for differing ages and levels.  We alternate between Gaelic football and hurling. Each session starts with a joint warm up. Typically, and depending on coach availability, we then divide children into three age groups; 4 – 6 years, 7 – 9 years and 10 – 13 years. Each session focuses on one or more particular skills. We end each session with a match with adapted rules to encourage the skill just learned and ensure that everyone gets a fair shot at the ball.

Training session are given in English with Dutch translation for those who need it.

For more information, please contact the Youth Officer, Caitríona Rush, directly:

youthofficer.hague.europe@gaa.ie

N.B. New members are welcome to come along for three (free) try outs before deciding whether to join.

Who we are

Chris Kelly – Head Coach

“Hi! My name is Chris. I have two boys who are mad about Gaelic sports and have been regular participants at underage events – near and far – for the past six years. I’ve been coaching youth in The Hague for four years now and I get great satisfaction from trying out games that help teach game concepts in a fun way.”

Caitríona Rush – Youth Officer & Coach

“As youth officer I’m the first point of contact for new members and am also responsible for registration of all members and organising/coordinating events. I’m on the pitch pretty much every Sunday as a coach with my 2 Dutch/Irish children who both love it. It’s great seeing kids learning new skills and building their self confidence in a fun, safe and social environment.”

Neill Wylie – Coach

“I’m Neill but people call me The Wyledogg. I started playing GAA in primary school and played at a decent level in Dublin till the tender age of 18. After a 16 year break I dipped back into it with the help of Den Haag GAA. My son, Seán (4) and my daughter Laia (7) both play underage at the club and teach me something new each week.”

Deirdre Langelaar – Social Media Officer