Under Phase 2 approximately 200 clubs across the island of Ireland will take part in the programme and undertake sustainability-related actions across 5 thematic areas. Their overall aim will be the greening of their facilities and operations as well as making their practices and club activities more sustainable. Participation comprises all Gaelic Games family membership including the GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and Camogie Association. Clubs that successfully complete a minimum set number of projects under the programme can be classified as a Green Club.

Speaking at the event Jimmy D’Arcy, GAA Youth Leadership & Sustainability Manager said “The GAA alongside our sister organisations the Camogie Association and LGFA are games organisations built on our commitment to the communities that our clubs represent. This Green Clubs Programme and Toolkit will support our members to ensure that our extensive network of facilities at club and county level are equipped to follow best practice across the five pillars of Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity and Travel and to ensure we play our part as community leaders in environmental sustainability”

The Green Club Programme has been making significant progress since its inception in 2020. The Programme initially developed out of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the GAA and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) with the aim of working together to progress their common sustainability goals. Both the GAA and the local government sector, represented by Carlow County Council, had been named Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champions by the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment in 2019.

The CCMA and the local government sector, represented by the Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) have been combining efforts with the GAA to progress the Green Club Programme. The programme was officially launched by Minister Eamon Ryan on 9th December 2020. Phase 1 of the programme focused on developing the governance structure of the programme as well as the development of thematic toolkits for clubs to utilise. The five thematic areas under the Programme include Energy, Waste, Water, Biodiversity, and Travel. Toolkits for each theme were developed in collaboration with expert partners including, in the Republic of Ireland, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), The Regional Waste Management Offices, Irish Water, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the National Transport Authority and Road Safety Authority as well as, in Northern Ireland, Action Renewables, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, and Northern Ireland Water.

As part of their role within the overall Green Club Programme the local authority sector will play a key role in the success of GAA Clubs taking part in the Programme. Every local authority has nominated a Point-Of-Contact that clubs can get in contact with to access advice and support on the different projects they are looking to undertake. The CAROs will support these local authority Point-of Contacts to ensure the sector effectively plays its role in helping participating clubs complete projects under the 5 themes.

For further information on the Green Club Programme visit https://www.gaa.ie/greenclub

The GAA Green Club Toolkit is a publicly available online resource at: https://learning.gaa.ie/greenclub  

Contact the GAA Green Club Programme at: greenclubs@gaa.ie