This series showcases the successful implementation of the first of its kind coaching workshop being rolled out by Sport Ireland Coaching, with the support of the Lifes2good Foundation and Federation of Irish Sport.

Recognising the need for teenage girls to be coached in a manner suiting their physical and emotional needs, the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop was designed specially to drive retention of teenage girls in sport in conjunction with researchers from the School of Health and Human Performance at DCU. This targeted workshop content places an emphasis on Girls-first coaching, ensuring that teenage girls are given an equal opportunity to reach their sporting potential. 

The Camogie Association have been instrumental in rolling out the pilot Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshops, delivering 28 workshops around the country. The ‘From the Ground Up’ mini-series showcases the implementation of the programme with St Colman’s GAA Club in Co. Galway as a case-study. 

The Sport Ireland Coaching Unit is continuing to work with several National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships to implement these workshops for coaches from a wide variety of sporting disciplines. To date a total of 81 workshops have been delivered. Sport Ireland Coaching have also trained Coach Developers and Tutors from several National Governing Bodies including, Gymnastics Ireland, IRFU, LGFA, Rowing Ireland, Athletics Ireland, Canoeing Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, and the Irish Athletics Boxing Association. 

Link to view promo series in full: Coaching Teenage Girls | Sport Ireland

Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport said,

“The Federation of Irish Sport was delighted to collaborate with Sport Ireland Coaching, Lifes2good Foundation and DCU Research team to bring this unique and much needed coaching workshop to fruition. While the course content is aimed specifically towards teenage girls, it is not sport specific. Therefore, it can be incorporated by a wide range of sporting organisations.” 

Sheelagh Quinn, Sport Ireland Coaching Lead said,

“It is essential that all teenage girls have positive meaningful movement experiences, if we are going to engage and retain them in sport and physical activity. We need to provide experiences that are focused on their needs, develop their competence and confidence in a supportive environment and an inclusive culture. The CTG workshop and resources are designed to support coaches to consider what they currently do and adapt their coaching practice to support the teenage girls in their care.”

Nora Stapleton, Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead said,

“The dropout rate of teenage girls from sport is well documented and reducing this is one of the key objectives of the Sport Ireland Policy on Women in Sport. Recent studies show that while 13% of girls in primary school achieve the national physical activity guidelines, this figure drops to 7% in secondary school (CSPPA 2018). The overarching aims of the Coaching Teenage Girls in Sport workshop is, can we support coaches to understand teenage girls better, to help them improve the training environment, to give the girls a voice in their sport, and ultimately, retain more girls in sport. The development of this workshop has also highlighted what can be created when organisations collaborate on projects, and we’d like to thank Lifes2good Foundation and the Federation of Irish Sport for their input to the development of this workshop.”

Maurice McQuillan, CEO Lifes2good Foundation said,

“The positive influence of sport is well documented from improving self-confidence to increasing awareness of how to interact with, and support, others. Unfortunately, the relatively high dropout rate amongst teenage girls is also a well-documented fact. Therefore, Lifes2good Foundation is very happy to support the Federation of Irish Sport and Sport Ireland in this initiative that focuses specifically on coaching teenage girls. We are convinced that this will help drive retention rates across a variety of sports.” 

Lizzy Broderick, Technical Development and Participation Manager, The Camogie Association,

“The Camogie Association are delighted to have collaborated on this initiative with Sport Ireland Coaching and the Federation of Irish Sport. The Coaching Teenage girls’ workshops have been received with tremendous positivity by camogie coaches throughout the country. The workshops provide coaches with the opportunity to self-reflect on their coaching styles and resources on how to adapt current coaching practices to reduce the number of teenage girls dropping out of the sport.”