In 2007 the Wolfe Tones Hurling Club began a back to basics approach towards building for the future. A group within the club decided to instigate a nursery section to introduce youngsters from as young as four to the ancient game. The new initiative has been very well received to date and the signs are encouraging that Drogheda's sole hurling club is making the right moves in safeguarding its long-term future. With comparative newcomers Knockbridge and Pearse Og forming a duopoly of power, recent years have proven to be a relative struggle for Louth's oldest hurling club. But Wolfe Tones are not prepared to sit back and take it. Spurred into action, the club took the first steps down the road of long-term development in 2007, establishing a nursery section to teach the skills of the game to the young kids of Drogheda. Senior players David Black, Declan Power, Diarmuid McCarthy and Ollie Kelly have been the main instigators of the new initiative and their summer and winter nursery programmes provided local kids with an early grasp of the fastest field game in the world. The sessions were extremely popular with kids and parents alike and generated a new buzz about the Rathmullen-based club. As a follow up to the very successful maiden hurling programme that ran from March until August, Wolfe Tones Hurling Club returned in the latter part of the year with another exciting Hurling Coaching & Games programme to cater for children aged 4-10 year old, aimed at shortening those long winter months. As an added incentive, both coaching and games took place indoors, so kids didn't have to worry about the nip in the air and parents didn't have to slave over muddy gear in the utility room. Activities were divided into two groups: 4-6 year olds and 7-10 year olds. The focus with the 4-6 age group is motor and fundamental skill development. These are the first stages for any child/player embarking on a life of sport and fitness. Once these skills are developed, players adapt easier to the specific sports skills, i.e. hurling, gaelic football, soccer, etc. Flying the flag for hurling in Drogheda, Wolfe Tones HC oversaw a very unique programme designed for this age group and - though the programme had an element of hurling skills - the type of motor and fundamental skills featured also included all types of ball movement (i.e. rolling, hopping, throwing, catching, etc) and physical movement (i.e. running, hopping, jumping, leaping, bounding, etc.) The importance of agility, balance and coordination represented the main thrust of the ABC Nursery Programme, appropriately named as children are learning their ABC in school and the learning continues with Wolfe Tones Hurling Club. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the programme and one thing the club insists upon is parental involvement. All parents are actively involved whether it's participating in the drills and games or giving praise and encouragement. Even if it's not a parent, aunts/uncles, big brothers/sisters, etc. are equally welcome - but the key is 'someone must be with your child all the time if aged 4-6 yrs.' The focus with the 7-10 age group is hurling skill development, though an element of motor skill development will be included if the coaches detect a weakness they need to work on. This age group as part of their overall winter programme was also invited to participate in a winter games programme indoors at the JJB Sports Complex in Dundalk. The Wolfe Tones Hurling Club's coaching and games programme is staffed by qualified club coaches, thus guaranteeing the highest level of instruction possible. To provide parents with complete peace of mind, the main emphasis is placed on skill development and enjoyment. Safety is paramount, especially with actual hurling activities, where each child receives a hurling helmet with full visor and correct sized hurley. As the programme progresses, additional specialised equipment will be used to further enhance skill development and enjoyment. For the duration of the winter programme, a fee of only ?15 was charged. This equates to approximately ?2 per one-hour session - an absolute bargain in today's economic climate! No money is made by the coaches, whose contributions are completely voluntary and for the future benefit of the club, which has a proud tradition to uphold. Hopefully, in the near future, Wolfe Tones will return to the top of the pile in Louth hurling. The fee covers the cost of the facility hire - be that the O'Raghallaighs or the JJB in Dundalk. Wolfe Tones Hurling Club subsidises any additional costs that occur. The first programme ran from March until August, with a follow-up winter programme in October and November. Wolfe Tones started out with 45 kids to cater for but as the operation grew in popularity this number had swelled to 60 by the time of writing. The players will be allowed a full break from all activities over the months of December and January, with a new programme scheduled to commence in February 2008. Regarding the winter programme, David Black confirms: "The coaching is all indoor in the O'Raghallaighs, who have looked after us really well. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them. Mary has been extremely helpful to us and we own them a huge debt of gratitude. "At the moment, it's all going really well. The parents are loving it and it's a great bonding exercise between kids and parents as they are getting involved and doing all the disciplines as well, especially with the 4-6 year olds. We show them what to do with the kids and then supervise it. "For years, we had no juvenile set-up at all in Wolfe Tones. But, once we finished playing with the county, Declan and myself decided that we needed to look at doing something long term, and the only way forward was to start at the very beginning, with the very youngest kids in the area. When they come in at first, most of them can't even hold the hurl, but they catch on quick at that age and it's all going well." If you happen to be in the area and want further information on the nursery programme or wish to get involved or enrol a child, then contact any of the coaches at the numbers below: David Black 087-8557679 Diarmuid McCarthy 087-2456394 Ollie Kelly 087-6280499 Declan Power 086-2705873 Tweet

Most Read Stories