OPINION: Half time team talk for Derry GAA

It will see thousands of people flood into Derry to take in Gaelic football, hurling and camogie and give a further boost to the games across the county.

It has been a fantastic and hugely successful 12 months for Gaelic Games in Derry. Be in no doubt, Steelstown Brian Óg’s major victory and lifting the Ulster Championship is a signal of how far we have come to transform our national game in the city.

But we have more work to do.

Bus loads of people from the four corners of Derry City travelling to watch our players lift the Ulster Championship, before charging on the capital to cheer on the Oak Leaf county in the semi-final of the All-Ireland for the first time in almost 20 years, is something I will never forget.

It made us dream. And it was a recognition that absolutely anything is possible. That a re-run of the historic, never to be forgotten 1993 All Ireland Senior Football Championship victory can happen.

It is very clear that the GAA on a national level is keen to build on recent achievements and an influx of new members to Gaelic clubs across Derry.

The question for everyone to consider now: how can Derry use this opportunity to build long-term success for both club and county?

A new generation

GAA in the city has been sustained by a small number of people who have battled, often against the odds, to sustain our national sports over decades.

They have dedicated their time, work and money to what often seemed the insurmountable task of increasing membership and founding new clubs.

Fantastic work has been done by local coaches in a voluntary capacity and the move by the GAA to employ coaches in schools has been a real game changer.

There has been a huge difference not only in the performance of Derry city teams, but also in the mindset.

Young Gaels can hold their heads high and credibly claim to be at the cutting edge of thriving and ever-growing Gaelic games.

Gaels in Derry city deserve this standard of coaching and it is imperative that funding not only continues but increases to meet demand.

We now have some of the best facilities in the county across the city - major upgrades at clubs such as Sean Dolan’s, Doire Trasna, Steelstown Brian Ogs, Doire Colmcille and others across the city are testament to that.

A well-known Irish phrase underlines the importance of this: mól an oige agus tiocfaidh sí - praise the youth and they will come.

Train the youth, and they will succeed.

Diversity and Inclusion

Progress has also come in the form of inclusion and diversity. In Derry, this has been realised primarily through the significant achievements in Ladies’ football and camogie.

Women have been drivers in creating and shaping change in County Derry for a number of years, a skill set which is now flourishing in the city.

During the annual Martin McGuinness Chieftain Games during the summer, Abood Al Jumaili visited and provided inspiration to the young people present at what was a true celebration of Gaelic Games.

An Iraqi-born GAA star and social media influencer, Abood has travelled the length and breadth of Ireland promoting the integration of new communities in the established Irish tradition of the GAA.

This céad míle fáilte highlights what the GAA is all about. We can’t sit back and wait for people to come to us.

The organisation must be outward facing, actively seeking and embracing new communities with new ideas and new energy.

The legacy of the 2023 World Games should place Derry as a beacon of international games and a unified identity, not just for a week but long into the future.

Infrastructure

Now is the time to capitalise on the excellent work that has brought us to this point. It’s time to unlock the potential we all know resides within Derry. A whole county working together is how we will achieve that.

There is, however, a key feature missing in this jigsaw: a stadium of which we can be proud.

At four years-old, I pulled on my boots to attend my first Seán Dolans GAC summer camp at Celtic Park, only 200 metres from my home.

Getting the opportunity to perform on a county pitch was a big deal to that little boy and the memory of it has stayed with me to this day.

The sight of hundreds of young people playing on the pitch at the Chieftain Games in August was amazing.

But it serves a reminder that the pitch must be fully utilised and invested in.

That means increasing the number of county games taking place in Celtic Park.

Not only will this maximise the visibility of GAA in the city, but it will also boost the local economy and get more people involved.

The World Games can be a catalyst for this change.

We must seize that opportunity and take Gaelic Games in Derry City to the next level.