Introduction

Off the Booze and On the Ball

Congratulations to all club members who took up and completed the inaugural 'Pint Sized Challenge' and got ‘Off the Booze and On the Ball’ this January. The initiative, run by the GAA’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) programme, was designed to offer all members of the Association the opportunity to kick-start the New Year on a healthy footing by abstaining from alcohol during January while also engaging in some exercise that may help them reach their recommended weekly activity levels in 2012. The fundraising element to the challenge also proved very popular with clubs.

While January has come and gone many clubs expressed interest in taking up the challenge at different times of the year and to facilitate this the registration form will remain active on www.gaa.ie/asap under the “Off the Booze and On the Ball” tab in the left-hand navigation.

To date over 300 clubs have registered with hundreds of participants taking up the challenge. We have received some great reports about clubs running various events as part of the challenge including the Elphin club in Roscommon who are having a 20K cycle on Sunday, Feb. 5 while the Ruan Club in Clare organised a 5K run in Dromore Woods.

Across the water, 10 members of the Brothers Pearse Club in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, combined the challenge with their training for the Conamara Marathon in April while the Emmet Óg Killoe Club, Longford, is hosting a fun cycle on Sunday, February 11.

Feel free to contact Colin Regan, National Coordinator of the ASAP programme, on colin.regan@gaa.ie with details of events your club participated in and for inclusion on the ASAP website.

Remember, the aim of “Off the Booze and On the Ball” was to get people to reflect on their lifestyles and hopefully have a lasting effect beyond the month of January. So while you can enjoy a well-deserved drink this weekend if you so desire, hopefully your new healthy regime will continue throughout 2012.

Player Injury Scheme and Member Registration

The online Servasport system (people.gaa.ie/admin) is now open for registration for the 2012 season. Clubs can complete their registration of teams for the player injury scheme and complete the registration of their players and members, outlined as follows:

Player Injury Scheme
Player Injury scheme cover runs on a calendar year from Jan 1 - Dec 31. Therefore, as soon as your teams recommence training they need to be registered. Team subscriptions, which remain unchanged for 2012, have to be paid by March 31 to Croke Park. If your teams are not registered they are not covered and may not be eligible to enter competitions.

To register your teams for the player injury fund, go to people.gaa.ie/admin. Click on 'Player Injury Scheme' on the menu on the left of your screen. Then click on the 'Register Teams' box and enter the details as required.

Please note that this does not register teams for competitions within your county. This registers your teams for the player injury scheme only. Registering teams for competitions in your county is carried out by your relevant County Committee.

Player and Member Registration
Clubs can register their players and members for the season ahead by going to people.gaa.ie/admin, clicking on 'Members' on the left hand menu and then clicking on 'Register Members'. This page is for registering players and members who were registered with the club in 2011. Please note that a player must always be registered as a member.

To register new players and members, click on 'Add/View Members'. This page will show all those associated with the club, registered and unregistered. Anyone whose name is in black is registered. Anyone whose name is in red is unregistered. To register a new member/player, click on the 'Add' box and then click on 'Member' and follow the instructions from there.

Support
If you have any issues in accessing the membership system you should contact the Servasport helpdesk at 048-90313845 or email gaasupport@servasport.com. You can also click on the 'help' icon at the top right of each page to access instructions.

GAA Games Development Conference

The GAA Games Development Conference was held on January 14 last in Croke Park. The one day conference saw almost 700 delegates from Ireland and overseas attend the most successful Games Development Conference to date. A range of national and international speakers presented on a series of topics related to the development of youth players.

Speakers on the day included Jean Coté – internationally renowned sports scientist, legendary AFL coach David Parkin, performance coach Caroline Currid, Waterford team doctor, Dr. Mark Rowe as well as practical coaching demonstrations provided by All Ireland winning Ladies Football coach Eamonn Ryan (Cork) and former Dublin hurler, Paudie O’Neill.

With interest in the conference high, video and audio recordings of each presentation were made and are now available on the GAA website at http://www.gaa.ie/coaching-and-games-development/games-development-conference-2011/.

GAA Social and Recreational Hurling and Football

Join the thousands of people who have participated in Camán Abú and Peil Abú.

There has been a very positive response from participants who have derived a great sense of achievement, fun and enjoyment from their involvement in Camán Abú and Peil Abú (Recreational Games).

The playing rules reflect the social and recreational nature of Camán Abú and Peil Abú. Teams can be made up of male and female players on the basis that each team has an equal number of female players on the field at the same time. Players (apart from where Camán Abú and Peil Abú are organised within a Post-Primary School) should be over 16 years of age.

The underlying philosophy of Camán Abú and Peil Abú is about playing Gaelic games in a fun and enjoyable manner and it will therefore become an important tool in combating player burnout and drop out while also contributing to increased self-esteem, health and a general sense of well-being.

If you are interested in becoming a coordinator in your Club or School, please contact:

gamesdevelopment@gaa.ie or
Games Development,
Croke Park,
Dublin 3.

Download a poster about GAA Social and Recreational Hurling and Football. Why not print off and post up on your club noticeboard.

AIB GAA Football and Hurling All-Ireland Junior and Intermediate Club Finals – Ticket Information

The second weekend of February sees the culmination of the AIB GAA All-Ireland series for Junior and Intermediate clubs in both codes. The Hurling deciders are down for decision on Saturday, February 11 with the Football Finals taking place the following day.

Ticket Information - February 11 and 12
€20 – Adults
€10 – OAP/Students
€5 – Juveniles (16s and under)

Tickets can be purchased online through gaa.ie and tickets.ie. On each match day, tickets can be purchased from ticket outlets located around the ground.

Saturday February 11, 2012
AIB GAA Hurling All Ireland Junior Club Championship Final
Charleville (Cork) vs. St. Patrick’s Ballyragget (Kilkenny), Páirc an Chrócaigh, 5:30pm

AIB GAA Hurling All Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final
Middletown Na Fianna (Armagh) vs. Mt Leinster Rangers (Carlow), Páirc an Chrócaigh, 7:15pm

Sunday February 12, 2012
AIB GAA Football All Ireland Junior Club Championship Final
Derrytresk Fir aChnoic (Tyrone) vs. Naomh Pádraig (Galway), Páirc an Chrócaigh, 2:00pm

AIB GAA Football All Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final
Davitts (Mayo) vs. Milltown-Casltemaine (Ciarraí), Páirc an Chrócaigh, 3:45pm

GAA Social Media Guidelines

The world of social and digital media is an enjoyable and engaging place. As a GAA official, volunteer, player or member, you will often encounter that world. A document has been put together to help, educate and guide those who use social media in an official GAA capacity. This will be sent to all GAA clubs in next month’s newsletter.

These guidelines will evolve over time as new technology and platforms emerge. However, a few basic aims will always remain true:

• To promote and develop positive online discussion of the GAA.
• To protect the reputation of official GAA social media platforms online.
• To help moderate discussions appropriately.
• To ensure the GAA provides an official voice in this area.

We also want to ensure that a common set of guidelines and policies are in place so that we are all working in unison as one GAA family. In that way, anyone who speaks on behalf of the GAA is authorised, ensuring we work together to give the GAA an appealing online presence.

Each club will need to register their official website and social media channels (if applicable) with their relevant county PRO over the coming months. Please contact your county PRO for more information on this process.

Free Allianz Leagues Prediction Game

Register for free at AllianzLeaguesPredictions.ie and you could win up to €5,000 for a GAA Club and up to €2,500 for you.

The Allianz Leagues throw in on Saturday next February 4 in Croke Park. Why not try to win money for yourself and a GAA Club nominated by you by registering in the Allianz Leagues Predictions Competition.

It’s free to enter and a great test of your knowledge and skill. All you have to do is predict the winning team and margin of victory (or select a draw) for all the fixtures every weekend in the Allianz Leagues in the Football and/or Hurling competitions. The better you are at predicting the draw/winners correctly and the closer you get to the margin of victory the more points you earn!

Once registered you are able to set up and join Mini Leagues, so you can compete with colleagues or friends, or you can even set up a fundraiser for members of your club.

AllianzLeaguesPredictions.ie does all the hard work - all you have to do is collect the money from those who entered your mini league.

Príomh Ticket Exchange

For only €75 a year, become a Príomh Ticket Exchange Member. Enjoy all the action and excitement of the game from the best seats in Croke Park.

Purchase up to four tickets per match where available. All tickets are sold online through your own personal log-in.

Receive a Príomh Welcome Pack, be in with a chance with monthly competitions and receive regular email newsletters. For more information visit www.crokepark.ie/priomh or email priomh@crokepark.ie.

Post Match Hospitality at Croke Park for €10

Why not book post-match hospitality for your team and avail of the range of catering options available at Croke Park?

With menus from only €10 per person in a private catering area, players can relax and rewind in one of Croke Park’s comfortable hospitality areas.

For further information, or to make a booking, contact the hospitality team on 01-8192315 or hospitality@crokepark.ie.

Award winning comedy coming to a GAA Club near you....

Touring GAA Clubs nationwide this February, March and April 2012 is award-winning comedy "Victor's Dung". Written, directed by and starring former Leitrim footballer Séamus O’Rourke, the play is being promoted through the GAA Social Initiative.

Download a poster on the play by clicking here. Book now by calling Moth Productions on 049-4331336, Will Govan, 087-2657426 or Karina Charles 085-1030569.