Connacht minor championship supports emotional wellbeing in major way

Ahead of renewing rivalries on the pitch in the 2015 championship the five Connacht minor panels showed a united front today when they came out in support of the #littlethings emotional wellbeing campaign.

The campaign, run by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and supported by the GAA, highlights the little things that people can incorporate into their everyday lives to support their wellbeing and build their resilience. The captains of Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Galway all gathered in Connacht GAA Centre, Bekan, on Wednesday, June 24, just hours after the Taoiseach launched the Government's new national strategy to reduce suicide 'Connecting for Life' in Dublin, which has a strong youth focus. The players were supported by their team managers, county boards, sponsors, the provincial council and Croke Park, while representatives of the counties new health and wellbeing committees were also in attendance at the event.

To show their support for the campaign the five county sponsors have encouraged their respective panels to wear identical alternative training tops on game days, each of which will be adorned with the #littlethings logo, the website address www.yourmentalhealth.ie as well as the Connacht GAA logo. It is hoped that by wearing this kit back in their clubs, communities, and schools/colleges they can become ambassadors for positive mental health and continue the conversation amongst their peers.

The event comes on the back of the recent Connacht senior football semi-final at which the Galway and Mayo County Boards and teams also supported the #littlethings campaign by branding Pearse Stadium with appropriate messaging and arranging a wellness walk to the game. Other recent wellbeing events in Connacht include life-skill sports camps for development squads in Mayo during the Easter break in conjunction with Mental Health Ireland, diet and nutrition workshops for the Sligo minors, and a farm safety event in Roscommon (on the foot of the Champions for Change campaign supported by Connacht GAA and the IFA during the FDB Connacht league).

The gathering was also used to launch the 2015 Electric Ireland Connacht minor football championship. Leitrim and Sligo are the first out clashing in a quarter-final in Pairc Sean McDiarmada on Saturday, June 27, at 2pm. It’s an eagerly anticipated game with both sides showing real potential recently. The fact that the 1994 Connacht winning Leitrim footballer Aidan Rooney is managing Sligo adds to the local interest (his son Nathan is one of Sligo’s go-to score getters.) Both semi-finals are scheduled for on Saturday, July 4, at 6.30pm. Roscommon awaiting the winners of the above game (it will be played in Hyde Park if Sligo win, but should Leitrim prevail Roscommon will have to travel to Pairc Sean McDiarmada) while Mayo play Galway in Elvery’s McHale Park, Castlebar in the other semi-final.

Uachtarán CLG Connacht, Mick Rock, said: “The positive emotional wellbeing of all our players is a priority and it’s important that everyone knows where to seek and find help if they need it. Our minors are role models for their peers on and off the field and they will bring this positive message back to their clubs, counties, schools, and colleges.”

This campaign reinforces the innovative efforts by the association and its various partners’ to support the health and wellbeing of all GAA members and the communities we serve. The sponsors kindly supporting the minor panels in this campaign are Devenish Nutrition (Sligo), Elverys Sports (Mayo), Kerrigan Quarries (Leitrim), Supermacs (Galway) and Club Rossie (Roscommon). The campaign was also supported by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, Healthy Ireland and Croke Park’s Community and Health section.

For more information contact GAA Community & Health Manager Colin Regan on 087-2945705 or email: colin.regan@gaa.ie