GAA CALLS ON ALL SLIGO CLUBS TO LEAD
IRELAND TOWARDS A HEALTHIER FUTURE
GAA open next stage of award winning
Healthy Club Project
·
The Healthy Club project aims to transform GAA clubs into
health-enhancing hubs for their communities
·
With flagship Healthy Clubs now in every county of Ireland, the GAA is
calling on more clubs to get involved
·
So far, over 12,000 people have benefitted from
physical activity programmes and 50% of Healthy Clubs are now smoke-free zones
·
1,000 people engaged with mental health and emotional wellbeing programmes
·
Over half (55%) of Healthy Clubs delivered healthy eating programmes
targeting teenagers in particular
·
Dublin Ladies Footballer Lyndsey Davey, Waterford Hurler Jamie Barron
and Mayo Footballer Diarmuid O’Connor leading the call for clubs to get
involved
·
58 active Healthy Clubs, with 39,000 members delivering a range of
projects including physical fitness, mental wellbeing and community initiatives
[Tuesday, 16th
January 2018] An
independent evaluation by the Centre for Health Behaviour Research, Waterford IT,
has revealed that the GAA Healthy Club Project (HCP) is showing significant and
lasting improvements to the health of communities across Ireland. Stemming from this, the Healthy
Club Project is calling on further clubs to make the GAA a healthier place for
everyone to enjoy by signing up to this transformative initiative.
The HCP began in 2013, in partnership with Healthy
Ireland, HSE, National Office for Suicide Prevention, and kindly supported by
Irish Life. Its aim is to make every GAA club in Ireland a hub for health,
capable of providing their members and communities with programmes that support
their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.
As part of the HCP to date, 58 clubs have delivered 350
initiatives covering: physical activity, healthy eating, mental fitness,
gambling, alcohol and drug education, training and personal development,
anti-bullying, anti-smoking and community development. The evaluation by Waterford
IT revealed that approximately 60-80% of these initiatives were having a
medium to high impact on members’ health.
Launching the next stage of the HCP,
Minister for Health Simon Harris said: "Congratulations to the GAA clubs
that have already taken part in the Healthy Club Project. You are leading the
charge and have already made a hugely positive contribution to the communities
you serve.
The
Government recently launched the Healthy Ireland 2018 campaign by which we want
to encourage people to make positive choices to improve their physical and
mental health. These positive choices are based around three key areas - eating
more healthily, being more active, and minding our mental wellbeing. The
Healthy Club Project is a great example of one of our key sporting
organisations working in partnership with the health sector to help people
achieve these positive changes."
Aogán Ó Fearghail, An Uachtarán Cumann Luthchleas Gael
said: “Health and wellbeing is core to what the GAA is all about and the
Healthy Club Project aims to build on this by making our clubs hubs for health
that everyone can experience and enjoy. I’d like to thank our partners, Healthy
Ireland, the HSE, National Office for Suicide Prevention, the Public Health
Agency, and Irish Life, for helping to make the Healthy Club project the
success it is. We look forward to growing the project from 60 to 150 clubs in
this new phase.”
There are numerous examples of the positive impact the
HCP is having within communities across Ireland, one such example is the “Men
on the Move” (MOTM) programme. MOTM is a 12-week programme funded by the HSE
and delivered through the LSP network, aiming to promote physical activity and
general wellbeing among men over the age of 30.
The 12 week results of the Healthy Club participants showed
an average weight loss of 2kg, and an average waist circumference drop of 3-4
cm, maintained at the 26-week check. There was also a one-minute improvement in
the time to complete one mile.
Participants also
recorded improvements to their social and emotional wellbeing. The programme
brought men together and provided them with the opportunity to exercise at
their own pace, while developing new friendships. Some of the personal experiences
reported by the men include: enhanced confidence, communication and self- care.
Direct quotes include: “The Men on The Move programme has created new
friendships and left me feeling more positive about myself” and “I looked
forward to the sessions to switch off and have a bit of craic with the lads
after a tough day at work”. For at least one man, the programme has been
“simply life changing”.
Minister of State for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne
noted that many individuals and organisations are now consciously adopting more
healthy lifestyles and paid tribute to the GAA's role in this: "These
welcome developments in society are taking place alongside the well established
traditions of healthy and positive lifestyles that the GAA has long promoted in
its proud history. Against that background I would like to acknowledge
the level of commitment demonstrated by volunteers in the GAA Clubs who are
actively promoting health and wellbeing and leading the way for other sporting
organisations."
Speaking about Irish Life’s support for the Healthy Club
Project, David Harney, CEO, Irish Life said: “The Healthy Club Project is a
natural fit with Irish Life’s vision – we want to help people build better
futures. Since 1884, the GAA has been Irelands largest sporting organisation
and with almost the same number of GAA clubs as GPs across Ireland, the HCP is
the ideal forum through which to deliver health messages, and initiatives.
There is a natural synergy between Irish Life and the Healthy Club Project and
we’re delighted to continue to support such an important initiative.”
Dublin Ladies footballer, Lyndsey Davey said: “I’m
delighted to be an ambassador for the GAA Healthy Club Project, it’s really a
fantastic initiative and has the potential to have a life changing impact on
Dublin people’s lives. My
mum is a volunteer with the Skerries Healthy Club and loves it! I’ve seen
first-hand how the Healthy Club Project champions the
deeper values associated with the GAA: those of community, inclusivity and
health and wellbeing. I would encourage all Dublin clubs to sign up for the
Healthy Club Project and make your club a friendlier place for everyone to
enjoy.”
Waterford hurler, Jamie Barron
said: “The GAA Healthy Club Project has the potential to have a life changing impact on Waterford
people’s lives, that’s why I’m excited to champion the cause. The GAA is committed to getting Ireland
more active, particularly the non- playing population and the Healthy Club
Project provides clubs with the opportunity to make this happen. I would
encourage all Waterford clubs to sign up for the Healthy Club Project and move
Ireland one step closer towards a healthier future.”
Mayo Footballer Diarmuid O’Connor said: “I’m delighted to be
an ambassador for the Healthy Clubs Project on behalf of the GAA, this
programme has the potential to have a life changing impact on Mayo people’s
lives. The GAA is woven into the fabric of Ireland and local clubs provide the
perfect space to implement healthy lifestyle programmes, which can support
everyone in the community. I would encourage all Mayo clubs to sign up for the
Healthy Club Project and make your club a more positive experience for all.”
Clubs are encouraged to get involved and enjoy the
numerous benefits, including exclusive access to Healthy Club resources, the
potential to increase membership and broaden the volunteer base, better community
engagement with club activities, improvements in health promoting activities, improved
goodwill for the club, and opening up funding avenues, all the while enhancing
the health of the nation.
Clubs
can apply to participate in the Healthy Club Project by completing the online
form on www.gaa.ie/community The
closing date is Monday, January 29th.
Follow:
@officialgaa or Like: www.facebook.com/officialgaa/ #gaahealth