Shay Rafter has been following in the footsteps of his father, Pat, from the moment he first picked up a football for Tara Gaelic Football Club. Shay’s father migrated to London from County Mayo as an 18-year-old for better work opportunities. While Pat left Ireland, he did not leave behind his love for Gaelic and […]
PE teacher Kayleigh Aylmer is a self-professed sporting fanatic having played football and Gaelic football, as well as discovering a passion for Aussie Rules in recent years. Kayleigh is a keen traveller and spent some time in Australia in 2018, which is where she began watching Aussie Rules. Having already had a background playing association […]
Ireland has produced some legendary sporting icons through the years and, as it is St Patrick’s Day, we have taken the opportunity to ponder just who is Ireland’s greatest-ever athlete. Below, we have chosen some of the country’s most notable names across sport and, in no particular order, state why they are legends in their […]
Being a coach is a challenging yet rewarding experience. Coaches work tirelessly to inspire and motivate their players, helping them achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. As with any profession, it’s essential to evaluate your own performance regularly to continue growing and improving. Here, we’ll explore some key strategies for evaluating your performance as a […]
Almost half of sports fans admit to being superstitious, according to a survey carried out by OLBG.com, with two in five engaging in rituals before a big game. For any fan, seeing their team win a trophy is the dream – the memories and accompanying celebrations make enduring the not-so-good times worth it. Some of […]
Gaelic sport is synonymous with Ireland and Irish culture, so it should come as no surprise that within Irish communities here in the UK, there is a strong GAA presence. The main two Gaelic sports are football (not soccer) and hurling. For generations, they have been ingrained in Irish culture and it should come as […]
Winter is well and truly here, with temperatures below freezing across the country, which has already wreaked havoc on grassroots sports. It is the annual headache that grassroots coaches across many sports face – winter training. Getting games on at the weekend is one thing, but training in the dark on a midweek evening is […]
It is one of the hardest and, often, most thankless tasks around. You sacrifice time away from loved ones in the pursuit of doing the best for everyone else, plan and arrange sessions, arrive early and leave late. You will beat yourself up over every little mistake, your car boot will always be full of […]
You might think that marketing is something that only businesses and professional sports clubs do, but you would be wrong. A lot of the success of a grassroots club is based on how well it is marketed. Marketing your grassroots club correctly is important, and it requires more thought than posting something on your personal […]
A good coach has a clear objective and plan in place before every training session, understanding what it is they want their players to come away with. Whatever sport it is that you coach, it is important that your training sessions are planned. That means understanding the abilities of your players, where they are in […]
