Sport Northern Ireland: Creating Opportunities has provided £5,000 of match funding
Ballyhegan Davitts GAC - Bigger, Better, Stronger
Armagh, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, United Kingdom
Aim
We aim to deliver an extensive ‘Coach the Coaches’ programme followed by weekly winter / spring fitness and GAA skills sessions for members.
Who are we?
Ballyhegan Davitts GAA Club is located in county Armagh and is based in the parish of Kilmore which is made up of Mullavilly and Stonebridge. It currently competes in football, ladies and men, and from under 8 to minor levels. Across both codes (GAA & LGFA) that represents 14 teams with 263 active playing members. The senior men compete in the Armagh Junior Football Championship and in the Junior Division of the All-County League while the ladies compete in Senior Championship and Division 1.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Our ideas!
Our players, young & old, male & female, are at the centre of our club. Without them we have no club. To allow our existing members, and the new members that will be attracted, to achieve their potential (on and off the field of play), like every club, we require dedicated volunteer coaches and mentors. Our aim is to deliver an extensive ‘Coach the Coaches’ programme to empower our existing and newly recruited coaches.
We will then deliver a winter / spring training programme for our teams. Our newly educated and motivated coaches will deliver weekly fitness and skills development sessions for each of our existing and newly recruited playing members. These will allow the club to engage with the membership during the GAA off season - traditionally a quiet time for activities. These sessions will encourage players to remain involved in sport and through word of mouth and advertising assist with player recruitment.
Whilst open to all members these sessions will target females, both those currently active with the club and those that are not. These sessions will be from 7pm to 8pm each Wednesday for 10 weeks (until end of March) leading in to the start of the new season.
Expertly trained and suitably qualified coaches help bring about:
- Player development - coaches directly shape how players learn, grow, and perform. Proper training ensures players develop age-appropriate skills, physical literacy, and game understanding.
- Player Welfare & Safety - educated coaches are more aware of injury prevention, proper warm-ups, and how to spot concussion or burnout. They follow best practices for child safeguarding
- Consistency Across the Club - trained coaches follow the same principles, ensuring consistency in how players are coached at every level. This creates a clear progression from nursery to adult level.
- Promoting Enjoyment & Retention – a positive coaching experience encourages children and adults to stay involved in the sport.
- Club Culture and Standards - coaches set the tone for discipline, teamwork, and respect. Training instils the GAA’s core values: community, volunteerism, respect, and inclusion.
- Adaptation to Modern Methods - the game evolves and therefore new approaches in tactics, conditioning, technology, and analysis must be understood.
We also want to, in a very small but practical way, reward our incredibly dedicated volunteer coaches with much needed clothing e.g. quarter zips, water proofs clothing.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Use of funds raised.
Project Specific Equipment £3,505
- Footballs (50 @ £40 each): £2,000
- Training cones (5 sets of 50 @ £25 each): £125
- Bibs (100 @ £5 each): £500
- Training ladders (5 sets @ £30 each): £150
- Training hurdles (5 sets @ £30 each): £150
- Instant Speed complete resistance band set (5 sets @ £80 each): £400
- Agility poles (3 sets of 12 @ £60 each): £180
Expert Coaching Costs £3,200
- Strength and Conditioning Coach – (20 hours @ £50 per hour): £1,000
- Running Coach – (10 hours @ £50 per hour): £500
- Speed Coach – (10 hours @ £50 per hour): £500
- Couch 2 5k coach – (20 hours @ £40 per hour): £800
- 2 LGFA rules refresher session – (4 hours @ £50 per hour): £200
- 2 GAA rules refresher session – (4 hours @ £50 per hour): £200
Volunteer Coach Clothing Costs £3,600
- Qtr zip on completion of education programme – (40 @ £40): £1,600
- Waterproof gear on completion of education programme – (40 @ £50): £2,000
Community impact
Players at the Heart
- All ages, male & female, are central to our club.
- Supporting potential on & off the field.
Volunteers as the Driving Force
- Depend on dedicated coaches & mentors.
- “Coach the Coaches” programme empowers new & existing coaches.
Impact of Expert Coaching
- Player Development – Age-appropriate skills & growth.
- Welfare & Safety – Injury prevention & safeguarding.
- Consistency – Shared principles from nursery to adult.
- Enjoyment & Retention – Positive experiences keep players involved.
- Culture & Standards – Discipline, teamwork, respect, inclusion.
- Modern Methods – Adapting to new tactics, conditioning & technology.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
This project successfully funded on 9th March 2026