Cairde Eochair: Play Your Way

Aim

Helping young people across rural Clogher Valley get active, try new sports, build confidence, make friends and develop new skills.

Who are We?

Cairde Eochair (Friends of Augher) is a rural registered charity based in Augher, supporting people across Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown and the wider Clogher Valley.

Our aim is simple: to create opportunities for people living in our rural communities to get active, learn new skills, meet others and become more involved in community life. Our work covers sport and physical activity, health and wellbeing, education, Irish language, arts, culture and community development.

Partnership working is a big part of what we do. We regularly work with more than 15 local community and sporting groups across the Clogher Valley, including Augher St Macartan's GAC and Clogher Éire Óg GAC. These relationships help us reach people across a wide rural area and create activities that respond to what local people actually need.

We also have experience delivering targeted sport and wellbeing projects. Our previous Yes We Can project provided a 20-week sport, health and wellbeing programme for older people experiencing rural isolation, with activities including walking football and chair-based exercise. More recently, we developed an 8-week health and wellbeing programme for 40+ rural men, combining coached fitness sessions, forest walks and health and wellbeing activities.

Young people are already an important part of Cairde Eochair. We currently provide two after-school sessions every week, alongside opportunities to participate in sport, arts and crafts, poetry, singing, acting, language and cultural activities.

Our wider community work also creates opportunities for people to volunteer and give something back. Local residents help with gardening, planting, grass cutting and maintaining shared spaces around Augher, helping build community pride while keeping people active and connected.

Through our work with young people and local families, we know that 11–15-year-olds growing up across the rural Clogher Valley do not always have easy access to a wide variety of sports and physical activities. Distance, transport and the limited range of activities available locally can make it more difficult for young people, particularly those who are not already members of a sports club, to find an activity they enjoy.

Our new Play Your Way project will address this by providing a dedicated 12-week multi-sport programme for 40 young people aged 11–15 from Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown and surrounding rural areas.

The programme will provide two coached sessions each week, with each session lasting 2.5 hours. This will provide 24 sessions and 60 hours of structured sport and physical activity over the 12 weeks.

Rather than focusing on one sport, Play Your Way will give participants the opportunity to try activities including soccer, GAA, rugby, cricket, basketball and netball, supported by suitably qualified coaches.

We want the 40 young people taking part to have the opportunity to try sports they may never have experienced before, become more physically active, develop new skills, build confidence and friendships, and ultimately find an activity they enjoy and can continue beyond the 12-week programme.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We are crowdfunding to launch Cairde Eochair: Play Your Way, a new 12-week multi-sport programme for 40 young people aged 11–15 from Augher and across the rural Clogher Valley.

We want to give young people the chance to get active and try sports they may never have experienced before. Living in a rural area can mean fewer opportunities to try different activities, particularly for young people who aren't already involved with a sports club, lack confidence or rely on others for transport.

Over the 12 weeks, we will deliver two 2.5-hour sessions each week, providing 24 sessions, 5 hours of structured activity every week and 60 hours in total. Two qualified coaches will be present throughout, providing 120 hours of qualified coaching support across the programme.

Having two coaches will allow us to split the 40 participants into smaller groups for skills stations, games and challenges, so young people spend more time taking part rather than waiting on the sidelines. Sessions will be suitable for complete beginners as well as young people who already have some experience of sport.

Weeks 1–4 – GAA, Soccer & Rugby

The first four weeks will focus on getting everyone active and comfortable trying different sports.

Using our new Gaelic footballs, soccer balls and rugby balls, coaches will introduce participants to the basic skills involved in each sport. Young people will practise passing, catching, kicking, movement, ball control and working with teammates before putting these skills into practice through small-sided games.

Cones, bibs, floor markers, agility ladders and hurdles will be used to create skills stations and short fitness and coordination challenges. With two coaches available, participants can rotate between activities in smaller groups, giving everyone plenty of opportunities to take part.

The emphasis will not be on competition or identifying the best players. It will be about giving 11–15-year-olds the confidence to have a go, learn at their own pace and experience sports they may not previously have tried.

Weeks 5–8 – Basketball, Netball & Cricket

The next four weeks will introduce three more sports: basketball, netball and cricket.

Basketball sessions will introduce dribbling, passing, shooting, movement and small-sided games. Netball activities will focus on passing, catching, movement, positioning and teamwork.

For cricket, our junior bats, balls and wickets will allow participants to learn basic batting, bowling, throwing and catching skills before progressing into simple games and team challenges.

Fitness, agility and coordination will continue to be incorporated throughout these sessions using ladders, hurdles, cones and floor markers. Activities will be adapted to different ability levels so that a young person trying a sport for the first time can participate alongside someone with previous experience.

By the end of Week 8, participants will have had the opportunity to experience six different sports – GAA, soccer, rugby, basketball, netball and cricket – rather than having to commit to one activity before knowing whether they enjoy it.

Weeks 9–11 – Multi-Sport Challenges & Developing Skills

During Weeks 9–11, we will bring the different activities together.

Young people will revisit the sports they enjoyed most and build on the skills developed during the first eight weeks. Coaches will use multi-sport circuits, skills stations, small-sided games, relay activities and team challenges to keep participants active and introduce a greater variety of physical activity.

For example, groups could rotate between a football passing challenge, basketball shooting station, cricket batting activity and an agility course, allowing several activities to take place during the same session.

Young people who become more confident during the programme will also be encouraged to take greater responsibility. This could include helping coaches set up equipment, demonstrating an activity, encouraging other participants or helping their group complete a team challenge.

This will begin introducing leadership, communication, teamwork and volunteering skills, while showing young people that they can contribute to sport without necessarily being the strongest player.

Week 12 – Play Your Way Celebration & What's Next

The final week will celebrate what the young people have achieved over the 12 weeks.

Participants will take part in a Play Your Way multi-sport celebration, bringing together their favourite sports, skills challenges and team activities from across the programme.

It will also give us an opportunity to talk to participants about what they enjoyed most and what they would like to continue doing. Through Cairde Eochair's relationships with local sporting and community organisations, we can help interested young people identify opportunities to continue participating locally after Play Your Way finishes.

How Does Play Your Way Meet Sport NI's Criteria?

Creating New Opportunities

Play Your Way is a new and additional 12-week programme for 40 young people aged 11–15 from Augher and across the rural Clogher Valley.

It is separate from our existing after-school activities and isn't extra training for an established team. Young people will have the opportunity to try six different sports – GAA, soccer, rugby, cricket, basketball and netball – alongside fitness and multi-sport activities.

For some participants, this will be their first opportunity to try several of these sports in a supported, beginner-friendly environment.

Removing Rural Barriers

We particularly want to reach young people who aren't regularly involved in organised sport, lack confidence about joining an established club or have fewer opportunities because of where they live.

Participants won't need previous sporting experience or their own equipment. All sports and training equipment will be provided, and six group return transport journeys will help young people from more isolated parts of the Clogher Valley attend where transport would otherwise be a barrier.

The aim is to make sure that where a young person lives, what equipment they own or whether they already play sport doesn't prevent them from taking part.

Getting Young People More Active

Over 12 weeks, Play Your Way will provide 24 coached sessions and 60 hours of structured physical activity, with two qualified coaches present throughout.

Sessions will use skills stations, small-sided games, fitness activities and team challenges to keep participants moving and involved. With two coaches, the 40 young people can also work in smaller groups and receive more individual support.

The focus isn't on competition or finding the strongest players. We want young people to enjoy being active and have enough opportunities to find something that suits them.

Building Confidence, Skills and Connections

Taking part twice each week will give young people regular opportunities to meet others from across the Clogher Valley and become more comfortable participating as part of a group.

Alongside learning new sporting skills, participants will develop confidence, communication and teamwork through group activities and challenges.

As confidence grows, young people will also have opportunities to take on small responsibilities such as setting up equipment, demonstrating an activity or encouraging others. These are practical first steps towards leadership and future volunteering.

Creating Opportunities Beyond the 12 Weeks

During the programme, young people will identify the sports and activities they enjoy most. Cairde Eochair already works with more than 15 community and sporting organisations across the Clogher Valley, giving us local connections we can use to signpost participants towards suitable opportunities to continue.

Our aim is that the impact lasts beyond the 12 weeks: 40 rural young people will have experienced 60 hours of activity, tried at least six sports and been given a genuine opportunity to find something they enjoy and can continue.

How we’ll spend the money raised

All money raised will go directly towards delivering Cairde Eochair: Play Your Way, our new 12-week multi-sport programme for 40 young people across Augher and the wider Clogher Valley.

Funding will specifically be used for the following:

1. Qualified Multi-Sport Coaching – £3,000

2 qualified coaches @ £25 per hour x 5 hours per week x 12 weeks = £3,000.

This provides 120 paid coaching hours across the programme, with two coaches supporting the 40 participants throughout 60 hours of multi-sport activity. Coaching will cover GAA, soccer, rugby, cricket, basketball, netball, fitness and multi-sport activities.

2. Multi-Sport Equipment – £1,500

10 Gaelic footballs @ £20 = £200
10 soccer balls @ £20 = £200
8 rugby balls @ £20 = £160
8 basketballs @ £20 = £160
8 netballs @ £15 = £120
Junior cricket equipment, including bats, balls and wickets = £300
Training bibs, cones, agility ladders, hurdles and floor markers = £260
Equipment storage and carry bags = £100

Total = £1,500

All equipment will be available to participants during the programme and retained by Cairde Eochair for future youth and community activities.

3. Facility Hire – £2,400

Suitable indoor and outdoor sports facilities @ £40 per hour x 5 hours per week x 12 weeks = £2,400.

This provides 60 hours of facility hire, covering the full 12 weeks and matching the 60 hours of planned programme activity.

4. Rural Transport Support – £600

6 group return transport journeys @ £100 per return journey = £600.

Six group return journeys will provide targeted transport support for young people from more isolated parts of the Clogher Valley where transport would otherwise prevent them from taking part.

5. Participant Resources – £200

40 reusable water bottles @ £5 each = £200.

Each of the 40 participants will receive their own reusable water bottle to use throughout the 12-week programme.

Total Project Cost – £7,700

Sport NI contribution – £5,000

Community Crowdfunding – £2,700

Community impact

The impact of Play Your Way will reach beyond the 40 young people taking part. As a rural charity, we want the project to strengthen connections between young people, families, local sports clubs and community organisations across the Clogher Valley.

For local families, the programme will provide 12 weeks and 60 hours of structured activity, with qualified coaching, equipment and facilities provided. This gives parents and carers an affordable, local opportunity for their children to be active without having to purchase specialist equipment or commit to membership of one particular sport.

Bringing 40 young people from Augher and surrounding rural communities together regularly will also create new friendships and connections between families who may not otherwise meet. We hope parents and carers will become more aware of the sporting and community opportunities available locally, while young people become more comfortable getting involved in activities within their own community.

The project will also strengthen Cairde Eochair's relationships with the 15+ community and sporting organisations we work with across the Clogher Valley, including Augher St Macartan's GAC and Clogher Éire Óg GAC. These relationships will help us connect young people with local opportunities and create clearer pathways for them to remain involved after Play Your Way finishes.

There will be a practical legacy too. The multi-sport equipment purchased through the Crowdfunder will remain with Cairde Eochair and can be used for future youth, after-school and community activities, allowing more young people to benefit beyond the initial 12 weeks.

We also hope the programme will encourage young people to give something back. As participants grow in confidence, they will have opportunities to take on small responsibilities, support others and assist with activities. This can provide a first step towards future volunteering and becoming more actively involved in community life.

For Cairde Eochair, the longer-term impact is about building a rural community where young people and their families are more connected to each other and the opportunities around them. Play Your Way will bring people together now while leaving behind stronger partnerships, new volunteers, reusable equipment and greater involvement in local sport and community life.

How you can play your part

Every pledge will help us give more young people across the Clogher Valley the chance to get active, try new sports and find an activity they enjoy.

There are four simple ways you can help us reach our target and make Play Your Way a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Every donation, big or small, will help us provide coaching, equipment, facilities and opportunities for local young people. Don't delay if you're going to support us – momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project with friends, family and across your social media pages. The more people we reach across the Clogher Valley and beyond, the more support we can build.

3. Offer a reward. If you're a local business, you can support the campaign by donating a product, service or experience that we can offer as a reward to our supporters. We'll be delighted to give your business a shout-out!

4. Fundraise for us. Want to organise a sponsored walk, challenge or another fundraiser for Play Your Way? Use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to get in touch. Setting up your own fundraising page only takes a few minutes.

With your support, we can give 40 local young people 12 weeks of new sporting opportunities and help create a healthier, more active and connected Clogher Valley.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made