Errigal Ciaran GAC New Youth Sports Opportunities

Aim

We are fundraising to create a new young persons rural sport, health and wellbeing programme this Autumn and Winter.

Who are we?

Errigal Ciaran Gaelic Athletic Club is a GAA club based in Mid Tyrone founded in 1990. Our catchment area covers the Parish of Errigal Ciaran, - Altamuskin, Ballygawley, Garvaghey and Glencull. 

We provide football and cultural activities to our members from Under 8 to Senior. Our home grounds are based at Park Road, Dunmoyle, Sixmilecross (approx 5 miles North of the Village of Ballygawley). 

Our main purpose, aims, and objectives has been to play a significant role in rural community-driven sport, leisure, cross community, culture and wellbeing within our catchment across the parish of Errigal Ciaran. We achieve this by providing facilities, programmes and initiatives for all in and around our surrounding rural catchments. Ultimately, as a GAA Club, our main purpose, aims, and objectives are to promote GAA activities within all Club programmes. However, a strong purpose of our Club is to ensure that we are open and inclusive to all. We want our facilities to be welcoming to people outside of our traditional "GAA community".

As such, a major aim of the Club is to deliver programmes which promote this inclusivity going forward to groups traditionally excluded from GAA facilities and those underrepresented in sport (such as females, young people, persons with disabilities, minority ethnics, older people living isolated in our rural community). We do this by providing facilities, programmes and initiatives as noted, as well as volunteering opportunities so people can stay involved in the club outside playing opportunities. 

Our Club has a rich history of achievements at local and national level, both on and of the pitch. We have over 550+ active members across adults and youths male/female. When augmented with a range of secondary activities including Scor, community health & wellbeing programmes, older persons social events at our facilities, walking/jogging group etc our Club reach far exceeds 800+ people both directly and indirectly. We have a proud tradition of being a forward-thinking and self-funding club, one which has seen us extend beyond our core function of GAA activities, into wider community-focused activities as noted.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We are crowdfunding to deliver a new 12-week youth football, sport, health and wellbeing programme this Autumn and Winter (October 2025 – January 2026)- Specifically reaching out to young people who have never played much football or sport before. 

The programme will run twice-weekly sessions of 2 hours each (24 sessions in total), combining structured football coaching, multi-sport activity, and wellbeing workshops. We aim to engage 40–50 new young people aged 11–18 from the rural communities of Altamuskin, Ballygawley, Garvaghey and Glencull- who have had none or limited engagement in any structured sport before.

In addition, we will host a one-day Festival of Football and Sport during the programme- In October. This new initiative will bring together over 100 young people, families, and community members from across the catchment areas to take part in friendly football fixtures, taster sessions in other sports, and health and wellbeing activities. The festival will act as both a showcase for the project and a recruitment tool to encourage new participants into regular sessions.

We will partner with all the rural primary schools surrounding our parish, Altamuskin Community Centre and St Ciarans College.

The programme is designed to encourage young people to take up sport, stay longer in sport and transition into wider roles within the club. Alongside weekly participation, we will deliver four dedicated workshops on leadership, volunteering and coaching to encourage older teenagers (15–18 years) to become assistant coaches, referees, or take on team management and committee roles. We anticipate that at least 10 young people will move into volunteer or leadership positions as a direct result of the project.

Crowdfunding will help cover the costs of external coaching staff, sports equipment, festival delivery, venue hire and promotional materials. Donations will also allow us to unlock extra match funding from Sport NI. This will ensure our new programme not only enables young people from rural communities to access sport, but also creates a pathway for them to develop skills, confidence and long-term engagement in sport and community leadership.

 Sport NI Creating Opportunities Alignment

Our project directly supports the aims of the Creating Opportunities programme by offering a new and additional initiative to connect young people in rural communities with sport and physical activity. In Altamuskin, Ballygawley, Garvaghey and Glencull, access to structured youth sport is limited. By providing targeted football, sport, health and wellbeing sessions, our project will remove barriers to participation, particularly for those aged 11–18 who are at risk of dropping out of sport. This supports Sport NI’s objective to “level the playing field” by ensuring young people from rural areas are not excluded from taking part in sport or from opportunities to lead, coach, and volunteer.

In addition, our programme aligns with Sport NI’s focus on engaging underrepresented groups and creating sustainable pathways in sport. By combining participation with leadership and volunteering opportunities, the project helps build resilience in the sporting sector, grows membership, and introduces new ways of working with young people in rural settings. The 12-week programme is innovative, community-led and designed to inspire lasting involvement in sport, which is central to the objectives of Creating Opportunities

How we’ll spend the money raised

All fundraising will go towards the following costs:

External Coaching Costs – £2,400 (2 coaches x £25 per hour, 2 sessions per week x 12 weeks= £2,400

Youth Sports Equipment - (60 x GAA footballs @ £15 each = £900,
60 x bibs (mixed sizes) @ £5 each = £300, 30 x training cone sets (pack of 10) @ £10 each = £300, 20 x multi-sport kits (goals, ladders, resistance bands etc) @ £125 each = £2,500 Total = £4,000

Festival of Football and Sport Costs– £1,500 (Coaching/guest coaches = £400,
Equipment hire/additional kit = £300, Catering/refreshments for 120 participants = £500, Marketing & event promotion = £300. Total = £1,500)

Marketing & Promotion – £250 (Flyers & posters = £100, Sponsored social media = £150 Total = £250)

Coach Education & Development – £1,000 (4 youth coaches attending Foundation GAA Coaching Award @ £250 eachTotal = £1,000)

Leadership, Volunteering & Coaching Workshops – £850 (4 workshops @ average £212.50 each facilitator fees, resources, venue support- Total = £850)

Community impact

Our organisation provides more than sport – we are a community hub for the rural areas of Altamuskin, Ballygawley, Garvaghey and Glencull. While our primary focus is on youth sport and physical activity, our facilities are regularly used for wider community benefit. Local schools use the grounds for PE and after-school activities, while community groups use our meeting spaces for health and wellbeing initiatives, cultural events, and training workshops.

The new programme will therefore have a wider impact beyond participants alone. It will support the health and wellbeing of young people through regular activity, encourage older teenagers into volunteering, leadership and coaching roles, and provide parents and families with a safe, inclusive environment where they feel connected and engaged. The Festival of Football and Sport will further strengthen community spirit by bringing together over 100 people from across our rural catchments. Importantly, this project will also ensure that our facilities remain active and sustainable, continuing to serve as a base for community uses beyond sport.

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!

Funding method

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