Sport Northern Ireland: Creating Opportunities has provided £5,000 of match funding
Glenullin Camogie Club: Give Camogie a Go
Coleraine, Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom
Closing soon
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Aim
Give 30 local girls the chance to try Camogie, get active, build confidence, learn new skills and make friends in a fun 12-week programme.
Who are we?
Glenullin Camogie Club is a rural club based in Glenullin, Co. Derry. We provide opportunities for girls and women from Glenullin and the surrounding area to play camogie, get active, develop new skills, build confidence and enjoy being part of a team.
We are proud to be part of a close-knit rural community where sport and volunteering play an important role in bringing people together. We have strong community connections locally, including John Mitchel's Glenullin GAC, Eagle Glen Community Partnership, Glenullin Community Resource Centre and St Patrick's & St Joseph's Primary School.
Our role within Glenullin goes beyond camogie. We have a strong history of supporting wider community activity and working alongside our neighbouring GAA club. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Glenullin Camogie Club and John Mitchel's Glenullin GAC organised The Glen 500K, challenging 100 local people to each walk or run 5km. The initiative attracted 115 donations and raised £2,001, exceeding its £2,000 target, with funds supporting the local St Vincent de Paul and older and vulnerable people in Glenullin.
The football and camogie clubs also work together through a joint club lotto, which has helped support wider community and charitable initiatives, including Christmas charity drives.
These connections are important to us. Glenullin is a rural community, and having opportunities available locally gives children and families somewhere to participate, volunteer, meet others and feel part of their community. Our club provides a welcoming environment where girls can enjoy sport close to home and develop friendships that extend beyond the pitch.
At the heart of Glenullin Camogie Club is our commitment to creating more opportunities for girls to participate in sport. We want girls of different abilities and experience levels to have the chance to get active, learn new skills and build their confidence without feeling that they need to already be an experienced camogie player.
Our new 12-week Girls Introduction to Camogie programme will build on this community role by creating a welcoming entry point specifically for girls who are new to the sport. We want their first experience of camogie to be positive, fun and supportive, while creating a pathway for them to remain active and become part of Glenullin Camogie Club long after the programme finishes.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Our programme will run for 12 weeks, with one 2-hour session each week for 30 girls aged 12–16 from Glenullin and the surrounding rural area. It is aimed at girls who are new to camogie, so no previous experience is needed and we will provide all the equipment.
Weeks 1–2 – Getting Started
The first couple of weeks will be about welcoming the girls, helping everyone settle in and getting used to holding a stick and using a sliotar.
We will introduce the basics including movement, ground striking and handpassing, along with fun games and simple agility activities.
Weeks 3–4 – Learning the Skills
We will build on the basics with catching, striking and passing.
The girls will work in smaller groups using different skills stations. This will give everyone plenty of time with a stick and sliotar and allow the coaches to spend more time helping each girl.
Weeks 5–6 – Building Confidence
We will start putting the different skills together and introduce more movement, coordination and fitness activities.
There will be team challenges, skills drills and simple games. The focus will be on keeping the girls active, enjoying themselves and becoming more confident with the basic skills.
Weeks 7–8 – Playing Together
At this stage we will introduce more small-sided games.
We will introduce teamwork, positioning and communication while making sure everyone gets plenty of chances to get involved.
Weeks 9–10 – Putting it into Practice
The girls will continue working on their striking, catching, passing and movement, with more of the sessions based around games and team activities.
The coaches will continue working with the girls in smaller groups so everyone can develop at their own pace.
Weeks 11–12 – Enjoying the Game & What's Next
The final two weeks will bring everything together through skills challenges, team activities and friendly games.
We will also show the girls the opportunities available to keep playing after the programme. Our hope is that girls who enjoy the 12 weeks will feel confident enough to stay involved and continue playing with Glenullin Camogie Club.
What we hope to achieve
Over the 12 weeks, we want to give 30 girls aged 12–16 up to 24 hours of activity, help them learn the basic skills of camogie and give them the chance to become more active, build confidence and make new friends.
We will provide the sticks, helmets and other equipment, so nobody needs to buy specialist equipment before coming along.
Most of all, we want the girls to have a positive first experience of camogie and hopefully encourage them to stay active and involved in the sport after the 12 weeks are over.
How our project meets Sport NI's Creating Opportunities criteria
Our Give Camogie a Go project is about creating a new opportunity for girls aged 12–16 in rural Glenullin to get active and try camogie for the first time.
Creating a new opportunity
This is a new 12-week programme for 30 girls aged 12–16 who are new to camogie. It is not additional training for one of our existing teams. We want to give girls who may never have played before a friendly and supportive introduction to the sport.
Supporting women and girls
Women and girls are one of Sport NI's target groups. The programme will give 30 girls the opportunity to take part in 24 hours of structured physical activity over 12 weeks, helping them become more active while learning the basic skills of camogie.
Supporting a rural community
Glenullin is a rural community, so having opportunities available locally is important. The programme will give teenage girls the chance to try a new sport close to home and become more involved in their local club and community.
Removing barriers to taking part
Starting a new sport can involve an upfront cost for families. We will provide 30 sticks, 30 helmets and all the sliotars and training equipment needed, so girls will not have to buy specialist equipment before giving camogie a go.
No previous experience will be needed and every girl will be encouraged to learn at her own pace.
Getting more girls active
Each girl will have the opportunity to take part in 24 hours of activity. Sessions will include camogie skills, movement, agility, fitness, team activities and small-sided games, with the focus on keeping everyone active and involved.
Building confidence and friendships
The programme is about more than learning camogie. We want the girls to build confidence, work as part of a team, make new friends and feel more connected to their local community.
Creating something that lasts
All equipment purchased will stay with Glenullin Camogie Club and can be used for future beginner programmes, taster sessions and community activities.
We don't want the project to simply finish after 12 weeks. Girls who enjoy the programme will have the opportunity to continue playing with Glenullin Camogie Club, helping us grow female participation and strengthen the future of camogie in our rural community.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We need to raise £7,700 to run our new 12-week Girls Introduction to Camogie programme for 30 girls aged 12–16. We will raise £2,700 through our Crowdfunder, with £5,000 from Sport NI match funding.
The money will go towards qualified coaching, camogie and training equipment and indoor and outdoor facility hire.
1. Qualified Camogie Coaching – £2,520
- 2 qualified camogie coaches × 3 hours per week × 12 weeks × £35 per hour = £2,520
Each week includes a two-hour coached session plus one hour for preparing drills, setting up equipment and skills stations and clearing everything away afterwards.
This provides 72 hours of coaching and session preparation across the 12 weeks, with 24 hours of activity for each girl.
2. Camogie & Training Equipment – £4,100
- 30 camogie sticks × £35 = £1,050
- 30 helmets × £50 = £1,500
- 50 sliotars × £6 = £300
- 2 moveable goals and nets × £300 = £600
- 30 training bibs × £5 = £150
- 5 sets of cones and markers × £40 = £200
- 10 agility hurdles × £10 = £100
- 4 agility ladders × £50 = £200
Equipment total = £4,100
Providing 30 sticks and 30 helmets means every girl will have the equipment needed to take part without their family having to buy specialist equipment before giving camogie a go.
The sliotars, goals, bibs, cones, hurdles and agility ladders will be used for skills stations, movement and agility activities, drills and small-sided games.
All equipment will remain with Glenullin Camogie Club after the programme and can be used for future beginner sessions, taster sessions and community activities.
3. Indoor & Outdoor Facility Hire – £1,080
- Outdoor pitch hire: 6 sessions × 2 hours × £40 per hour = £480
- Indoor facility hire: 6 sessions × 2 hours × £50 per hour = £600
Facility hire total = £1,080
This provides 24 hours of facility access across the 12-week programme. Using a combination of indoor and outdoor facilities will give us suitable spaces to deliver the sessions and allow the programme to continue during poor weather.
Total Project Cost – £7,700
- Qualified Camogie Coaching – £2,520
- Camogie & Training Equipment – £4,100
- Indoor & Outdoor Facility Hire – £1,080
£2,520 + £4,100 + £1,080 = £7,700
£2,700 community fundraising + £5,000 Sport NI match funding = £7,700
Every donation will help us give 30 girls aged 12–16 12 weeks and 24 hours of structured activity, supported by qualified coaches, with equipment that will continue benefiting the club after the programme finishes.
Community impact
Glenullin Camogie Club is part of a small rural community where the club and its facilities are about much more than matches and training.
We work closely with John Mitchel's Glenullin GAC, and together the football and camogie clubs have a strong connection with local families, volunteers and community groups. The wider facilities at John Mitchel Park are also used by groups including Eagle Glen Community Partnership, surrounding primary schools and Glenullin Community Resource Centre.
We have seen first-hand what can happen when the clubs and community come together. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Glenullin Camogie Club and John Mitchel's Glenullin GAC organised The Glen 500K, asking 100 local people to each walk or run 5km. The fundraiser received 115 donations and raised £2,001, with the money supporting the local St Vincent de Paul and older and vulnerable people in Glenullin.
Our football and camogie clubs also work together through the club lotto. Money raised through this has supported local projects and community initiatives, including the delivery of over 150 Christmas dinners to local senior citizens.
This new project will directly give 30 girls 12 weeks of activity, but we want the benefits to go much further than that. The sticks, helmets, sliotars, bibs and moveable goals bought through the project will stay with the club and can be used again for future beginner sessions, school or community taster sessions, charity matches and other club activities.
The moveable goals and equipment also give us more options for bringing people together at John Mitchel Park. They could be used for family fun days, charity games, community sports days and fundraising events, giving parents, children and other local residents a chance to get involved.
Being in a rural area, having these opportunities on our doorstep matters. We want our facilities to be somewhere girls can play sport, families can meet and the wider community can come together.
For us, the impact of this project isn't just the 12 weeks. It is about getting more girls involved in sport and leaving equipment behind that can continue to be used by Glenullin Camogie Club and the wider community for years to come.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways you can help us reach our target and make Glenullin Camogie Club: Give Camogie a Go happen.
Make a pledge. Every donation, big or small, will help us provide coaching, equipment and facilities and give more girls the chance to try camogie for the first time.
Spread the word. Share our Crowdfunder with your family, friends and on social media. The more people across Glenullin and the surrounding area who hear about the project, the better chance we have of reaching our target.
Offer a reward. If you're a local business, you can support us by donating a voucher, product or service that we can offer as a reward to our supporters. We'll be delighted to give your business a shout-out in return.
Fundraise for us. Fancy doing a sponsored walk, run, challenge or another fundraiser? Get in touch using the 'contact project' button on our page and help us raise funds for the programme.
Every pledge and share will help us give 30 local girls the opportunity to get active, make new friends and give camogie a go.
Thank you for supporting Glenullin Camogie Club!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th October 2026 at 3:49pm