WexfordGAA.ie talks to one man, Murt Flynn, who is playing a key role in the resurgence of Wexford GAA, striving he says to put Wexford on the road to consistently ‘winning provincial and All Ireland’s at both codes.’
There has been a lot of talk of ‘reform’ and ‘change’ in Wexford GAA over the past 12 months, but what does this mean? Supporters have endured ups and downs and have had hopes raised and then dashed – the question many are asking is what is Wexford doing to restore our place at the top table in Gaelic Games.
WexfordGAA.ie spoke to Kilkenny native and Crossabeg-Ballymurn clubman, Murt Flynn, who had taken on a tough, but essential role in the development system asking him to tell us about the plan and his hopes and views.
Murt tell us your new role with Wexford GAA?
I am the Chairperson of the Talent Academy Workgroup or TAW.
What is the TAW?
The TAW was established as one of the new Workgroups outlined in the Action Plan which was adopted by the County Board following the initial review of Coaching carried out by Leinster Council and further developed by the Steering Group within Wexford County Board.
The Talent Academy Workgroup is charged with the responsibility of putting in place structures, policies and objectives for all Schools of Excellence and Development Squads in both hurling and football. In summary, squads at under 14 and 15 in both codes will operate as both Schools of Excellence and players will represent Wexford in Leinster other Blitzes as Wexford North and Wexford South. The core focus with these age groups is beginning the process working with young hurlers and footballers towards understanding both the skill levels and application levels associated with inter-county GAA programmes.
At under 16, the focus is on further development of skills and competitiveness and getting players ready for the significant and substantial step up that is inter county minor hurling and football.
Who is involved?
The membership of the Talent Academy Workgroup is Mark Hanton (Football Advisory Committee) Tom Dempsey (Hurling Advisory Committee) Luke Hennessy (St Martins) Eamon Mernagh (Oylegate Glenbrien) Podge Cronin (Naomh Eanna) Stephen Murphy (Secondary Schools Committee) and myself.
The work of the Talent Academy Workgroup is under the umbrella of the Games Development Committee (GDC) which is chaired by the County Coaching Officer, Des O Neill. The GDC has representatives from the Coaching Staff, Coiste na Og, Primary Schools, County Board and the Hurling and Football Advisory Committees. The secretary of Coiste na Og provides admin support.
What is the aim, what will you see as ‘success’
Our core aims are to completely overhaul our current systems of developing hurlers and footballers to represent Wexford at inter county level. Of course, the use of the word overhaul suggests that what has been done in the past was wrong but this, to me, is an narrow interpretation of the term. We first have to examine what we as a county mean by development. For the TAW, development is a continuous process that should not be benchmarked by success at blitzes or tournaments at the various ages but more by the development of core skills, tactical prowess and team work and competitiveness so that our minors team, where we have the first serious engagement at inter county level, are ready and stand equal or as best prepared as they can be. Underage blitzes should be seen for what they were originally intended to be and that was to begin the process of introducing players to the graded step ups that come with playing players from other counties.
We have to in Wexford, develop the understanding of what Development Squads are all about and our first priority in this is to work with clubs so that Squads are seen as beneficial to both club and county. Squad players should come back to their clubs and bring leadership and improved skill levels from their squad activity. It is a two way process. The TAW recognises that clubs are first, last and always. Its where our better players come from and where they return to and while school and colleges are hugely important and the TAW and the GDC are actively working on the areas of schools, we have to develop an shared ownership of squads within clubs, parents and all available coaching resources. Ultimately, better club players and stronger clubs makes for better and stronger inter county players in both codes
Success can often run contrary to development if the success is measured in the number of inter county blitzes and tournaments won. To me, that is not success. But, understandably, a county like Wexford, where hurling and football, bar the Under 21 footballers, has been scarce commodity and people almost demand success, regardless of whether or not it has any sustainable benefit for players, clubs or counties. The TAW will work to focus on sustainable development and ensure that all our teams and panels are competitive and not unbalanced so that one team is very strong while the other team is weakened as a result of this. .
For example, success at underage blitz/ tournament while nice for the players and mentors and it may bring a some warmth on otherwise cold days means very little when push comes to shove. Wexford won the Tony Forristal Tournament in 2006 I think. It would be instructive to look at the panel names from that team and the current panels at under 21 and senior. So while not to diminish winning blitzes because players and coaches like winning, the more important element is that we have begun the process of development with any particular group of players and coaches because we as coaches have to get better at what we are trying to do.
What will change?
I think it’s more of a case what has to change. It’s always useful to look at what other counties are doing when it comes to development policies and squads. Kilkenny are credited with introducing the idea of development squads and this was in response to the famine of sorts that they county was going through. It easy to forget that Kilkenny hurling was almost totally eclipsed by Offaly and Wexford in the 90’s given their almost total domination of senior hurling since 1999. But in recognising that the old way of producing players and improving quality of players was no longer working they introduced new ways of doing so. Wexford and other counties followed and many have developed, correctly, systems that suit their own circumstances and Wexford is a dual county and therefore has to develop a system that facilitates that. As mentioned above, the first thing that has to change is around understanding what we mean by development. For example, what kind of coaching are we doing with hurling and football squads? It has to be more intense and faster than players would do in their clubs. It has to account for skills deficits and remove them, it has to be stress the step up required of players in terms of competitiveness and physicality and conditioning but before all of that it has to make sure that clubs send in the players they think are capable of further development of skills. The current system we use in Wexford is to invite players to come to squad sessions. This works well enough but it will require some tweaks in respect of hurling and football.
The next thing we have to change are the expectations of players. The term elite is often used to describe the development squad system and that’s ok once the term is not allowed become elitism itself. This year, our underage squads in hurling will operate as Wexford South and Wexford North. We will no longer have A and B teams. North and South is much more than a geographical term- it means that, for example, the Talent Academy, through its policies and work with squad coaches, will expect that a South team, for example, will feature players from both sections so that we encourage and enable our strongest players to become leaders on the pitch and encourage and enable players just below that level to make the step up. Both Wexford’s history, since it introduced Development Squads and pretty overwhelming evidence from other counties and other codes shows that underage success, through running a very strong team and a weakened team is of little use in the context of sustainable development.
We need to be open and honest with all our players involved in squads. We need to be crystal clear with them and their clubs and parents that participation in football and hurling squads requires dedication, commitment and consistency in terms of attendance and application. And we need our coaches to be aware of what we are looking for. The TAW, with the input from squad coaches and mentors is working on a template for squad activity in both codes. The template is more than a guide but neither will it stifle coaching initiative and experience but it will set the targets we are seeking so that entry at minor level, beyond under 16, comes with a core group of players ready for the step up.
We’ve has very little success at minor in particular in hurling and football, why has this been and how do you see the TAW will change this?
The lack of minor success has become a huge weight on our back and it casts a very long shadow. The most obvious response is that other counties have raised the bar and that maybe luck or circumstance have had their say at times. But at the risk of sounding repetitive, the source of our players are our clubs and perhaps our clubs have not been as focussed on skills development as they might have been. A minor manager in hurling and football can only work with the material he is given. That’s not to say that we have not made mistakes on the management side because we have but overall other counties, with or without tradition at underage, have moved to levels where we have struggled to come to grips with.
The TAW has a crucial role in this process, through squads. Through participation in blitzes we are supporting our young hurlers and footballers to begin learning about what playing at inter county requires. Our goal has to be that once in squads that players get good quality coaching and good quality advice and that players experience peer learning so that as they move through the system then they are on an ever increasing and challenging learning curve. It is important to note that squads are not the magic bullet. There are many current and former inter county players who did not participate or feature strongly in squads who have provincial and all Ireland medals. And the old adage that being dropped from a development squad is harder than getting on one will no longer apply. Wearing a county jersey and representing your club and county is or ought to be an honour. It is not an automatic right. There are probably players in Wexford today at under 14/ 15 who are not considered by their clubs for participation in squads who will play senior hurling or football for Wexford. Our focus has to be on widening the net so that we provide the opportunities for development.
What support are your receiving?
To date, we are receiving the support we need, from the County Board and Coiste na Og and the fulltime coaching staff and, crucially, clubs. This is a new process and change can be difficult for people to adopt or accept. We can apply any benchmark that we have and it will show that Wexford needed to change. We are in very challenging times, financially, socially and culturally and that means we have to think our way around obstacles as opposed to throwing money it or complaining that we change it. Clubs support us through their players, through providing facilities. The GDC will shortly produce a calendar for all clubs that will show all club games, all squad activities and coaching activities and this will be a support to all involved.
What do you need to be successful?
Players, clubs, coaches and county structures working together. We have the Action Plan, we know what we have to do and now the task is to go and do it. Simple but true. If everyone does what they are meant to do, all of us, and if we stick to the task with a focus on longer term development over short termism then we can achieve. Of course, none of this is happening in a vacuum. As Wexford aim to have the best Development system in the country, so too do other counties and it means we have to be smart and think about what we are doing all the time. We have to get used to a year round system, making best use of the quality indoor facilities we have in the county. We have to get all our primary and secondary schools working with all our clubs in partnerships so that clubs are working in schools in addition to the coaching already in place from our county coaches and FAS / VTOS coaches. We will have to look at second level hurling and football. Amalgamations at schools and club levels might be necessary. At underage, we are hosting 4+5 Divisions with 13 a side competitions and while they provide important opportunities for playing of our games, there are, I feel, issues regarding quality and intensity and perhaps we need to look at no more than 3 divisions in hurling and football and that will require amalgamations. This of course strikes at the heart of club and community identity so it has to be discussed in a different context, a context around quality and intensity as well as participations and identity. We also have to look at urban hurling and football. We have four big sized towns but only two of them feature at senior level, we all have to see what needs to be done, not talking about it, but doing it.
What are the challenges you see?
There are a number of major challenges. The first, from a TAW point of view, is that in our first year we bed down this new approach. The second is that we support all our volunteer squad coaches and mentors with adequate gear, coach education, networking for sharing information opportunities. Alongside this, we have to make sure that all the players who we work with, either in these early stages of squads and when we move to the next level that the work we are doing is of the highest quality and that players, their clubs and their parents understand and support what we are trying to do. Budgets are challenging but again they ought not to be a barrier. And we have to communicate the work we are doing with the wider GAA community in the county. Work is progressing on re-designing elements of www.wexfordgaa.ie so that we can develop the coaching and squad aspect of the site. Local media will also have a role to play in this. The other core challenge are other codes of sport, namely soccer and rugby. Whether we like it or not or chose to ignore it, other sports compete for many of the same players we compete for. In the past, there were less clashes regarding timetables or criss-crossing of seasons but now we are all nearly 365 operations. The challenge is to make our games the most attractive, the most highly organised and managed and coached and played to the highest quality. While some have looked to apportion blame for a lack of success of one code because of the focus or workload of our other code (hurling and football) the dual issue is an issue of management and strategic thinking.
What are the opportunities?
There remains a core of goodwill towards GAA in the county, despite hard times. There are many volunteers who wish to contribute to Wexford hurling and football, we have to facilitate and support them to do so. We have a large number of coaches, full and part-time and we need to continue to work to get the highest impact we can from them. And we have passionate and intelligent people who are bringing their skills to bear on the challenges we face. And we have a significant number of young players who will respond to additional demands once we communicate the goals we want to reach. And while funding is tight, we do have a level of funding that while not enough to cover ever action all at once, it is enough to do some very good quality work once we are smart about using it.
How do you think things will look in 5/10 years?
Have you a crystal ball I could borrow! If we work to go above and beyond the minimum and if we strategically plan our way towards a sustainable and competitive future then Wexford should be, at the very least, be very competitive and winning provincial and All Irelands at both codes. At club level, if we focus on quality and intensity and use the available resources wisely and effectively, then Wexford club teams will be competitive and successful at club provincial and All Ireland level. And not just at senior but equally important at intermediate and junior. A few short years ago, our neighbours across the Barrow won All Irelands at minor, under 21 and senior where all but two of their clubs had players on one panel or another and one of the absent clubs does not have an underage section .There is no reason other than a lack of ambition fuelled by fear and poor planning that Wexford cannot be the equal or the better of others.
How does Wexford compare to other counties, Dublin, Kilkenny, Tipperary for example?
Well, like the other counties we too have development squads. Dublin have the huge population base, the benefit of big numbers playing, investment in full time coaches directly attached to clubs. Football remains the game of choice in Dublin but hurling has grown to the level where they are now very strong at minor and under 21 while the seniors are back in Division 1. Kilkenny are never satisfied and the current systems they have in place, on and off the pitch, underpin their ambition. That football is not popular or played to a high level should not divert our focus from the fact that everything they or aim to do is infused with quality and rooted in clubs. Tipperary, like Kilkenny, have a deep and rich tradition and have the more obvious geographical breakdown so that dual is probably a bit easier to manage but like all dual counties, it is a challenge but that’s not a good enough reason to sit back and not to anything. Under the TAW, football at under 14 and 15 will run on an East (New Ross and Enniscorthy) and West (Wexford and Gorey) based on the knowledge and experience of football people and this represents a creative and strategic approach. We have also organised Football and Hurling Development sessions on different dates and times and Blitzes will be played and participated in with both codes having enough time to train and prepare. Clare have transformed their development squad systems and it can be seen based on their underage and under 21 performances of recent years. Cork are in the process of making substantial changes. In football, Tyrone have a development squad system that is highly organised, clearly directed and like other Ulster counties is informed by best practice in terms of core skills, fitness and conditioning and attitude.
When it comes to minor championships won and played in both codes we are off the pace, no doubt. With some luck and a continuation of the hard work done to date our minors, while losing out narrowly in football to Westmeath our players have another chance and our hurlers have not been short in working to ensure that they will give it their all to progress.
How far behind of the competition are we?
At minor, some distance back from the competition but the work required to narrow the gap is continuing. We have to makes sure that players we send up to minor level are ready and prepared for the next step. Luck plays a part and maybe the last few years have not been plentiful in that department. At underage we have been strong at under 15 hurling the past few years and our under 16 and 16 hurlers are increasingly competitive but these are snapshots and moments in time and they have to be built on. Once we get schools, clubs and structures right and that they are constantly evaluated and we dedicate ourselves to being as well organised off the pitch as well as on the pitch, progress, while hard won, will be made.
Are there positives to point to finish?
It’s important to remember that while inter county success has been absent of late, we still have thousands of players, off all ages, playing hurling and football in our clubs week in and week out. Our structures are improving and while there are serious challenges ahead we have a road map that if properly followed, with Wexford GAA kept front and centre at all times, will ensure progress is made. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask clubs to support us as we go about our work through the calendar, through the occasional need for flexibility so that all our young players involved with squads get the most of the opportunities provided to them. The TAW will be open and honest about what it is trying to do and with the overall guidance, advice and support of the GDC, clubs, players and parents will be informed and communicated with as we ,firstly bed in this system and them develop it further for the benefit of Wexford players, clubs and volunteers.
