S&C Conference Report: Insights on Building Robust Teams at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh

 

 

A highly successful Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Conference for club coaches, hosted at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, attracted a strong attendance of 125 people. The event’s central theme was “Building & Rebuilding Robust, Athletic Teams and Athletes: Insights from Gaelic Games, Professional Soccer, and Rugby,” providing club coaches with invaluable, high-performance strategies from across the sporting spectrum.

The conference successfully brought together leading experts to deliver actionable strategies relevant to the club environment, effectively bridging the gap between elite professional sport and grassroots Gaelic Games. The significant turnout of 125 attendees demonstrated the local coaching community’s strong commitment to enhancing player welfare and optimising performance through informed S&C practices. The success of the event underscores the clear appetite among club coaches for continuous professional development in this crucial area of athlete preparation.

The distinguished lineup of keynote speakers covered crucial aspects of athlete development, durability, and rehabilitation.

Paudie Roche, formerly the Lead S&C Coach with Arsenal Women and Academy, delivered specialised methods for working with developing and female athletes in his presentation, “Building Durable Female and Academy Athletes: S&C Strategies from Arsenal FC.”

Focusing on athlete recovery, Gordon Brett, a Rehabilitation Coach with prior experience at Leinster, Munster, and Wasps Rugby, provided high-level strategies on “Rebuilding the High Performance Athletes: Rehab Strategies from Elite Rugby,” with a focus on returning players to peak condition following injury.

Insights relevant to Gaelic Games were provided by two leading Intercounty and Club S&C practitioners. Cathal O’Brien, S&C Coach with the Cork Senior Hurlers, detailed physical preparation in the club environment with his talk, “Bullet-proofing the Club Hurler: S&C Strategies from Club and Intercounty Hurling.” Complementing this, Aidan O’Connell, High Performance Manager, addressed practical methods for maximising player availability in his presentation, “Optimising Athlete Availability: S&C Strategies from Club and Intercounty Football.”

The conference concluded on a high note with a highly engaging Q &A  session between the attendees and the keynote speakers. This interactive segment allowed the 125 club coaches to directly challenge the experts with practical scenarios and delve deeper into the presented S&C strategies, reinforcing the practical and collaborative nature of the event. The successful exchange of ideas provided a valuable final opportunity for knowledge transfer, ensuring attendees left with tailored advice ready for implementation at club level.