Cork GAA Athletic Development Conference 2026
Cork GAA Athletic Development Conference 2026
Optimising Athletic Development for the Teenage Athlete
Cork GAA will host an Athletic Development Conference at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday, 28 November, bringing together four experienced practitioners to share practical approaches to developing teenage athletes.
Aimed at club coaches working with boys and girls aged 13–18, the conference will focus on safe and effective training, injury prevention, growth and maturation, and the long-term development of young players.
Date: Saturday, 28 November 2026
Time: 9am–12 noon
Venue: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
Cost: €20 per person
About the Conference
The teenage years are a key period in a player’s development. Understanding how young athletes grow, mature and respond to training is essential to helping them progress safely and reach their potential.
Through four presentations and a closing panel discussion, speakers will explore practical approaches to athletic development in Gaelic games, covering both male and female players and the individual needs of teenage athletes.
The conference will provide club coaches with practical ideas and strategies they can bring back to their own training environments, including how to:
- Plan and deliver safe, effective training for players aged 13–18.
- Adapt training to account for growth, maturation and individual needs.
- Get more from training time with the female club player.
- Develop stronger, more resilient players over the long term.
Conference Programme
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9.00–9.15am | Registration and Introduction Aidan O’Connell, High Performance Manager, Cork GAA |
| 9.15–9.45am | Eoghan Dorgan Practical Implementation of an Athletic Development Programme in a Youth Club Setting |
| 9.45–10.15am | Rob Mulcahy Growth, Maturation and Applied Practice |
| 10.15–10.30am | Break |
| 10.30–11.00am | Dylan Byrne Busy Isn’t Developing: Getting the Most from the Female Club Player |
| 11.00–11.30am | Diarmuid Hayes Organised Chaos: A Case Study of the 2026 Cork Minor Football Team |
| 11.30am–12 noon | Panel Discussion |
Meet the Speakers
Eoghan Dorgan
Strength and Conditioning Coach, Cork GAA
Practical Implementation of an Athletic Development Programme in a Youth Club Setting
Eoghan is a strength and conditioning coach with experience across inter-county Gaelic games. He has been Cork’s Lead Minor Strength and Conditioning Coach for the past three years. He was Assistant S&C Coach with the All-Ireland-winning Cork Senior Camogie team in 2023 and the Cork Minor team in 2021.
Eoghan is completing a PhD on the role of sprint mechanics and power output in hamstring injuries among GAA players.
Rob Mulcahy
Head of Athletic Development, Setanta College
Growth, Maturation and Applied Practice
Rob is Head of Athletic Development at Setanta College, an experienced strength and conditioning coach, and a researcher in talent identification and long-term athlete development. He spent eight years with Clare GAA, first with the senior football team and then as Head of Athlete Development.
His coaching spans Gaelic games, basketball, rugby, rowing and swimming, from grassroots to international level.
Rob is completing a Professional Doctorate at the University of Limerick on talent identification and development pathways in Gaelic games. His research looks at early selection, maturation, player progression and building more inclusive, evidence-informed talent systems.
Dylan Byrne
Athletic Development Coordinator, Cork LGFA, and S&C Coach, Cork Senior Football
Busy Isn’t Developing: Getting the Most from the Female Club Player
Dylan Byrne is Athletic Development Coordinator with Cork LGFA, overseeing the implementation of practices and structures that support long-term player development. He is currently the Return to Play Strength and Conditioning Coach with Cork Senior Men’s Football and Strength and Conditioning Coach with St Finbarr’s Senior Camogie.
Dylan has extensive experience across male and female Gaelic games at both club and inter-county level, including roles with the Cork U20 hurlers and Cork minor footballers.
His coaching achievements include three consecutive county titles and a Munster title with St Finbarr’s Camogie, county and Munster success with Naomh Abán Ladies, and multiple Munster and All-Ireland titles with Cork LGFA underage squads.
Diarmuid Hayes
Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach, Cork U20 Football
Organised Chaos: A Case Study of the 2026 Cork Minor Football Team
Diarmuid is the All-Ireland-winning S&C coach behind Cork’s 2026 minor footballers and now leads S&C for the Cork U20 footballers.
A former GAA Games Promotion Officer, he coached throughout the country, from county development squads to clubs such as Uíbh Laoire, Bishopstown and Ballincollig RFC, often working with more than 50 players, one pitch and little else.
A practitioner-researcher, Diarmuid is beginning an embedded PhD with Cork GAA exploring the environment of the U20 player. In this case study, he will show why we can ask far more of young players than we think.
Book Your Place
The Cork GAA Athletic Development Conference 2026 takes place on Saturday, 28 November, from 9am to 12 noon at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Places cost €20 per person. Club coaches working with players aged 13–18 are encouraged to attend.
[group_69149bff27491]
