Introduction
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme aims to help clubs support the holistic health of their members and communities they serve. GAA Clubs already contribute to the health and wellbeing of their members by providing opportunities to develop their physical, social, emotional and psychological health.
The programme aims to help clubs identify what they are already dong well, identify areas where they can or would like to improve, and empower them to ensure that everyone who engages with their club benefits from the experience in a health enhancing way, be they players, officers, coaches, parents, supporters, or members of their local community.
Healthy Clubs Background
A Healthy Club brings the values of the GAA to life. It promotes wellbeing throughout the life course and its policies, partners, and activities, are designed to support the health of its members on and off the field. It aims to be at the heart of the community it serves. Each club and community will have its own idea of what constitutes a Healthy Club. However, from our experience to date, some principles underpin all Healthy Clubs.
Healthy Clubs:
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Recognise health and wellbeing as a core value; one that is everyone’s responsibility with everyone having a role to play.
- View health as something holistic that involves physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing.
- Seek to make their club setting /environment as healthy as possible and set a good example through their practices, policies, and partnerships.
- Are community clubs that aim to extend their positive influence beyond their membership and games.
- Are inclusive clubs that aim to offer people of all abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to participate in the club in a meaningful way, throughout their lifespan.
- Are not expected to do everything themselves, but instead work in partnership to build stronger, more connected communities.
As with all things worth doing, there is effort involved in this process. However, there are also significant rewards, both for the participating clubs and for those who engage with the project. In 2021, the GAA commissioned Just Economics to carry out a Social Return on Investment Analysis (SROI) of the Healthy Club Programme.
Participating clubs reported:
- changes in policies and procedures to support health such as smoke and vape free venue
- healthy eating at training and after games
- increases in the proportion of clubs that consider their club to be welcoming, representative of the community and well-utilised
- Improvement in the ease at which volunteers are recruited/retained
- Access to Healthy Club resources and training
- Better engagement with club activities by members
- Accessing additional funding/sponsorship avenues
- Strengthening of club’s goodwill in the community
- Opportunity to develop lasting links with other like–minded clubs
- Great sense of achievement
- Increased media coverage for club both locally and nationally
Healthy Club Participants report:
- increases in physical activity (10-25%)
- adopting of healthier behaviours (40%)
- New hobbies (17%) and friendships (51%)
- improvements in life satisfaction, connectedness to other people and the community (the latter seeing the largest change)
For the GAA itself, the following benefits:
- Greater involvement by participants in the GAA (joining, taking their children to training or attending games) (77%)
- Improved reputation (78%)
- More members/volunteers
The diagram below outlines the steps involved in becoming a Healthy Club and the support available along the 18-month journey. The process is based on best practice and has been refined following feedback from participating clubs in the pilot stages of the project.
By following these steps, a club will be best positioned to ensure the work they undertake is:
- Responding to identified need within the club/community
- Supported by the club, community and appropriate partners
- Sustainable and well planned
- Achieving real impact (that can be measured – useful when seeking funding)
- Benefiting club members and the community
- Following best practice
- Recognised and celebrated
The healthy clubs accreditation pathway was introduced in 2022. It provides clubs with a pathway to achieve a healthy club status that is relevant to their location, capacity, size, resources and commitment.
There are 3 levels in the healthy club accreditation pathway, Foundation, Silver and Gold.
The programme operates on a two-year cycle. During that window clubs will have 18 months to achieve their desired level of accreditation by completing the relevant criteria on the portal. The subsequent 6 months are for review at national level. Accreditation for each award will be issued from GAA Community and Health when the review process is complete.
Foundation level sees the club gain healthy club status and is the minimum requirement to achieve official healthy clubs status.
Healthy Clubs with a foundation award do not have to strive for Silver or Gold awards but must continue to meet the Foundation Healthy Club criteria every two-years to maintain their status/award. Likewise, for Silver & Gold awards. Clubs who do not engage at all via the portal after gaining accreditation will lose their award and will be required to complete the process again. Club reporting will take place every 2 years on the Healthy Clubs online portal by documenting evidence against the relevant criteria. The full criteria for each award level can be found below.
Clubs must continue to meet the Foundation Healthy Club (minimum) criteria every two-year to maintain their status/award. This applies to ALL clubs.
Clubs who do not engage at all via the portal after gaining accreditation will lose their award and will be required to start the process again.