Unleashing 'The Blue Wave' A Strategy for Dublin GAA - Croke Park

UNLEASHING “THE BLUE WAVE”
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The sometimes prohibitive financial costs of involvement in
individual sports, leisure and recreation activities.
The result of the rapid population shift to and growth in urban areas
is often a sense of alienation and of “not belonging” for the new
entrants to the community. The aforementioned factors often create
a climate where it is difficult to source and secure long-term
volunteer commitment.
The educational sectors capacity to provide games and physical
activity has been negatively affected by factors such as:
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The lower number of males entering primary school teaching.
The reduced involvement of the Religious Orders in the
management of schools.
Greater emphasis on academic results in schools.
Greater obligations on schools in terms of health, safety and
child protection.
The result is children have less physical activity which will affect
their development and health in later years. The cost-benefit of
investing in pro-active initiatives to stimulate a robust healthy
lifestyle has been clearly demonstrated in national and global
studies.
In the above cases and in many other instances highlighted in ESRI
research the GAA has the structures, format, network, tradition and size to
effectively deliver Government policy at community level in a sustainable
and value for money way. This is not to say that the GAA can address all of
Ireland’s social problems but it is in the best position of any sporting
organisation to deliver on areas of common interest to the State as well as
the Association.
3.3 » Community and Family Challenges
The big increase in the population of Dublin arising from the influx of Irish
and new Irish families into the county has created many challenges and
opportunities for Dublin GAA and the Association nationally. As Dublin has
and continues to change significantly, Dublin GAA needs to change and
grow in parallel with it whilst at the same time maintaining at its core the
traditional values of the GAA.
Community remains a key value for Dublin GAA. Everything we do helps to
enrich the communities we serve. The Association should be seen, first and
foremost, as a sporting body promoting Gaelic games, but one of whose
main strengths is its presence in almost every community in Dublin. The
ethos of Dublin GAA is promoted and most visible through the club, which
aims to have a central role in its locality and within its community. The
modern GAA club in Dublin is not a single-dimension, team-based
organisation, but a family-focused organisation that provides sporting,
leisure and social activities for males and females of all ages in its
community.
Dublin GAA is moving from its traditional role as an administrative body to
that of a development agency stimulating pro social activity across the city
and county. This requires an approach to sports development that is and will
continue to be mainly volunteer driven and community based. The Strategic
committee is conscious that all its interventions are designed to reinforce or
newly create the inputs that drive sustainable club development. When
Dublin GAA is successful in the creation of these inputs they create the
synergies that stimulate the increased volunteerism that is required to
embed the club in the community.
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