Eight Kilkenny GAA clubs receive accreditation

Eight clubs in Kilkenny have been awarded official accreditation as 'Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs'.

Young Irelands received a gold award, while Shamrocks Ballyhale took home silver.

A number of Kilkenny clubs also scooped foundation awards: Clara, Dicksboro, Thomastown, Conahy Shamrocks, Bennettsbridge and John Lockes.

Over an 18-month period clubs must match certain criteria to achieve official accreditation as a 'Healthy Club' and depending on the capacity, a club can strive towards foundation, silver, or gold level awards.

This milestone for Kilkenny clubs follows almost two-years work by the clubs’ teams of volunteers who give up their free time to make the GAA and Ireland a healthier place for everyone to enjoy.

The awards, now in their tenth year, have grown from a small pilot featuring 16 clubs in 2013 to having engaged 450 clubs to date, gaining national and international recognition as an exemplar programme for the delivery of health promotion through a sports club setting.

The most common areas of work delivered by clubs were:

• Physical activity, such as walking initiatives, exercise classes, and social Gaelic Games.
• Community development, including supporting older members of the community, youth leadership and supporting local charities.
• Mental health awareness and education.
• Diversity and inclusion, including games opportunities for persons with additional needs.
• Substance use and gambling awareness, including smoke- and vape-free clubs.
• Healthy eating.

President of the GAA, Larry McCarthy said: "The GAA is synonymous with games, but we are about so much more than that, serving the people in the communities where our clubs operate."

"The Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Project recognises standards of excellence in the enormous breadth of work undertaken by our clubs off the field in diverse areas from healthy eating and exercise, social and recreational games, to inclusion initiatives, mental health well being and awareness programmes around alcohol, substance abuse and suicide, to name only a few. This work, on top of the games we promote, embeds our clubs in communities. We take this leadership role and responsibility very seriously and our Community and Health team at Croke Park are increasing the number of clubs achieving official Healthy Club recognition every year," Mr McCarthy commented. 

Kilkenny County Health & Wellbeing Chair, Carmel Kenny, added: "It is fantastic to see eight clubs getting recognised for their healthy initiatives. I would encourage all clubs to enter the healthy club process, it is very worthwhile and rewarding."

Expressions of Interest for the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs programme will open in late November 2023, where all interested GAA, LGFA and Camogie Clubs will be invited to apply."