Aussie GAA club with Kilkenny roots is first Irish club awarded Mental Health Grant

An Australian GAA Club that was founded by Kilkenny immigrants has made history by being the first GAA club to be awarded the New South Wales Government Grant for Mental Health Initiatives in Sport.

The $30,000 grant will be used to inspire people to make mental health and wellbeing their top priority.

Scroll down to read about the amazing achievement of the current Kilkenny members of the club, and click 'NEXT' to see some brilliant photos from the early days of the club in the 80s and 90s - you'll recognise a few Kilkenny faces!

ABOVE: The ABOVE: The Central Coast GAA Camogie Team Camogie Team

It’s a fitting reflection of the spirit of a club that has not only served as a sporting outlet for many Irish immigrants, but has also become a social support and extended family to many.

Central Coast GAA club is one of the ‘oldest’ GAA clubs in Sydney and is celebrating its 42nd year in action this year. It wasn’t only Kilkenny people who founded the club but there was a good number of them - reflected in the club’s black and amber colours!

That Kilkenny association continues to this day. The current club president is O’Loughlin Gaels man Niall Kavanagh.

Ciara Holden, a former Leinster Championship winning county camogie player with Kilkenny, from Mullinavat, has made incredible friends in the club since she arrived in Sydney, in 2019. Heading out to Australia she thought she’d be home in six months, but three and a half years later she’s still there. 

“Camogie has always been something that I have been involved in from a young age. I am from Mullinavat and I've been playing with them from an underage level. I was fortunate enough to be part of a great bunch of players and won 4 Leagues and 4 Championship Titles as well as a Leinster Championship with Mullinavat,” Ciara told the Kilkenny People.

“Funnily enough I never intended on getting involved in the GAA scene over here when I first touched down in Sydney. I knew I would be in the middle of the social aspect to it alright but not actually playing. I probably don't have the best knees in the world,  I was unlucky to suffer 3 ACL injuries during my time playing at home. I always said, if I did it the third time I think I would have to hang up the boots but somehow got roped into playing over here, and I have to say I am loving it. 

ABOVE: Ciara Holden, from Mullinavat

“I joined the Central Coast GAA club, where I have met the most incredible people and friends for life. There were two girls from Mullinavat (Leann Fennelly and Julianne Malone) playing with the club at the time so I wouldn't have had a choice in the matter but to join them! My aunt Noreen and her husband Larry were amongst the founders of the club, so I suppose I had that connection to the Central Coast from the get go. 
, where I have met the most incredible people and friends for life. There were two girls from Mullinavat (Leann Fennelly and Julianne Malone) playing with the club at the time so I wouldn't have had a choice in the matter but to join them! My aunt Noreen and her husband Larry were amongst the founders of the club, so I suppose I had that connection to the Central Coast from the get go. 

“Being so far away from home, your family and friends, you soon realise that the friends you make over here quickly become your family. We are all in that same boat. We all go through our highs and lows over here. We all rally around for each other when needed and really just look out for each other. The Irish community and spirit here is really incredible.”

The Central Coast currently has teams playing in hurling, ladies football and camogie championships and there are around 15-20 representatives from Kilkenny playing with the club at the moment. 

“It is typically all Irish that are involved  in the GAA scene over here. The Ozzies think we are lunatics when they see us with hurls in our hands! It gives us the chance to explain how the game works and showcase a bit of our Irish culture, and assure them it's not as dangerous as it looks!” Ciara said.

The hurling Club was formed in 1983 to participate in the NSW (New South Wales) state competition which was held in Sydney. Foremost in setting up the club were Larry Delahunty (Mooncoin), Peter Murphy (The Rower), Tom Bowden (Gatabawn) and Tom and Jack Mahony (Athea, Limerick). Through the 80's and 90's the club had great success, winning many League and Championship Titles. 

1991 saw the first Ladies Football games held in Sydney and indeed, Australia. The foundation teams were the Central Coast and Michael Cusacks. Instrumental in setting up these clubs were Noreen Delahunty (formerly Noreen Holden, Mullinavat) and Marie FitzGerald (Limerick). The ladies have also won many League and Championship Titles.

New South Wales Government Grant for Mental Health Initiatives in Sport

“In Central Coast GAA, we began to recognise that we are more than just a club but a community for Irish people living in Sydney. With our members being so far from home, we want to provide as much support as possible,” Ciara explained. 

Covid provided a perspective on how loneliness and isolation can affect people across the world. Central Coast GAA applied for the funding to take a proactive approach to help prevent any potential mental health issues down the line among members.

During Covid, and the lockdowns, the Central Coast Committee identified some areas for improvement. They did not have funding for counselling for members, nor did they  have anyone in the club who was trained in mental health first aid.

The club decided to make mental health and wellbeing a top priority at Central Coast GAA. “We aim to take conversations about mental health out of the clinic and into the clubhouse. We want people talking about how they’re doing emotionally and mentally in a setting they are comfortable with. We want to put the person before the player.

“We structured the project and based the plan on evidence-based techniques which have worked in previous mental health and well-being initiatives,” Ciara said.

Previous recipients of the Government Grant for Mental Health Initiatives in Sport came from ‘Aussie Rules’ football, rugby league and netball, so the chances of the grant going to a GAA club was small. 

No other Irish club had ever won the grant funding. But there was a lot of energy and motivation from the Central Coast GAA Committee to try win the funding. “Amazingly, we have received news that we have been awarded $30,000 from this NSW Grant Scheme. We believe this is the first of its kind for a GAA club to receive a standalone grant for Mental Health services. Specifically, where the club has won all its funding for Mental Health and will lead all six initiatives in-house. This financial support is something we could not have dreamed of being awarded. We are grateful for NSW Government and the Ministry of Health for supporting us and for giving our Irish GAA club a chance to do something very special over the next year.

“We have many initiatives for using the mental health grant. Some of these plans include hosting mental health seminars and providing mental health training for our members. We are very grateful to have been chosen for this award and we will ensure that we can educate and support all of our own here in the Central Coast GAA Club with it,” Ciara said.

Click 'NEXT' to see the lads from Kilkenny who founded Central Coast GAA in the 1980s!