Lotto
Jackpot - €10,000 NO WINNER
Numbers Drawn 10, 17, 20, 26

The weekly winners of €30 were
• Liam McNeill, Racecourse Road.
• Margie Collins, Kilteevan.
• Nuala Hughes, Circular Road.
• Dervilla Beattie, C/o Shane Hoare.

Thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets your support is very much appreciated.

COACHING NEWS  (WK 18 2018)
 A.   Foundation Football & Hurling Course
Thanks to our coaches who recently completed a combined Football & Hurling Foundation Couse arranged by our club.
 
• Niamh Fallon
• Jason Crean
• Hugh Murphy
• Trevor Finneran
• Kieran Nugent
• Seamus O’Neill
• Gary Greene
• Jer O’Connor
• Dion Hegarty
• Adrian Tully
 
B.   Childrens Officer Workshop  
A training Night for all Club Children’s Officers will be held in Hannon’s Hotel, Roscommon, on Monday night, April 30th, at 8pm. 
 
C. Coaching Committee  
Our most recent CC Meeting was held on Monday 23 April.
The very well attended meeting discussed how we can best progress the 3No. Objectives arising from our recent Club Coaching Support Programme.
• Club – School Link.
• Coach Education.- Coach the Coaches
• Expanded Coaching Committee - to meet monthly.
 
There were actions arising and progress update to follow over coming weeks.
 
D.   Upcoming Workshop – Booking is Essential
For Club Coaches
Saturday May 19th
Time 10am -1.30pm
Venue : TBC
Guest coach Paul Earley.
Roscommon Gaels encourages our coaches to attend what will be an excellent workshop as this will in part fulfil our Coach-the-Coach Objective..
As booking is required, can you let either John Donnellan or Niamh Kilmartin know if you are attending
 
E.   U14 Hurling Session by Martin Fogarty
National hurling director Martin Fogarty will be visiting Roscommon for a coaching session in Athleague GAA pitch on Tuesday May 15th at 7pm for U14 players/coaches who are taking part in the National Feile weekend in June.  
 
F.   Go Games Football & Hurling Blitzes 
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development will commence their U8/U10 football and Hurling Go Games blitz on Saturday May 12th.
Roscommon GPO’s will be in touch with clubs in their region regarding the format and dates which have now being confirmed
 
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development are seeking applications from third level students/coaches to work on our Kellogg’s Cull camps for 2018. All students must have GAA Garda Vetting and are requested to forward application letter and CV to Roscommon GAA Games Manager at willie.hegarty.gm.roscommon@gaa.ie

Camogie
U8 &U10 Camogie is on Friday evening's 6:15 - 7:30pm in Lisnamult.  All players to be on the pitch @ 6:10 sharp.

U12:- Camogie training is on Friday evenings in Lisnamult from 6.30-7.30pm.

U14’s:-Our girls played Tulsk on Tuesday Evening in Round 7 of the Oak Dental Practice Sponsored Feile Championship we defeated Tulsk on a scoreline of 7-6 to Tulsk 0-0.  

Next we played Athleague which was one of the games rescheduled due to pitches being unplayable in Tremane on Thursday, The girls dominated throughout in what was a very wet evening.  The final score was Roscommon Gaels 4-5 Athleague 0-1.  We are currently on top of the table with Four Roads in 2nd place.  We play Four Roads tomorrow evening in Lisnamult at 7pm.  If we win or draw we will be top of the table.  Come out and support the girls. 

Cuman na mBunscol:-Both The Gaelscoil and St. Coman’s woods were busy during the week in the Cuman na mBunscol both schools are through to the Quarter Finals The Gaelscoil play Tisara NS and St. Comans Wood play Fuerty.  Best of luck girls.

Minor/Junior Camogie
Minor/Junior camogie will begin training for 2018 on Thursday in Lisnamult. We have booked the front training pitch from 8pm til 9.30pm. We are looking forward to an enjoyable and successful season ahead. Meanwhile, gym sessions began last Monday evening in Full Body Workhouse 8-9pm and will continue on Monday’s for the moment to build strength and fitness which will support our skills and match training outdoors. There must be at least 10 players to hold this gym class so we encourage as many of you as possible to attend. Gym classes cost €5 per person.  

Hurling
U8 / U10 / U12 Hurling - Training continues every Monday in our club grounds in Lisnamult from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

U8 / U10 Hurling Blitz - Roscommon Gaels will host the first hurling blitz of the year in Lisnamult on Saturday May 12th. Details to follow in weeks ahead.
​
​​U11 Hurling - Our U11 hurlers completed rounds 5 & 6 of the U11 Tain Hurling League in the Connacht Centre of excellence this weekend. 

Due to strong numbers at this age-group, Roscommon Gales fielded two 11 a-side teams this weekend maximising game time for all our hurlers. 

The boys competed strongly across all 4 games this weekend against opposition from across the Province. All players demonstrated great skills, determinations and teamwork throughout.
​
Our thanks to all parents who shared lifts over the past 3 weekends to Bekan.

​U-14  The U-14 hurlers qualified for the county Feile final with a 4-15 to 3-7 win over Padraig Pearses in the semi-final last Wednesday. They will now play Four Roads in the final at 1 p.m. on Monday, 7th May in Athleague. All support would be greatly appreciated. 
U17 Hurlers  
Well done to our U17 Hurlers who defeated Athleague/Tremane this evening in Athleague.  Final Score was Roscommon Gaels 2-15 Athleague/Tremane 2-08.

LGFA
U8 and U10 Girls: - training is back on Wednesday 18th of April @ 6.30pm in Lisnamult every week.  New members always welcome, come join our team!!!!!  LEARN & DEVELOP information and registration details can be found on http://www.roscommongaels.ie/membership.html  for further information contact Mike Burke on 086 8291271.

U12 Girls:- Our girls were supposed to play Kilglass in Round 1 of the championship today.  But Kilglass pulled out.  Training continues Wednesday evening from 6.30-8.00pm please note the later time.  

U14 Girls:-  Our U14 girls had a challenge match against St. Brigid’s Friday evening.  It was great to get this game ahead of our League start on Thursday evening against Shannon Gaels.  Please note that this game is now being played in Lisnamult Thursday Evening at 7.30pm.
U16 girls: - Training Continues Wednesday evenings in The Hyde for our U16’s.
Junior Ladies: Training will continue for our Junior Team Tuesday Evenings at 8pm.  
U14 County Football.  Roscommon played Mayo in Swinford today in the Connacht U14 Football Final hard luck to the girls.  
 
Gaelic Football
Roscommom Gaels boys Nursery Programme
Roscommom Gaels Nursery Programme will commence on Thursday 3rd of May 2018 in the Hyde centre. 
All children attending should be at the centre by 6:20 pm.
Please drop boys into the centre and collect immediately after. 
The nursery is for boys born in 2012 and 2013 only.

In order to train all boys must be registered with the club, if not already registered forms will be available on Thursday evening. 

The nursery coaches will be using Wats App for communication with parents.  If you are not already using Wats App and add Seamus O' Neill to your contacts.  Any issues please contact Seamus on 0868688129. 
Runners to be worn in the sessions in the Hyde Centre.
The aim of the programme is to introduce the children to Gaelic football in a fun environment.

U8 Boys Football.
Roscommon Gaels U8 Boys Football moves outdoors this coming Saturday 21st April between 10 - 11 am in Lisnamult Pitch. Children should be on the pitch from 09:50.
 
Some important Notes:
 
• Please drop boys into the pitch and collect after. This is a requirement from a health & safety perspective.
• This is for boys born in 2010 & 2011 only.
• In order to play all children *Must* be registered with the club – please speak with Declan for registration forms.
• Please wear gum shields, boots and layers as its still spring time.
• Reminder in regards to communications – as noted, U8 Management will be using WhatsApp for communications in 2018. All parents should be receiving contacts via this platform at this stage. If you are not, please ensure you have downloaded WhatsApp and added Declan Hussey to your contacts. Any issues please contact Declan directly on 0868177696.

U12 Boys Football.
Our Div 5 team played Western Gaels on Saturday in the league. In a tight encounter we unfortunately went down by a couple of scores.
Our Div 1 side had a good win today at home to Michael Glaveys also in the league.
Next up for both squads are games against Boyle.
Training continues every Thursday evening in Lisnamult at 6.45.
.
U14 Football
Well done to our U14 Division 1 football team, who recorded a good win over Strokestown in the League this morning with a fine team performance.  We play Boyle on Thursday evening.  Our Div 4 lads are due to play Clann in a rescheduled fixture. Date TBC.  
 
Junior Football 
Well done to our Junior A team who defeated Western Gaels in the first round of the championship Friday evening, full time score Roscommon Gaels 4-14 Western Gaels 3-09 well done lads.  Next round we play Castlrea away on Sunday 13th at 2pm in Castlrea.

Cake Sale
To support the Under 14 Hurling/Camogie Feile team’s, who will be hosting/playing in the National Feile in June, there will be a Fundraising Cake Sale this Saturday 5th of May at 11am in Gleeson’s Artisian Shop.  Please drop cakes at 10am.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

80's Disco
Roscommon Gaels will be hosting an 80's disco in Nancy's on Friday night May11th. This disco is to fundraise for the upcoming Feile which we will be hosting in June. Doors open at 8pm with an entry fee of €10. For anyone looking for tickets they are with the Feile Committe Orla Fleming 086 8178259, Ann O'Reilly 087 2334508, Kevin Johnson 086 8112500, Fergal O'Gara 087 2691804, David Martin 087 9959417 and Yvonne Lambe 086 6063534 your support is greatly appreciated.

Other News
​Congrats to our lads Peter O'Meara, Darragh Ward, Rodhan Dowd, David Hough, Ethan O'Reilly, James Connolly, Jack Fleming, Cormac Feeley, Senan Lambe who were part of the CBS 1st Year Hurling team that became Connacht Champions on Monday well done lads.

​The Irish Schools Snr Championship took place at Monkstown on Tues. Congratulations to the CBS who emerged as champions, beating St Augustine's from Dungarvan in the final.Roscommon Gaels well represented in Fionn Hoare, Simon Walker, Alan Connaughton, Michael Corcoran and Kevin Connaughton well done lads. 
Some more pictures from our awards and presentation night.

The Roscommon Gaels Annual Awards Night took place in Carty’s Porterhouse Saturday night and it was a very successful night for the club.  Mc for the night was Declan Hoare.  Music was provided by Declan Walsh. A huge thank you to all who attended and helped organise our awards presentation.  The winners were as follows:
​

• Young Ladies Footballer 2017 sponsored by Harry Hoare  was Lauren England.
• Junior Ladies Footballer 2017 sponsored by Hugh Waters & Family was Chloe Johnson.
• Young Camogie Player 2017 sponsored by Keen Print was Eimear McCormack.
• Junior Camogie Player 2017 sponsored by Peter Mullen and presented by Tom Mullen was Aife Feeley. 
• Young Hurler 2017 sponsored by Seamus Comiskey and Family and presented by Natasha Hoare Comiskey was Orin Walsh. 
• Senior Hurler 2017 sponsored by John Gillooly was Gearoid Egan.  
• Young Footballer 2017 sponsored by Anthony Doolan was Tomas Hanly.
• Junior Footballer 2017 Sponsored by Hession Brothers and Families was John McHale. 
• Senior Footballer 2017 sponsored by Declan Molloy was Ronan Gleeson.   
• Club Person of 2017 sponsored by Owen Hoare and Family was Cahal Mahon. 
• Hall of Fame award sponsored by Jimmy Menton was Tom Doolan. 
• Our 1993 Hurling Champions were Honoured.

 
Congratulations to all our award winners.  ​

​Lotto
Jackpot - €10,000 No Winner
Numbers Drawn - 3, 9, 10, 27

The weekly winners of €30 were
• .Sean Hoare, C/o Jimmy Menton.
• Alex Doolan, Lisnamult.
• Joan & Laura, C/o Seamus Comiskey.
• Lisa Lennon, Galway.

Thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets your support is very much appreciated.

COACHING NEWS  (WK 17 2018)
 
A.   Award 1 Football
Thanks to our coaches Declan Hussey and Mick Byrne who recently completed the Award 1 Football course.
 
B. Coaching Committee Meeting – Monday 23 April 9.30pm in the Hyde
CC Meeting to progress the 3No. Objectives arising from our recent Club Coaching Support Programme.
It is requested that one coach from each Team attends this meeting so that we can drive towards achieving our objectives :-
 
• Club – School Link.
• Coach Education.- Coach the Coaches
• Expanded Coaching Committee - to meet monthly.
 
C.   Upcoming Workshop for your Diary 
For Club Coaches
Saturday May 19th
Time 10am -1.30pm
Venue : TBC
Guest coach Paul Earley.
 
D.   Go Games Football & Hurling Blitzes 
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development will commence their U8/U10 football and Hurling Go Games blitz on Saturday May 12th.
Roscommon GPO’s will be in touch with clubs in their region regarding the format and dates which have now being confirmed

U14 club hurling session with Martin Fogarty:
National hurling director Martin Fogarty will be visiting Roscommon for a coaching session on Tuesday May 15th for U14 players who are taking part in the National Feile in June. A coaching session will be organised in one of the hurling club taking part in Feile with players and coaches from the remaining clubs invited to attend. Hurling GPO Proinsias Killion will be in touch with clubs once plans are in place.

Roscommon Coaching and Games Development are seeking applications from third level students/coaches to work on our Kellogg’s Cull camps for 2018. All students must have GAA Garda Vetting and are requested to forward application letter and CV to Roscommon GAA Games Manager at willie.hegarty.gm.roscommon@gaa.ie

Connacht Camogie are happy to announce the date of the rescheduled Treasurer and Registrar training.
This will now take place as part of a 'triple header' officer training night. Details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, May 2nd
Time: 7pm - 9pm 
Venue: Connacht Center Of Excellence (C.O.E) Bekan, Mayo

The C.O.E will host the three training workshop in three separate rooms. Wifi is available. 
The original date and venue for the PRO training has not changed. 

Camogie
U10 Camogie is on Friday evening's 6:15 - 7:30pm in Lisnamult.  All players to be on the pitch @ 6:10 sharp.

U12 Camogie training is on Friday evenings in Lisnamult from 6.30-7.30pm.

U14’s:-Our girls were to play Four Roads in Round 6 of the Oak Dental Practice Sponsored Feile Championship unfortunately game was postponed. 
The girls played Longford Slashers today in a challenge.  Next up we play Tulsk in Round 7  of the Feile Championship on Tuesday 24th in Tulsk at 7pm. 

Well done to our girls Izzy Cullen, Mia Fallon, Ruth McNeill, Amy McNeill and Lisa Mullen who were on the Roscommon Minor Panel who were playing Meath on Saturday well done girls.

​Hurling
U8 / U10 / U12 Hurling - Training continues every Monday in our club grounds in Lisnamult from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

U11 Hurling - Our U11 hurlers completed in rounds 3 & 4 during the second weekend of the 3 weekend Tain Hurling League at the Connacht Centre of Excellence in Bekan this weekend. We have a strong panel of 20 players competing in these matches and played 13 a-side against strong Galway opponents from Barna/Furbo and Skehana Menloug clubs.
All players competed strongly in both games and displayed great skills at different periods. It is clear to see the great potential this group of players has and these games are a valuable experience to all players.
Our third and final group of games takes place in the Connacht Centre of Excellence Saturday April 28th from 11 a.m. Coaches will be in touch with parents during the week to finalise arrangements. (Note: the U11 league is restricted to Gaels born 2007 / 2008)
 
U-14 hurlers play Padraig Pearses in the county Feile semi-final in Athleague at 6.30 p.m. next Wednesday.

​LGFA
U8 and U10 Girls: - training is back on Wednesday 18th of April @ 6.30pm in Lisnamult every week.  New members always welcome, come join our team!!!!!  LEARN & DEVELOP information and registration details can be found on http://www.roscommongaels.ie/membership.html  for further information contact Mike Burke on 086 8291271.

U12 Girls:- Our girls met Tulsk in Round 4 of the U12 Football League in Lisnamult this evening.  Tulsk are struggling for numbers and had only 10 girls versus our 31 we played our starting team and were scoring on every opportunity.  At half time Roscommon Gaels were 0-11 Tulsk 0-01 even with us taking off our stronger players.  Tulsk management at half time asked if we could switch a few more girls to give their side a chance we did final score was Roscommon Gaels 0-17 Tulsk 0-17.  Training continues every Wednesday evening at 6.30pm.  Can all parents please drop their children into the pitch and collect afterwards.

U14 Girls:-  Our U14 girls are back in training Thursday evenings in preparation for our match against Shannon Gaels on the 2nd of May in the League.
​
U16 girls: - Our U16 girls were out today in the Championship against Eirog.  Eirog could only field 13.  Our girls steamed ahead in the first half in what was a tough game for them.  Half time score was Roscommon Gaels 2-05 Eirog 0-04.  The second have was tight.  We managed to pull away and gained alot of the possession but in the end it was a one point win.  Final Score was 4-07 to 2-12.  Quarter Finals are to be played after the Junior Certificate.     
​
Junior Ladies:  Our Junior Ladies were out today in the league semi final against Castlrea.  Castlrea dominated throughout the game and came away with a win.  Training will continue for our Junior Team Tuesday Evenings at 8pm.   

U16 County Football.  Roscommon played Mayo in Swinford Friday last.  Well done to Eva Biesty for making the team.

Gaelic Football
U8 Boys Football.
Roscommon Gaels U8 Boys Football moves outdoors this coming Saturday 21st April between 10 - 11 am in Lisnamult Pitch. Children should be on the pitch from 09:50.
 
Some important Notes:
 
• Please drop boys into the pitch and collect after. This is a requirement from a health & safety perspective.
• This is for boys born in 2010 & 2011 only.
• In order to play all children *Must* be registered with the club – please speak with Declan for registration forms.
• Please wear gum shields, boots and layers as its still spring time.
• Reminder in regards to communications – as noted, U8 Management will be using WhatsApp for communications in 2018. All parents should be receiving contacts via this platform at this stage. If you are not, please ensure you have downloaded WhatsApp and added Declan Hussey to your contacts. Any issues please contact Declan directly on 0868177696.

U12 Boys Football.
Our Div 5 team won their first league match Vs St.Michaels on Thursday last in Lisnamult with a very spirited performance. Next match is Vs Western Gaels on Saturday (28th) in Frenchpark.

Our Div 1 side went to Johnstown today and secured the win over Clann na nGael in windy conditions. Next up for this squad is on Sunday (29th) at home to Michael Glaveys.

Training continues every Thursday evening in Lisnamult from 6.45 to 8pm.

U14’s:- Our U14 lads a great win over Clan na Gael this evening.  Well done lads.

Senior Team: - Our Tommy Connolly Construction Sponsored Senior Team played Clan na Gael in Johnstown in the 2nd round of the Senior Championship on Saturday.  David O’Gara notched up a point 6 mins into the game.  Followed by Mark Nally a minute later.  Clan na Gael responded by adding 4 points to the scoreboard.  Next to score for the Gaels was Kieran Kilcline, Followed by Richard Hughes.  Kieran Kilcline was next to score for the Gaels.  Followed by another superb point by Kieran Kilcline.  Leaving the score at half time Roscommon Gaels 0-6 Clan na Gael 0-8.  There was very little in it in the first half.  The second half started with an electrifying goal from Clan na Gaels Dara Petit.   We only managed to score a point and clan only two one of them being a goal in the second half.  The final score was Roscommon Gaels 0-7 Clan na Gael 1-9  
 
Congrat to the CBS on winning the Connacht Final on a scoreline of CBS 2-14 Summerhill 1-16 well done lads. The best of luck to the CBS 1 year hurlers who are through to a Connacht Final they play Clarin College, Athenry in Mountbellew on Monday 23rd at 12.30.

Awards & Presentation Night
The Roscommon Gaels Annual Awards Night took place in Carty’s Porterhouse Saturday night and it was a very successful night for the club.  Mc for the night was Declan Hoare.  Music was provided by Declan Walsh. A huge thank you to all who attended and helped organise our awards presentation.  The winners were as follows:

• Young Ladies Footballer 2017 sponsored by Harry Hoare  was Lauren England.
• Junior Ladies Footballer 2017 sponsored by Hugh Waters & Family was Chloe Johnson.
• Young Camogie Player 2017 sponsored by Keen Print was Eimear McCormack.
• Junior Camogie Player 2017 sponsored by Peter Mullen and presented by Tom Mullen was Aife Feeley. 
• Young Hurler 2017 sponsored by Seamus Comiskey and Family and presented by Natasha Hoare Comiskey was Orin Walsh. 
• Senior Hurler 2017 sponsored by John Gillooly was Gearoid Egan.  
• Young Footballer 2017 sponsored by Anthony Doolan was Tomas Hanly.
• Junior Footballer 2017 Sponsored by Hession Brothers and Families was John McHale. 
• Senior Footballer 2017 sponsored by Declan Molloy was Ronan Gleeson.   
• Club Person of 2017 sponsored by Owen Hoare and Family was Cahal Mahon. 
• Hall of Fame award sponsored by Jimmy Menton was Tom Doolan. 
• Our 1993 Hurling Champions were Honoured.

 
Congratulations to all our award winners.  ​

​Lotto
Jackpot - €10,000 NO WINNER
Numbers Drawn 1, 2, 13, 21

The weekly winners of €30 were
• Joseph Hoare, C/o J Menton.
• Noel Gately, Dysart.
• Rossie Mulligan, Mohill.
• Stephen Hoare, Oran.

Thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets your support is very much appreciated.

COACHING NEWS  (WK 16 2018) 
A. Coaching Committee Meeting – Tuesday 17 April 9.30pm in the Hyde
We have rescheduled the Coaching Committee Meeting to next Tuesday evening.
The purpose of this meeting is to progress the 3No. Objectives arising from our recent Club Coaching Support Programme.
It is requested that one coach from each Team attends this meeting so that we can drive towards achieving our objectives :-
 
• Club – School Link.
• Coach Education.- Coach the Coaches
• Expanded Coaching Committee - to meet monthly.
 
B.   Foundation Football & Hurling Course (Last Opportunity)
We understand there are coaches in our club who have yet to complete the Foundation Football / Hurling course.
Coaches must have completed the Foundation course in order to coach.
We have a provisional date of 20 April set to run an in-house combined Foundation Football / Hurling course.  
To book your place please contact John Donnellan or Niamh Kilmartin by Monday  evening 16 April.
 
This will be followed by a Child Protection in Sport Course at a date to be agreed by participants.
 
C.   Upcoming Workshops for your Diary 
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development is holding two Football coaching workshops.
 
For Academy/development squad management.
Saturday April 21st.
Time 10am -1.30pm at St Brigids GAA Club
Guest Coach:  Paul Earley
 
For Club Coaches
Saturday May 19th
Time 10am -1.30pm
Venue : TBC
Guest coach Paul Earley.

Camogie
Our underage Camogie have now all moved out to Lisnamult.  Same times in Lisnamult.  

U14’s:-Round 5 of the Feile Championship the girls played Padraig Pearses in Pearses on Tuesday last.    The girls played exceptionally well, showing promising skills, 11 mins in Ava Mulry scored a goal.  It was a tough game with both teams level at half time Roscommon Gaels 1-0 Padraig Pearses 1-0.  Five minutes into the second half it was looking like Pearses were going to win but our girls dug deep and fought hard Zara Fallon scored a goal 7 mins into the second half.  Then Claire McNeill levelled it up with a cracker of a point followed by a goal.  Ava Mulry was next to score two point’s both which came from passes from Zara Fallon.  Our girls dominated most of the second half.  Congratulations to our U14 Camogie final score Roscommon Gaels 3-3 (12) Padraig Pearses 2-1 (7).  That is 3 out of 3 for our girls.  Next up they play Four Roads in Round 6 in the Oak Dental Practice sponsored Feile Championship on Tuesday 17th of April at 6.30pm in Lisnamult.  Come on out and support the girls.

​Thank you to all the parents that came to the Feile meeting Monday Night.  Lots of good ideas for fundraising for the Feile Week end.  

County Camogie hard luck to our Div 3 team who were defeated by Kerry in the Littlewoods Ireland sponsored League.  Coleen Kelly from the Gaels is on the Panel.  Hard luck girls.



Hurling
U8 / U10 / U12 Hurling - moves outdoors to our club grounds in Lisnamult every Monday commencing Monday April 16th @ 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Our U17 Hurlers were away to St. Dominic’s Wednesday evening. It was a very fast flowing game with great teamwork from both sides with great passes and scores; the boys fought hard and came out winners on the night. Final score Roscommon Gaels 3-15 St. Dominic’s 2-8.

LGFA
U8 and U10 Girls: - training is back on Wednesday 18th of April @ 6.30pm in Lisnamult every week.  New members always welcome, come join our team!!!!!  LEARN & DEVELOP information and registration details can be found on http://www.roscommongaels.ie/membership.html  for further information contact Mike Burke on 086 8291271.

U12 Girls:- Roscommon Gaels 0-8 (2-6), Kilbride  0-1. 
The Under 12 Girls Football team played the 2nd leg of the league against Kilbride on Monday last.  Captain on the match was Allan Sutton. The game began brightly with Sioffra Hession and Shauna Walsh leading the charge.  Sarah Purcell and Emma O’Farrell tackled with conviction cutting out the Kilbride attacks. In the second-half, Paige Caslin was again outstanding in goal, with Molly Finneran, Ciara Kileen and Grace Geraghty contributing energetically too. Overall, a very fluid and free-scoring Roscommon Gaels took the honours.  We are out again in round 3 of the league on Sunday when we are away to Strokestown.  We are out again in Round 4 on Saturday 22nd when we play St Mary’s in Lisnamult at 6pm.

​​U12’s were out again in round 3 of the league today  they played Strokestown in Strokestown. We had over 25  girls tog out for the game showing the huge interest in underage ladies football.   Our Captain of the match was Shauna Walsh.   Roscommon Gaels put in a great second half performance to secure a win against Stokestown.   Final Score Roscommon Gaels 0-18 Strokestown 0-14.  Next up we play St. Mary’s of Tulsk on Sunday at 6pm in Lisnamult. 

​U16 girls: - Our U16’s recorded another victory in the Championship against Castlrea Friday Last.  Castlrea started off on the attack and notched up a few good points from play, before our girls replied.  The second half resumed with our girls in the ascendency and Ellen Biesty added some great scores to open up a commanding lead.  Castlrea to their credit kept working the scoreboard to keep the game alive, but further points from our girls ensured a victory.  Sioda McGuinness had a great game in goals.  Shauna Regan and Zara Hunt and Emily Horan provided plenty of good ball into the forwards at every opportunity.  Nessa Madden defended brilliantly throughout the game working the ball at every opportunity.  Eva Biesty covered alot of ground and defended brilliantly and fed lots of ball into our forward line.  Fianl score in what a very entertaining game was Roscommon Gaels 3-11 (20) Castlrea 3-6 (15).  Next up we play Eirog on Sunday 22nd in Lisnamult.

Junior Ladies:  We had a junior meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the progress of the Juniors to date.  There was a large attendance. Managment are looking for 100% commitment from everyone heading into the championship.   Training has been moved to the earlier time of 8 O’Clock on Tuesdays.  We are into a semi final against Castlrea on the 22nd.  Our ladies in Dublin continue to train weekly in DCU. 

U14 County Football Championship
Well done to the U14 County Football team and management on a great win over Sligo in Castlerea on Saturday.  Final Score Roscommon 5-12 Sligo 3-05.  We have four on the Panel Hollie Harkin and Ellen Biesty started well done all.

Mothers and Others 
Roscommon Gaels Mothers & Others Football starts back Wednesday 18th April @ 8pm in Lisnamult pitch. We would love to welcome new ladies to the team -both people who played & never played before. Guaranteed laugh...

Football
U8 Boys Football.
Our U8 Boys football training will commence on Saturday 31st of March at 10am in the Hyde Centre Roscommon.  Please ensure your registration is complete in advance so that your child is insured and eligible to play and that you are included in texts re matches and training.  
For U8’s please contact:  Declan Hussey on 086 81477696.

Our beginner boys will join our new Football Nursery commencing in May – further details to follow and again please ensure you are registered.  Boys must have started school to be eligible to play.For beginner nursery please contact:  Seamie O’Neill on 086 8688129.

Our U12 Div 1 team played well today and secured the win against Padraig Pearses in our second league match. Our next match vs Clann Na nGael is in Johnstown on Sunday.

Our Div 5 team have their first league outing in Lisnamult on Thursday evening vs St. Michaels.

Training continues for those not playing St. Michaels on Thursday from 6.45 to 8pm.

Senior Team
The Hodson Bay Sponsored Senior championsip started this weekend.  Today Our Senior Team travelled to Enfield to take on Western Gaels.  Western Gaels got off to a flying start with a point scored inside the first 4 minutes from Finbar Cregg.  It was nip and tuck for the remainder of the first half and then a goal from Cillian Egan 27 minutes into the first half gave us a slender lead and our lads took control of the game.   At half time the scoreline was Roscommon Gaels 1-6 (9) Western Gaels 0-5 (5).   The scores continued to come thick and fast from Western Gaels with Finbarr Cregg getting two fine points.  Our lads pushed hard and a goal from Kieran Kilcline pushed them well out ahead.  Peter Gilooly came on for Paul Glesson and put the ball into the back of the net.  This put us 10 points ahead.  A futher point and Goal came from Cian Connolly.  Final score Roscommon Gaels 4-9 (21) Western Gaels 0-10 (10).

The Seniors are out in the 2 Round of the Championship on Saturday 21st when they play Clann Na Gael in Johnstown at 6.45pm.   Best of luck to both team and management in the championship and please come out and support our seniors.  Thanks to Roisin Kilcline who text the scores in the 2nd half to allow live tweeting.  

Team:  James Fetherstone, Liam McNeela, Paul Gleeson, Ronan Gleeson, Cathal Dineen, David O’Gara, Kevin O’Gara, James McDermott, Mark Healy, James O’Gara, Mark Nally,0-2 Richard Hughes 0-1, Cillian Egan 1-1, Cian Connolly 1-4, Kieran Kilcline 1-1. Peter Gilooly 1-0.
 
Congrats
Congrats to the CBS Senior Golfers on a great win yesterday in the Connacht Schools Golf Final. We had 5 lads on the team Simon Walker, Fionn Hoare, Alan Connaughton, Michael Corcoran and Kevin Connaughton well done lads.
 
Well done to the first year hurlers in the CBS who beat Clarin College Athenry on a scoreline of 3-15 to 3-14 a few our Gaels men on the Panel well done.

Hall of Fame – 2017
Tom Doolan
This years Hall of fame Tom Doolan, comes from a family who have had a long association with our club. Tom won many juvenile titles in the 1950s and also won titles in both football and hurling.  A noted and skilful hurler Tom is the proud holder of five senior hurling medals, won in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969 and 1970.

When Tom finished playing he devoted his time to coaching football and hurling and has been involved with numerous successful teams in both codes in the 1980s 1990s. Tom was also involved with the Junior Hurling team which won the championship in 1993 and are with us tonight, 25 years later. Tom still maintains a keen interest in Gaels affairs and attends matches regularly.

Tom joins a great group in people who built our club over the years and indeed his late father Dan and brother Anthony have received the Hall of Fame award previously. A truly great Gaels family.  Well done Tom.

Congrats
Congratulations to all the children in the parish who made their confirmation on Saturday. Its a  big day for everyone and we hope you all enjoyed your day.
 
Wishing all Leaving Cert students the best of luck in their oral exams this week!

Roscommon Gaels Social Night
Don’t forget our annual  Club Social Night is on Saturday 21st of April in Carty’s Porterhouse.  We urge all supporters to attend.  The Hall of fame this year will be presented to Tom Doolan, an outstanding hurler with the Roscommon Gaels.   We will also be honouring our Junior Hurling Champions of 1993.  There will be a number of presentations on the night.  Please support this event and take the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Everyone is welcome.

​Lotto
Jackpot - €10,000 NO WINNER
Numbers Drawn - 3, 8, 13, 15

The weekly winners of €30 were

• Doreen Kilroe, C/o Holly Tree 
• Tara Early, Sandyford, Dublin 
• Noel Carr, C/o Larry's
• C and M, C/o Holly Tree

Thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets your support is very much appreciated.

COACHING NEWS (WK 15 2018)
A. Coaching Committee Meeting – Thursday 12 April 9pm  in the Hyde
Coaching Committee Meeting to progress the 3 No. Objectives arising from our recent Club Coaching Support Programme. It is requested that one coach from each Team attends this meeting so that we can drive towards achieving our objectives:-

• Club – School Link.
• Coach Education.
• Expanded Coaching Committee - to meet monthly.

B.   Information Pack 2018 for all our Coaches - Reminder
Our coaching committee has prepared an Information Pack for our Club Coaches.
The pack provides practical information on a range of topics which we hope will be a useful resource for our coaches:-
The Information Pack can be viewed by going to Roscommon Gaels website, clicking on the Coaching Button and then clicking on the Coach Education Button.

C.   Foundation Football & Hurling Course
We understand there may be coaches in our club who have yet to complete the Foundation Football / Hurling course.
We have a provisional date of 20 April set to run an in-house combined Foundation Football / Hurling course.
To book your places please contact John Donnellan or Niamh Kilmartin by next Saturday 14 April.
This will be followed by a Child Protection in Sport Course at a date to be agreed by participants.

D.   Upcoming Workshops for your Diary
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development are delighted to announce that they will be holding coaching workshops over the coming months for their Academy/development squad management and coaches.
FOOTBALL:
Saturday April 21st.
Time 10am -1.30pm at St Brigids GAA Club
Guest Coach:  Paul Earley

Club coaches workshop
Saturday May 19th
Time 10am -1.30pm
Guest coach Paul Earley.

Child Safeguarding in the GAA - An important Q&A
This month’s GAA Club Newsletter Child Safeguarding Q & A looks at a number of recent queries received by the National Children’s Office relating to vetting and child safeguarding training requirements.

​Vetting and Child Safeguarding Training – what are the regulations in the GAA? Legislation and GAA rules require that any person working in a ‘relevant role’ or as we term it ‘a role of responsibility’ with children or vulnerable persons must be vetted. This now applies on an All-Ireland basis. Vetting carried out by one of the Gaelic Games Associations e.g. GAA will also be recognised by LGFA and By Camogie and vice versa. These requirements apply to our coaches and mentors of underage teams, referees of underage games, bus drivers employed to drive children or physios employed by the club and any other person deemed by the club to have a direct role of responsibility with children at Club level.

Attendance at Child Safeguarding training also applies to our underage coaches and mentors as does the requirement that they have a minimum coach education recognition e.g. Foundation level as a minimum. Please remember that as a result of a long standing agreement between the Gaelic Games Associations, any person vetted by the GAA shall have their vetting outcome recognised by LGFA and Camogie and do not have to undertake additional vetting by either of these Associations. Similarly, each of these Associations recognises each other’s child safeguarding training as well.

Has there been an increase in vetting applications to the GAA lately? Yes there has been an increase in the usual number of vetting applications in the last few months. It appears that this increase can be attributed to applications from people who had not been vetted to date, the annual influx of new coaches who require to be vetted, plus Féile related applications which usually commence at this time of the year. Some of the recent applications are also undoubtedly due to an awareness of legislation that compels all person working (in a role of responsibility) with children to be vetted prior to working with children while other applications are in response to GAA child safeguarding procedures that have been in place for a number of years. Can we vet other people, apart from coaches, if deemed necessary? If a person is deemed by the club to have a direct role of responsibility with children at Club they shall be vetted. Please use common sense when making such decisions on additional vetting and avoid introducing a blanket introduction of vetting, regardless of role. Similarly with Access NI vetting, a specific role when working with children must be specified.

Does everybody who is in proximity of children have to be vetted? In so far as there is a general acceptance in society, notwithstanding our legal obligations, that vetting is vital as it contributes to the overall recruitment process of an adult who wishes to work with children unnecessary vetting can have a detrimental and negative impact on our services and can undervalue the benefits of vetting. For some reason a small number of clubs are asking the following to be vetted which is NOT in keeping with our vetting requirements and minimises the central role that vetting plays in recruiting people. We highlight here but a few examples that do a disservice to the merits of vetting in the GAA, LGFA or Camogie.

• Parents on the sideline who turn up to watch their children play - do NOT require vetting
• Transition Year students putting out cones or goals at a nursery or showing how to solo or catch a ball in a non coaching role - do NOT require vetting
• A parent who has been asked by a referee to stand in and do umpiring - does NOT require vetting
• Obliging parents who provide tea and sandwiches to visiting teams - do NOT require vetting.

What if your Club has a Go Games referee or a referee under 16 yrs. of age who can’t be vetted? Legislation does not permit us to vet people under 16 yrs. of age. In some instances young referrers under 16 yrs. of age, having Football Hurling Club General successfully qualified as referees or young whistlers, are anxious to commence their role with games organised for appropriate age groups. Rather than force a referee to wait a year or longer to commence their role Clubs should appoint an adult, who has been vetted, to act in a supervisory capacity and to accompany and monitor the young referee at their games. Once they reach their 16th birthday they can then be vetted, with parental permission.

Where can a club get a list of personnel in their club who are vetted? Given the legal requirements to ensure that relevant personnel in Clubs are vetted we are obliged to assist Clubs in identifying such vetted personnel in their Club only. This allows a Club to know who is and who is not vetted. If a Club requires a list of vetted personnel in their Club they can seek this list from their County Secretary who was issued with a Club by Club list earlier this year while any personnel vetted in the meantime will have been made known to the Club Secretary as they continue to automatically receive a copy of the vetting acceptance letter for each person vetted in their club.

Is there also an increase in those attending Child Safeguarding Training? As Child safeguarding Training is also mandatory in law for those working with children, similar increases in demand and attendances have been experienced by the Gaelic Games Associations who have agreed three levels of child safeguarding training that have been designed to be relevant to specific roles. Safeguarding 1 is for coaches etc., Safeguarding 2 is for Club Children’s Officers and Safeguarding 3 is for Designated Liaison Persons (DLPs). With over 100 Tutors now qualified to deliver this safeguarding training Club Children’s Officers may contact a Tutor directly or via their County Children’s Officer and seek a date suitable for delivering the safeguarding training in their Club. Contact details for Child Safeguarding Tutors may be accessed at http://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/child-welfare-and-protection/child-welfare-trainers

Clubs should be aware that if they host or organise a Foundation Level coaching workshop that the participants on the course must complete the Child Safeguarding Training as part of the workshop, if they wish to receive their Foundation certificate, unless of course they have previously attended Gaelic Games Child Safeguarding Training and received their certificate of attendance. Who else requires Child Safeguarding Training? Children’s Officers should attend the Gaelic Games Children’s Officers Safeguarding 2 workshop and Designated Liaison Persons should attend the agreed Gaelic Games Safeguarding 3 training for DLPs. A new safeguarding training programme for Cúl Camp and Club Camp assistants which was launched last year may also be suitable for some club personnel working at these events. All information available from your County Children’s Officer.

Will attendance at safeguarding training workshops outside of the GAA be recognised instead of our own internal safeguarding training? A number of years ago the GAA (also representing Handball and Rounder’s) plus LGFA and Camogie agreed that we would join forces and design a series of joint child safeguarding training programmes suitable to the child safeguarding roles we have in our Associations e.g. safeguarding for coaches, for Children’s Officers and for DLPs. Over a period of time we agreed the contents of three such courses in workshop format that have been endorsed by Sport Ireland and they all reference our joint codes our policies and our practices. When an individual attends an external or non-Gaelic Games Safeguarding workshop or completes an on-line these workshops, by their very nature, do not reference any Gaelic Games Associations’ policies or procedures.

Many if not most of these external workshop are specific to their own Association e.g. a different sports association, a youth group or a church group. It is for this reason that we do not accept attendance at such workshops as fulfilling their obligations of attendance at safeguarding training. The only exception to this practice is that on a temporary basis we accept attendance at Sport Ireland workshops which are all non-association referenced workshops; the temporary nature is acceptable provided the participant agrees to attend the Gaelic Games equivalent within an agreed period of time.

Risk Assessment and Child Safeguarding Statement: Please be reminded that the legal requirement for Clubs to carry out a Risk Assessment of harm to children in the Club plus the need to put the Child Safeguarding Statement on display should have been completed by Sunday 11 March 2018. Check out http://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/ child-welfare-and-protection/children first for this information. If you’re Risk Assessment at Club level shows that some personnel must still be vetted or have yet to complete child safeguarding training then record this is the risk assessment document. New booklet issued on ‘Maintaining appropriate levels of behaviour in our work with children and young people’ We have just issued a new booklet that will be most useful to clubs in promoting and maintaining appropriate behaviour by coaches, players, parents etc. Titled ‘Maintaining appropriate levels of behaviour in our work with children and young people’ this booklet replaces the old Code of Behaviour and shall be distributed to those who attend our Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshop (Safeguarding 1) and may also be distributed to coaches and others at Club level indicating the levels of behaviour that we expect of them.

Camogie
U12 Camogie: Today was a day to remember for our U12 Camogie Girls who were among the 1200 girls and 64 clubs who took part in the Camogie Associations Caman to Croker event in Croke Park.  After registration the girls had a tour of the dressing rooms and warm up areas before following in the footsteps of so many GAA legends over the years by running down the steps, out the tunnel and onto the hallowed turf.  Roscommon Gaels were drawn in a group with Cappoquin (Waterford), Nenagh Eire Og (Tipperary) and St. Joseph’s Madden (Armagh).  The Girls played brilliantly and won 2 out of 3 of their games.   All in all it was a great day out and an opportunity for the girls to play against clubs they wouldn’t normally meet and show off their skills in one of the best stadiums in the world.  Many thanks to Una, Sinead, Paula and Teresa for organising the trip and bringing the girls to Croke Park and to all the Players, Mentors, Family, Friends and supporters and  to our ref Ava Giblin.

U16 County Roscommon Football team were out on the 4th they played Leitrim final score Roscommon 4-11 Leitrim 1-2  well done to all and our girl Eva Beisty.

Mouthguards
It is mandatory for all players in all ages to wear a mouth guard in all practice sessions and games.  
There are three types of mouth guards: 
Stock mouth guards are preformed and come ready to wear. Dentists do not recommend their use. Nonetheless, once they carry the CE (European Conformity) mark they are acceptable in terms of complying with the new GAA Rules.
Boil and bite mouth guards can also be bought over the counter at most Sport Shops and generally offer a better fit than stock mouth protectors. Typically this type of mouth guard will cost in the region of €15 to €20 and again any mouth guard with the CE mark on it in this category is sufficient to ensure compliance with the new rule. Custom-fitted mouth guards are individually designed and made in a dental office or a professional laboratory based on your dentist's instructions. These will offer the best protection against dental and oral injury. 
Prices can vary significantly and it is worth seeking and comparing prices from a number of practitioners before deciding to purchase. 

What will happen if I am not wearing a mouth guard in a game? If a player refuses to comply with a Referee’s instruction to wear a mouth guard, he/she will initially be cautioned by the Referee and if the player continues to refuse, the Referee can send him/her off. 

Who is responsible for ensuring mouth guards are worn at training or practice sessions? It is a matter for each club to ensure the rule is adhered to at training or practice sessions. 
Clubs and players should note that players may not be covered under the player injury scheme if they are not wearing a mouth guard. 

Do players have to wear a mouth guard in hurling games? No, the new rule only applies to football; however, wearing a mouth guard when playing hurling does reduce the risk of dental injury.

It has been noted that children wearing orthodontic braces and wishing to play Gaelic football will be particularly concerned about the rule change; however, the LGFA and GAA recommends that these players seek advice from a range of dental practitioners on the most appropriate solution for them. The player must request a letter of support from their dental practitioner and keep this with them.

Football
U8 Boys Football.
Our U8 Boys football training will commence on Saturday 31st of March at 10am in the Hyde Centre Roscommon.  Please ensure your registration is complete in advance so that your child is insured and eligible to play and that you are included in texts re matches and training.  
For U8’s please contact:  Declan Hussey on 086 81477696.

Our beginner boys will join our new Football Nursery commencing in May – further details to follow and again please ensure you are registered.  Boys must have started school to be eligible to play.For beginner nursery please contact:  Seamie O’Neill on 086 8688129.

U12 Boys Football Division 1 Spring league commenced on Saturday V’s St.Dominic’s. In heavy underfoot conditions a good St.Dominic’s side emerged with the win on a score line of Roscommon Gaels 3-5 St. Dominic’s 1-13.  The lads kept going to the end and it was good to get the season up and running.  Our Division 5 match Vs Boyle was postponed.  Training continues on Thursdays in Lisnamult from 6.45 to 8pm.

U14 Football: Our Div 4 lads played well on Sunday evening to overcome a determined St Dominic’s Team final score Roscommon Gael’s 4-6 St. Dominic’s 1-3.  Next up, we play Padraig Pearses in a league fixture on Thursday evening in Woodmount. Our Div 1 players will train on Thursday evening in Lisnamult. Full attendance please as we prepare for an upcoming league fixture against Clann na nGael.
 
U16’s played Elphin/Ballinameen today in the Division 2 League today final score.  Roscommon Gaels 1-10, Elphin/Ballinameen  2-12.  Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives from the lad’s performances.  

Senior Team: - Our Senior Team were supposed to be out against St. Croans Saturday evening but the game had to be postponed.  

​Cards 
Winners of the Roscommon Gaels 25 cards league 2018 - Frank Naughton (1st) Colm Kilcline (2nd) and Noel McDermott (3rd). Thanks to all who came to the cards all winter and supported it. Also huge thanks to Anthony McCormack for running the 25 cards every Monday night and to Shane Hoare and Teresa & Andy Hession for their help with set up and refreshments. It was a great and most enjoyable winter activity for all involved and it will resume mid October 2018.

Club Social
Date for your diary. Roscommon Gaels Club Social Nite in Carthy’s Bar on Saturday 21st of April. Keep an eye on newsletter and social media for more details.

Club Rossie 
Have you got your Club Rossie membership yet? April 9th is the closing date for supporters who wish to renew their Club Rossie Membership by four Direct Debit payments. The money will be debited on the following dates:

• 20th April
• 11th May
• 8th June
• 2nd July

Gold Members will be debited €57.50 per month for four months (total €230) and Bronze members will be debited €25 per month for four months (total €100). It's never too late, join up today on http://buff.ly/2FtQBtX and show your support for our teams! 

Lotto
Jackpot
€10,000 NO WINNER
Numbers Drawn - 5, 8, 19, 32

The weekly winners of €30 were
• Kevin McBrien, Lough Road.
• Kevin King, The Walk.
• Mick Cleary, The Fairways.
• Patsy & Rachel Costello, C/o The Hyde.

Thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets your support is very much appreciated.

Message from Chairperson
The 2018 GAA has started and it has been a very busy first quarter of the year with a huge amount happening both on and off the pitch.

Teams, Coaching & Education: With the revising of the GAA calendar things have got into motion much earlier and the playing season for our club has begun much quicker in 2018. We have u14 lads and girls teams in both football, hurling and camogie out in their league and Feile championships, our U16 boys & girls footballers are out in their leagues, the minor and U17 footballers, hurlers and ladies football are out in their leagues and championships and the Junior ladies, Junior men’s and Senior men’s teams have all started their leagues. Many of the U8, U10 and U12 underage teams in the various codes are winding up their indoor programmes and moving outside now that the time has changed and the evenings are brighter but sadly not warmer- yet!. A lot of time and work gone into these players at this early stage of the year and there is no doubt that this early effort will yield dividends in 2018. Well done to all panels and their dedicated mentors on the work done thus far.

We are looking forward to the rest of the year on the playing fields of Roscommon and beyond. Thank you to all the team mentors who have taken on roles to coach our 33 teams across football, hurling, ladies football and camogie from U8 to Senior. Best of luck to all the Roscommon Gaels players and their coaches for the 2018 competitions. An incredible amount of time, energy, commitment and planning goes into training these teams so we encourage people to come and support the people who put in great effort to prepare and play for Roscommon Gaels and who represent our club with great pride.

The coaches have been busy off the pitch by their attendance at a very well structured and presented coach information night in early March, which was given by John Donnellan, our excellent club coaching officer. This was followed by a very worthwhile and thought provoking presentation by Sinead O’Brien from Jigsaw on the importance of “One good adult” coach who may have a positive life changing impact on a child.

The coaches also attended the Club Mentoring programme this week which was organized by John Donnellan and the coaching committee and run by the GPO’s from Roscommon Co coaching and games development committee. It was a very productive night and some interesting issues came out in the SWOT analysis of the club coaching structures. From it three specific goals were set which will be put into action in the coming few months. Well done and thank you to all who organized, attended and participated in what a very useful exercise for all the club coaches.

Child Protection & safe guarding: Our club, as well as all GAA clubs in Ireland, is currently doing its risk assessment audit and examining its child protection procedures, training and policy. It is a legal requirement that all coaches and mentors who have players u18 on their panels must be garda vetted. This is a Legal requirement and must be done immediately via the link on the GAA website. Anyone who has not completed a child protection course or a foundation training course should contact our coaching officer, John Donnellan, asap to get their name down for these in the coming few weeks.

Committees: Thanks to all our various club committee members for the time and energy they give to the administration of the club both within and externally with the various Co Boards so far this year.

There are also a group of very hard working people who work tirelessly before, during and after big match days in the shops and programme selling in the Hyde and whose contribution to the club is valued and does not go unnoticed. They have been particularly busy with a lot of NHL and NFL as well as club matches in the Hyde from the 3rd week in January to last Sunday with the culmination of the league.

The Executive has a quite a number of important meetings in the first three months of the year with some very important issues discussed and decided on. Meetings are a necessary part of club planning and decision making so thanks to all those who attend the meetings and actively participate to make the club as productive and democratic as possible.

Various officers of the club have attended Connacht GAA Club training, training in specific officer roles training, volunteer recruitment training and data protection training. All of this training will enhance the running and development of our club.

Membership: Our annual Membership fees are collected in February and March of each year are used to pay for GAA affiliation to competitions and insurance which was in excess of €26,000 in 2018. The membership fees collected annually are paid out in full each year to cover these costs. The annual membership fee for adults & families has remained the same in 2018. Membership must be paid by all members before end of March of each year and can be given to coaches or directly to Harry Hoare, club treasurer.

Other club activities: The progressive 25 cards on a Monday night and bingo on a Sunday night both in the Hyde centre have proven to be a great success with ever growing numbers and give our community a connection with our club as well as providing much loved weekly social events. Health and wellbeing is an area that the club values and it is proposed to hold AED /defibrillator training, first aid, walk & talk events and other courses /workshops run to promote safe and healthy lifestyles.

Development of Lisnamult Grounds & new dressing rooms: The development of our new dressing room facilities in Lisnamult is ongoing and has been a slow process. The club sought a number of grants to assist with the installation of
Sustainable and renewable energy systems in the new building which proved to be a longer process than initially thought. Until these grants were given work had to cease on the installation of energy, heating, sanitary and electric components of the building. However our patience and perseverance paid off and we were successful in getting grant aid from SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) towards the installation of an air-to-water heating system and other energy efficient fittings as well as an insulated suspended ceilings and smaller grant of €2500 from Connacht Council GAA towards this environmental initiative. The work has now recommenced with the electrics, the ceilings and the plumbing all at an advanced stage.

These new facilities of four large dressing rooms with showers and toilets, a referee’s room along with a kitchenette / shop area, a public toilet block and a sports wall (which is completed and in use) will be a huge step in the right direction for this phase in the development of our club. It has been a long process but the final building will be worth it. The cost of the new clubhouse project is in the region of €360,000 and our goal is to have it fully completed and operational by the beginning of the summer.

Other works to be funded and carried out in Lisnamult include the replacement of the ball stopping nets on the main pitch as these got through storm Ophelia in November but failed to withstand storm Emma in January. There are also maintenance works to be carried out on all pitches, the training pitch requires work and all the goal posts are to be painted and get new nets or repair existing ones. All of this as well as general running of the club costs money.
Following the great success of “The Kube” and other fundraisers such as the American Tea party, cake sale, annual lotto’s sales etc in 2017 we will again be asking you for your support to help finance the funding of these much needed facilities and necessary works as well as for funds to run our club. A full plan of fundraising will be launched and we thank you all for your generous support in the past. We will be asking everyone to get on board and support all our fundraising initiatives in 2018.

Feile Hurling & Camogie 2018: We are competing and hosting in the national Feile na nGael hurling and camogie finals on the 8th, 9th and 10th June 2018. 60 hurling clubs from the province of Connacht and 12 more from Westmeath and Longford will be involved and there will also be 50 camogie clubs from the province hosting camogie clubs from all over Ireland.

There will be group games on Friday evening and Saturday morning when we, the host team, plays the visiting team in both hurling and camogie. On Saturday afternoon the cup and shield quarter finals will be played. This all leads to the semi-finals and finals of the cup and shield competitions in all divisions which will be played primarily at the Connacht GAA centre on the Sunday morning through to evening.

It is a wonderful opportunity for the club to host visiting clubs from other counties, to play in one of the biggest and most prestigious underage competitions and for our U14 players to play in a national competition against the best of the rest of the country and abroad.

This is a very important event in the GAA calendar and it is a very exciting event for the whole club to get involved in and support. Both of our u14 camogie and hurling teams have commenced their feile campaigns in Roscommon which will sort which division they will play in in the finals. Best of luck to both of our u14 teams in their county Feile competitions and looking forward to the main event in June.

Communications & New club website: The club IT officer, Liam McNeela, was busy in the winter working on our new club website www.roscommongaels.ie which was launched just before our club registration night in February 2018. It is a first-rate resource and promotion tool for the club and the wider community which contains a huge amount of information, is easy navigate and is most user friendly website. Well done to Liam on all his hard work on the production and updating of an excellent new look website.

The weekly newsletter, local media and the social media accounts of our club are being brilliantly prepared, driven and circulated by club PRO Shelly Walsh. The information is bright, attractive and of top quality and it is being feed to a huge audience on all aspects of our club and related issues. Please like, share and retweet etc all Roscommon Gaels info and continue to provide Shelly with club information and photos. Well done to both Liam and Shelly on their Trojan work and huge contribution to our club in terms of communications.

Club Mass: A huge crowd attended the club mass in early February in the Sacred Heart Church. It was a lovely occasion to celebrate the activities of Roscommon Gaels in our parish and was a real celebration of our club. It was a fitting way to remember the deceased members of our club and also people who are ill or going through difficulties.
Huge thanks to all those who sang, played music, read and presented gifts and to Fr. Joe for celebrating the Mass for us. The participation of people from all sections in our club from the youngest to the not so young made the event all the more memorable.

Maire McAleer-Presidents Award for Ladies Football: Our club member Maire McAleer was awarded the GAA President’s award at a ceremony in Croke Park in March. The phenomenal growth and success of Ladies Gaelic Football traces its roots back to the pioneering visionaries who played and promoted the sport and Marie McAleer is central to this work. An outstanding player, she was the first Chair of the Roscommon Ladies Gaelic Football county board was still active on the field when it took shape in 1974 and was a founder member and first Vice President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.

Her passion and drive for the sport has continued ever since and has been put to good use on several national and county board committees while she was also instrumental in the establishment of our Roscommon Gaels Ladies Gaelic Football Club in 2000. Maire is the current Co. Board secretary and is a very supportive figure of all activities in our club. It was a very proud night for Maire, her family and her club and we congratulate her on being a well-deserved recipient of the GAA Presidents award.

What can you do for your club Roscommon Gaels? We want members to get involved at any level in the club that you can as the more people that are involved the more vibrant and dynamic Roscommon Gaels will be. People power is one of our best assets, and when harnessed, will progress the club hugely.

If you have questions in relation to the club, the fundraising, the building project or any other aspect of our club, please feel free to contact me or any member of the Club Executive.

We would ask you to please consider some of the following

• Participate in the upcoming fundraising events
• We are encouraging all club members to support our weekly Lotto( the jackpot currently stands at €10,000) by subscribing on an annual basis - €90 per year pay upfront (resulting in 8 free draw entries) or pay €8 per month standing order (resulting in 4 free draw entries). This is less than €2 per week.
• Donate to the club towards the development of the club facilities
• Sponsorship
• You can help with teams by coaching, assisting at training, umpiring at matches,    helping with refreshments after matches or other club events etc
• Get involved in organising a fundraiser or a club event
•  Become an administrator
• Help with Scor or any of the social or cultural activities
• Assist with programme selling or in the shops on match day in the Hyde or Lisnamult
• Become part of a team that sells the Lotto weekly
• Be a part of the club in any way that you can as it is a most rewarding, satisfying social and enjoyable experience for all the family

The club is in a very positive place at the moment with a huge amount of people working in all different ways to make our club the great club it is and are helping to progress it to be even greater.

We thank you for the work that is currently being done and for your support of Roscommon Gaels club in the past. It is very much appreciated. However more is required from all of us. Our club motto is “Ní neart go cur le chéile - there is no strength without unity” so together we will make our club and the completion of our building project a success - Please play your part.
​
Is mise le meas,
Teresa Hession
Chairperson
​

Some Thank you’s:-
• Thanks to Trish Killion for typing up the Meeting Record Sheets with the information as shown above
• Thanks to Niamh Kilmartin and Teresa Hession for highlighting the programme within our club coaching group and for arranging the refreshments on the evening.
• Thanks to Roscommon Coaching Officer (Sean Kilbride), Roscommon Games Administration Manager (Willie Hegarty) and the Roscommon GPO’s (Peter Kearney, Padraig Mitchell, Ollie Lennon, Prionsius Killion) for facilitating the meeting.
 
B.   Information Pack 2018 for all our Coaches
Our coaching committee has prepared an Information Pack for our Club Coaches.
The pack provides practical information on a range of topics which we hope will be a useful resource for our coaches:-

• Club Officers
• Registration of Players
• Queries re. Fixtures
• What to do in advance of Playing Challenge Games
• When do I need an official Referee
• Payment of Referees for Challenge Games
• Booking Pitches in Lisnamult & The Hyde front Pitch
• Purchase of Playing Gear
• Care of Jerseys
• Club Playing Equipment (Storage of Equipment & Purchase of new Equipment)
• Care of Dressing Rooms
• Defibrillators
• H&S at Lisnamult Car Park
• Mouthguard
• Concussion
• First Aid Kits/Bags
• What to do if a Player is injured at Training or in a Game
• Away Trips – Arrangements
• Photos of Coaches
• Photos of Teams
• Coaches Social Night
• Keep Club Updated
• Underage Blitzes – What is Involved in Hosting
• Communications with Youth Players
• The Coach – Single Point of Contact
• Coaches Attendance at Club Meetings
• Fundraising
• Coaching Underage Teams - Reinforcement Message :
• Children in Sport
• Code of Conduct
• Coach Education Roadmap

 
The Information Pack can be viewed by going to Roscommon Gaels website, clicking on the Coaching Button and then clicking on the Coach Education Button.
 
C. Award 1 Football Course
Thanks to Roscommon Gaels coaches who are sitting the Award One Football Course on Friday April 6th, Saturday April 7th and Saturday April 14th  in Scoil Mhuire Strokestown Secondary school. Course is now fully booked.
 
D.   Child Protection in Sport Course  + Foundation Football Course + Foundation Hurling Course  - Reminder
We understand there may be coaches in our club who not have completed the Child Protection in Sport or Foundation Football / Hurling courses.
We can arrange to run both these courses in-house.
 
If you need to take either of these compulsory courses please contact John Donnellan.
 
E.   Upcoming Workshops for your Diary 
Roscommon Coaching and Games Development are delighted to announce that they will be holding coaching workshops over the coming months for their Academy/development squad management and club coaches.

Football
Academy/development squad coaches.
Wednesday April 4th.
Guest Coach: Mick Bohan
Venue/Time TBC.
 
Saturday April 21st.
Time 10am -1.30pm
Guest Coach:  Paul Earley
 
Club coaches workshop
Saturday May 19th
Time 10am -1.30pm
Guest coach Paul Earley.

Camogie
U12 Camogie: We are delighted that our u12’s will be one of the 64 camogie teams from all over Ireland and 1 of the two teams representing Roscommon taking part in Camán to Croker next Sunday. A bus is being organised leaving from Roscommon (Hyde Park) at 8.45am to Croke Park.  Bus will return around 6pm parents will be updated.  If you have any queries please contact Una Quinn on 087 9196692.  The cost of the trip is €20 per person, which will cover travel, a ticket tour of the Croke Park Museum and some food on the way home. U12’s are moving outside for training this week Fridays @ 6.30pm in Lisnamult.

Our U14 Féile Camogie girls played St. Dominics in the 3rd round of the Feile Championship on Good Friday and it was to be a good Friday for the Gaels. It was a bitterly cold evening in St Dominics.   Ellen Biesty scored 5 mins in from a free.  Dominics replied with a Goal after 11 mins followed by a second goal at 14 mins.  Ava Mulry’s hand pass was finished by Choloe Donohue hitting it in to the back of the net after 16 mins.  Leaving the gaels two points behind at half time.  Half time score St Dominics 2-00 Roscommon Gaels 1-01.  Second half the Gaels maintained most of the possession and fought hard against a very defensive Dominic’s side.  15 mins into the Second half the girls hard work paid off when Ava Mulry managed to find the back of the net from a free.  This put the Gaels back in the driving seat by a point.  Both teams battled hard with some super defending from the Gaels.  Nail biting finish with the Gaels holding on to secure a one point victory over Dominic’s.  Final Score Roscommon Gaels 2-01 St. Dominic’s 2-00.  Well done all.  Round 4 of the Feile Championship we play Athleague in Athleague on Saturday 7thof April. 
​
Junior and Minor Camogie. We are planning a pre season meeting with the minor and junior camogie/dual panel for Friday 6th April in the Hyde at 8pm. We’d like to see a full turnout and to have a short discussion on the season ahead.

Torpey Hurls
The urban myth of choosing a Hurley that is up to your hip is so wide off the mark hawk eye wouldn’t even pick it up. Instead Tricia and Tom have given a few simple tips for measuring - Size and weight does matter but it’s a case of the smaller and lighter the better.
Simple Guide:
U6 - 20" Hurley
U8 - 22" Hurley
U10 - 24" Hurley
U12 - 26" Hurley
U12 - 28" Hurley
***If tall for your age go up 2 inches***
It’s important to be able to flick the wrists with a short light Hurley - hurling is all in the wrists as skilful hurlers like Joe Canning show in their game.  Torpey Hurls have always been a good supplier to the Roscommon Gaels and Tricia and Tom will gladly help you pick the hurl that is the right size for you.  The cost is as follows:
28” and 30” €15. 32” €20. These sizes are first quality.  24” 26” are €10 as these are seconds but fine for beginners.  Any seconds remaining from last year will be €10 whatever the size. There are a number of 22” 24” 28” and 29” available.  

Hurling
U8 / U10 / U12 hurling.
Indoor hurling for U8 / U10 / U12 Gaels concluded last week in the Convent Gym. It was great to see so many hurlers commence the year as we welcomed new, and welcomed back older hurlers to the club. 
Due to Easter, there will be no U8 / U10 / U12 hurling this week (week of April 2nd). 

U8 / U10 / U12 hurling moves outdoors to our club grounds in Lisnamult every Monday commencing Monday April 9th @ 18:30 to 19:30. 
​
Our coaches and mentors are currently busy arranging blitzes for our U8 & U10 players and leagues for our U12's.
Our U11's hurlers will also feature in the 'Tain League' mid-April in the Connacht Centre of Excellence in Bekan, just outside Ballyhaunis. It promises to be an exciting tournament across many Connacht County Clubs. Details to follow from coaches in the coming week........
 
U-14 hurling: The U-14 hurlers produced their best performance of the season to date to overcome Athleague/Tremane in a high-scoring group match in the county Feile competition in Athleague last Saturday. All sectors of the team played well. We play our final group match away to Padraig Pearses next Thursday.

Senior Hurlers were out on Saturday 31st of March in Group B they play Padraig Pearses in Lisnamult.  Unfortunately it wasn’t to be their day.
​

​LGFA
U8&U10 Football is back on  Wednesday 18th of April @ 6.30pm In Lisnamult. 

U12 Football:  Our U12’s travelled to Kilbride last Wednesday for a challenge match against our Neighbours Kilbride.  Our girls racked up a massive score line in the first half even with the new rule of a goal equalling a point in place.    It was only fair that 3 of our stronger girls Sioffra Hession, Shauna Walsh and Marta McSharry tog out for the opposition to make it a more even contest.  Well done to all girls involved.  Our U12’s are out again on the 2nd of April (Easter Monday) in the first round of the League when they take on St Barry’s in St Barry’s at 6pm.
  
Our U12 Girls football team with pictured together with Kilbride.  
​
Junior Ladies: The Junior Ladies had a challenge match last Wednesday evening against neighbours Kilbride unfortunately we only had 12 girls to begin with and 13 to finish!  The Final Score was Kilbride 5-05 to Roscommon Gaels 2-06.  Each game management have new challenges with a panel of 37 girls we never have the same girls for matches nonetheless management Declan Walsh, Gerry Donohue, Pat Clancy and Kieran Kilcline are endeavouring to work with what they have and the girls did put in a great effort.  Kilbride Junior team having the same difficulties fielded 5 from their senior panel and this proved a tough feet for our girls.  Management are going to be organising more challenges for the Junior Girls as we may be in a semi final of the league on the 15th of April but our goal excuse the pun is to be ready for the Championship that kicks off on the 24th of June when our girls take on St Croans.

​​Ladies Football Goal Keeping Workshop
On Wednesday Last the Ladies Football organised a Goalie workshop for all their goalies from U14 up to Junior.  The Workshop was delivered by experienced Inter County and Roscommon Gaels Goalie James Featherston.  During the workshop participants got to experience a significant number of activities in areas such as handling, footwork, positioning and kick outs.  This was an ideal opportunity for goalies who need ideas and tips to improve their goalkeeping skills.   Thank you James for sharing your knowledge it was greatly appreciated. 

Football
U8 Boys Football.
Our U8 Boys football training will commence on Saturday 31st of March at 10am in the Hyde Centre Roscommon.  Please ensure your registration is complete in advance so that your child is insured and eligible to play and that you are included in texts re matches and training.  
For U8’s please contact:  Declan Hussey on 086 81477696.

Our beginner boys will join our new Football Nursery commencing in May – further details to follow and again please ensure you are registered.  Boys must have started school to be eligible to play.For beginner nursery please contact:  Seamie O’Neill on 086 8688129.
.Our junior team were out on Friday in Pearses in the Div 4 League. Final score Roscommon Gaels 1-9 Padraig Pearses 0-19.

Our senior were to play Pearses in the O’Rourke Cup in the Division 1 League today but was postponed due to Roscommon playing Cavan. The seniors are out again in the O’Rourke cup against St Croans on Saturday the 7th of April in Enfield at 6pm.

Is There a Secret to becoming a good goalkeeper?
The goalkeeper is the most specialised position on the pitch but they are often neglected in training sessions, most keepers just train with the outfield players and receive no specialist coaching at all. It is vital for goalkeepers to work to improve their skills, reactions and techniques; they need to be competent in all aspects of goalkeeping to enable them to play at their best. Here are some guidelines to help your goalkeepers.  The Set [or Ready] Position 1; The feet should be about shoulder width apart. 2; The goalkeepers weight should be on the balls of his/her feet, with the bodyweight forward. 3; The knees are to be slightly flexed, with the hips square to the ball. 4; The head should be forward and fixed, with the nose in front of the toe's.  5; Elbows need to be tucked in, with the chest facing the ball. 6; Hands are to be in front of the body and approximately a ball width apart. Please note that this is a general guide, the goalkeeper will hold the hands in a position that he/she feels comfortable with. If their handling is good and consistent the hand position should not be a problem.  

The "W' Technique This catching technique is used for balls at chest and head height, and for catching crosses and corners. From the set position the hands need to be brought up into line of the trajectory of the ball, the chest should be square to the ball. The hands should be placed with the palms facing the ball, the fingers spread and the thumbs forming the W shape [ as in the picture] Slightly flex the elbow to absorb the shock when the ball makes contact with the hands. Keep the eyes looking at the back of the ball and use the soft hands - strong wrists technique.

The "M" Technique This catching technique is used when the ball is played below waist height. From the set position, the hands lower in front of the body, with the elbows tucked into the side. The hands should be placed with the palms facing up and the fingers spread. The little fingers of each hand come together to form the M shape. Keep the eyes looking at the ball and use the soft hands - strong wrists technique. As the ball hits the hands, scoop the ball into the body.

The Scoop Technique Shots travelling towards the goalkeepers legs with pace are difficult to deal with, young keepers often end up kicking the ball away, the scoop technique is a reliable way to save this type of shot. The goalkeeper has to step into line and down the line of the shot, Collapsing at the knees into the K position The palms of the hand should be open to face the ball with the fingers spread, leading with the hands, which will bring the bodyweight forward. Keep the head still and the eyes focused on the ball, bringing the shoulders forward over the hands. The elbows have to be slightly flexed to cushion the impact of the ball, soft hands - strong wrists are needed with this technique. As the hands make contact with the ball, scoop the ball into the chest while bringing the bodyweight forward to complete the save.

Note: It is often said that you have to be mad to be a goalkeeper! The goalkeeper is arguably the most important position on the pitch; he can win a game with one brilliant save or become the villain with a mistimed dive. To be a good goalkeeper you require confidence, agility, speed, athleticism, bravery and good communication skills. Finally, as a goalkeeper you will make some great saves, but remember you are only human and you will at some point make a mistake, all keepers do, but its how you recover from that mistake, be mentally strong, be positive, and believe in yourself and your ability and work hard to improve your game.

Communication Communication is important for every player on the pitch, but for a goalkeeper it is vital. Communication between the goalkeeper and defenders is the key to making the defence function as a unit. The goalkeeper has the best view of what is happening on the pitch, and they have to be able to communicate with their team mates to organise and marshal the defence around them. The goalkeeper must know when to call - what to call - and how to call. WHEN to call: This should be as early as possible to give defenders time to react. WHAT to call: Be specific and to the point. HOW to call: Loud, clear and calm.

Pitch Allocations and Training Schedules
It’s that time of year again and Philip is up to his eyes trying to make sure everyone has a pitch to train on or a pitch to play games on.  Can all Managers ensure they have notified Philip of any fixtures or training sessions to avoid disappointment of pitches not being available?  Can you contact Philip on 085 8016162 with any outstanding fixtures.  Official Fixtures take priority over training allocations.  Teams must not encroach or interfere with any allocated training sessions.  Where a mentor has a need to change their allocated training slot and that change is likely to impact on another training slot, prior agreement must be sought from the lead mentor.  If agreement cannot be reached, priority is given to the team with the allocated slot.  

The club would like to thank Philip Mullen for taking on this huge task each year, he puts in a lot of time and effort into it and always manages to get it right.

A.O.B
Lost property.
Roscommon Gaels half zip top size 12/13 has been found with the initials OF embroidered on the front in purple.  If anyone lost it please contact Una Ni Chuinn on 087 9196692.

We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to our Scòr Officer Rosaleen Greene and her family on the passing of her father Paddy Carley.

The Roscommon Camogie Minor Team played Carlow in knockroghery on Saturday last well done to our Gaels Girls Izzy Cullen, Mia Fallon, Lisa Mullen, Niamh Madden, Amy McNeill and Ruth McNeill. Good luck girls.

The U16 Roscommon Ladies Football team played Sligo on Good Friday the game was moved from Elphin to Kilmore.  Eva Biesty came on and had a great game.  Roscommon won well.  Well done Eva. 

Well done to James Fetherston and John Mc Manus who were part of the Senior Team that played Cavan in the Division 2 final in Croke Park on Sunday and not forgetting Anthony McCormack and Mick Byrne who are also involved with the team.  Well done lads on a great win.

Good luck to Eva Beisty, Hollie Harkin and Chloes Donohue who are on the U14 Football Panel they play Mayo on Bank Holiday Monday in Swinford the best of luck girls.

Cards
Winner of last Monday evenings 25 card games in The Hyde Centre was Liam McNeill and runner up was Con Keigher.  Well done everyone.  New players always welcome Monday’s at 8.30pm in the Hyde Centre.
​