Maynooth University announces new accreditation pathway for GPA Madden Leadership Programme

Maynooth University today announced the accreditation of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) Jim Madden Leadership Programme, designed to develop leadership skills amongst county Gaelic football, hurling, ladies football and camogie players.

The Leadership Programme is individually tailored to athletes performing at an elite level, with each student working with a professional life coach, addressing their development needs and helping them reach their personal goals.

The students will attend workshops in personal development, interpersonal skills, and group skills, designed to assess their leadership strengths and weaknesses. They also will attend a series of Leadership masterclasses with experts from business, community, and sport which are designed to explore the critical behaviours, attributes, and capabilities that foster key leadership skills. The accreditation pathway, leading to a qualification in professional leadership will be offered through the Department of Education at Maynooth, and has been designed to complement and enhance the student experience.

Maynooth University President Professor Philip Nolan welcomed the accreditation partnership: “The University is fully aware of its role in crafting the leaders of tomorrow, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all our graduates are equipped with the skills to make valuable contributions to their communities. This makes the partnership with the GPA a natural one, as the GAA has always had a strong community focus. This programme presents elite athletes with a tremendous opportunity to develop into the community leaders of the future, and it builds on the wide range of leadership programmes offered by Maynooth University.”

Speaking at the announcement Dermot Earley, President of the GPA, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the GPA Madden Leadership Programme, now entering its second year, will now have this additional accreditation pathway from Maynooth University. It forms part of the Accreditation Partnership between Maynooth University and the GPA and I’d like to thank Professor Nolan and his team for making this happen. As well as welcoming Year 2 of Madden participants we are also honouring the first group of graduate players from the Madden Programme today – a very proud occasion for the GPA and the Madden family – and the announcement by Maynooth is a significant boost for everyone involved, particularly the players participating in the course. The Madden Programme provides a fantastic opportunity for players to enhance their personal development.”

The Programme was made possible by the support of Michael Madden and his family who dedicated the new curriculum to the memory of their late father, Jim, a tireless grassroots GAA and community activist in Tipperary. Jim was actively involved in the Portroe club all of his life and was a selector on the famous Tipperary three-in-a-row All Ireland winning camogie team of 1999 – 2001.

Programme sponsor Michael Madden congratulated the graduates and added: “On behalf of the Madden family I would like to pay tribute to the 24 players who have emerged from the first year of the Leadership Programme and wish them well in their careers on and off the field. I would also like to commend Dessie Farrell and the Gaelic Players Association for this fantastic initiative and building an original, bespoke Programme to support male and female players to become stronger leaders in their communities and in society. The GPA is a pioneering organisation in the manner in which it supports its members and when the Madden family wanted to honour the memory of our father in a meaningful way, the GPA Player Development Programme was a natural fit for us. Thanks also to Maynooth University and we wish the new students the very best of luck with the Programme in 2016.”

Maynooth boasts a GAA playing population of 400 members across five clubs. The Maynooth University GAA scholarship has been running for around 20 years and includes recipients such as 2013 Footballer of the Year Michael Darragh McAuley and All-Ireland Senior Hurling winner David McInerney.

The GPA, the official representative body for county players, is a not-for-profit organisation that represents over 2,000 current players and an increasing number of past players. The GPA Madden Leadership Programme is part of the GPA’ Education Programme. Since 2010 the GPA has assisted county players with over 3,069 education and training scholarships for those participating in undergraduate, post-graduate and further training programmes.

Further information:

GPA – Seán Potts, Head of Communications, press@gaelicplayers.com, 086 397 1859. 

Maynooth University – Deirdre Watters, Communications Office, communications@nuim.ie, 01 708 6160

 

2015/2016 Graduates from GPA Jim Madden Leadership Programme

Gemma Begley (Tyrone), Anna Conlan (Leitrim), Shannon Quinn (Tyrone), Luke Kelly (Offaly), Eoin Cadogan (Cork), Ger Cafferkey (Mayo), Kevin Conlan (Leitrim), Noel Connors (Waterford), Alan Dillon (Mayo), Paul Flynn (Dublin), Stacey Cannon (Kildare), Patricia Jackman (Waterford), Darragh Egan (Tipperary), Chrissy McKaigue (Derry), Stephen McDonnell (Cork), Liam Óg McGovern (Wexford), Gary Reynolds (Leitrim), Aoife Lane (WGPA), Jason Doherty (Mayo), Helen McMahon (Clare), Diarmaid McMahon (Clare), Jonny Cooper (Dublin), Cáit Devane (Tipperary), Matthew O'Hanlon (Wexford)