Jim madden leadership programme to inspire players to become a new generation of community heroes
The Madden family and the Gaelic Players Association are delighted to announce the launch of the Jim Madden Leadership Programme.
The Programme will develop a group of county players from hurling, camogie, Gaelic football – men’s and ladies – with the necessary skills, motivation and experience to become successful leaders in the community.
This Programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, is made possible thanks to the support of Michael Madden and his family who are dedicating the new curriculum to the memory of their late father Jim who was a tireless grassroots GAA and community activist in Portroe.
Many of our Gaelic athletes have exceptional leadership qualities. These skills are honed through the experience and resilience developed as elite players in a highly competitive environment, where high performance is often predicated on the player’s own ability to lead by example encouraging greater levels of performance from team-mates.
The Jim Madden Programme will now establish a learning pathway for players who wish to develop these qualities which can be harnessed both for their personal development and for the benefit of society.
Speaking about the launch of the new initiative Programme sponsor Michael Madden commented: “As a family we are immensely proud of our late father Jim’s legacy and we wanted to mark his memory in a positive way. This Leadership Programme will hopefully inspire a new generation of Jim Madden’s all over the country, people driven by the desire to lead, to give back and to make a difference in their communities and society. We are delighted to work with the Gaelic Players Association to deliver this new Programme and to be the first to include camogie and ladies footballers in the mix. We wish all the future participants in the course the very best of luck with their education and look forward to watching them grow and develop as people, as players and as role models along the way.”
Gaelic Players Association CEO Dessie Farrell added: “We are deeply indebted to Michael Madden and his family for having the foresight, courage and generosity to help develop a new cohort of leaders from within the county playing body. This Programme is unique yet it is inspired by the legacy of Jim Madden and the many selfless community volunteers who underpin our games and our society. This is the first time a GPA Programme will have an intake of elite female athletes from camogie and Gaelic football – a historic step for the Games and the development of player welfare across the sports. Tailored to suit county players, the new syllabus will sit centrally in the GPA Player Development Programme and will help players to harness the many transferable skills they develop at the top level of their sport.”
Through the Madden Programme, the Players Association is now in a position to support the next generation of young leaders – players who are considered to be successful in their lives and careers outside of their sporting endeavours, who understand the importance of civic and social responsibility and can see the benefit of ‘giving back’ in a host of different ways by optimising their status as role models in society.
Using a primary schools network by which the students can execute their new skills, the three-year course will encourage this cohort of young men and women to dream big and think bigger, to be as ambitious for what they can achieve in life away from the playing fields and to go on to do extra-ordinary things which will make a real difference in their own lives and in the lives of people they encounter.
The Programme, which will run initially for three years, is a bespoke, one-year blended learning Leadership Course which will be delivered by the Gaelic Players Association in conjunction with independent leadership experts. The syllabus will be divided into four principal modules:
Participants will have a GPA Personal Development Coach assigned to them and will undergo personal development training and will have to design, construct and deliver a community project through the primary schools network.
Born in Portroe, Tipperary, in 1940 Jim Madden’s passion for life, commitment to his community, determination and humility in how he carried himself through life and sickness signified his infectious and popular character.
Jim’s father died when he was only 14 and as an only child like many other people at that time he left school at an early age to provide for his mother. His passion growing up in Portroe was music and sport. A talented young hurler he was forced to seek work in England in the 1960s before returning to his beloved Portroe as a married man with a young family in 1971.
After returning home he wasted no time getting involved with his local club making immediate impact when he was a selector on the Portroe U14 hurling team that won their division (the only Tipperary team to do so that year) in the very first Féile na nGael in Thurles in 1971. It’s recognized in his club that his contribution to hurling laid the foundations to Portroe becoming a senior hurling club in 1990 and ultimately winning the North Tipp Senior title in 2012. He was there on the day to enjoy the success and experience the emotional scenes for one of the smallest GAA clubs in Ireland.
Jim’s success with nurturing teams and coaching individuals not only as a player but as a person was always about their success and never about Jim. He was always happy to see others succeed content with the knowledge that he played his part and made his contribution to what they achieved.
The inspirational dressing room speeches half-time motivational talks and the will to win defined him as a player and leader. Like many a father from a small GAA Club he managed to play for Portroe (Junior B!) with his sons Michael and Chris in both hurling and football.
From the Canal End from where Jim watched many an All-Ireland hurling final to the Hogan Stand in 1984 Jim watched his daughter Margaret play in her first All-Ireland Senior Camogie final. A disappointing loss on the day but it was not long before another daughter Claire played in Croke Park winning Junior and Intermediate All-Ireland titles, five Senior All-Irelands and 11 interprovincial titles. Jim was a huge influence on Claire’s success and the way in which she played. Jim was on the sideline as a selector alongside one of Tipperary’s greatest hurlers, Michael Cleary as manager they guided Tipperary to an All-Ireland final on four occasions. All this success despite his early diagnosis with Parkinson's when Jim would keep his hand in his pocket to try and conceal his tremor and illness.
The sporting highlights for Jim was his time as a selector on the famous All-Ireland winning Tipperary Senior Camogie team (1999, 2000, and 2001) that won three All-Ireland Ireland titles in row with his daughter Claire playing corner back. His daughter Sarah winning an All-Ireland with St. Mary’s Secondary School, Nenagh, daughters Margaret and Colette winning numerous county senior camogie titles. His son Chris still continues to play hurling in Sligo and is the hurling goalkeeper for their county team.
Jim’s legacy will be recognized for his commitment and dedication to his community and his love of Portroe. Playing hurling with his club into his late 40’s, managing teams at all levels with continuous service to his club and county managing teams or as a selector. When Jim returned to Portroe from England in 1971, no year passed without him being involved with some Portroe or Tipperary team for over forty years. Coaching at all levels from under age to senior, hurling to Camogie and Gaelic football. He even discussed the idea with a lady originally from Waterville but now living in Portroe about starting the club’s first ladies Gaelic Football team.
Jim Madden passed away on the 18th July 2013 while on holidays with his family in Galway.