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GAA Player Resources for Minor and Adult, Camogie, Hurling, Ladies and Men's Football Players
GAA Player Design Thinking Workshop (March 2024)
GAA Player Design Thinking Workshop (March 2024)
Participants, aged 18 to 23 years, were presented with a persona of an 18 year old player 'Tom' and information on player dropout statistics. Activities then followed with assumption validation, empathy and player journey mapping, and closing with brainstorming exercise for ideas to improve retention, participation and overall player experience for members moving from Minor to Adult playing levels.
Ideas and feedback from players were collated and formed the creation of a GAA Club members survey, testing prototypes for the yearbook and questionnaire.
Email the design team if further information on the project is required.
📷 image of 'Tom McCarthy Persona' at Player Workshop. March 2024
Meet Tom, a Second Year Minor GAA Player
Meet Tom, a Second Year Minor GAA Player
Tom is in his final year of school, juggling studies, part-time work, and a demanding sports schedule. He’s passionate about his current team, but feels overwhelmed by everything pulling at his time. The structure and friendships he's known are about to change and no one from the adult team has reached out.
He’s unsure about where he fits in next season. With exams looming and thoughts of travel after the Leaving Cert, he’s questioning if it’s worth staying involved in both hurling and gaelic football. The lack of communication from future coaches makes it feel like no one would notice if he stopped showing up.
“There are so many changes happening that it might just be easier to step away for now… no one from the new group has asked what I want — and I don’t even know them — so no one will miss me if I drop out.”
Proposed Ideas
Proposed Ideas
Implemented (2024)
Implemented (2024)
Player yearbook to journal and track the season's activities, empowering the player to structure their conversations with coaches and mentors.
Season Planner (formerly known as 'end-of-season') questionnaire to hand over to new coaches and mentors, letting them know what preferred positions are; if free-taker; what commitments might be like for the upcoming season.
Player Liaison Officer to manage transition of minors coming through to adult sections
Ideas Backlog
Ideas Backlog
Club exit strategy to track members leaving reasons to gain further insights on how to improve member experience
Graduation event to recognise every player's participation within the club at dedicated milestones (U21 to adult, juvenile to minor...)
Internal club under 21 sevens / blitzes to promote engagement and increase participation
A 'what happens in Minor Year 2 and Adult Year 1' infographic
Player Pathway Rubric outlining needs and expectations for players in a chosen code and level
Principles and Standards mission statement guide from each section for transparency on vision, values, targets etc.
🎨Ideas Pretotype: Sample drawings of early phase idea creation
Themed Ideas from Crazy 8's Brainstorming Activity
Themed Ideas from Crazy 8's Brainstorming Activity
Communications
Communications
Yearbook implemented June 2024 as part of communications initiative for players to journal their experience throughout the season. Active reflection enables structure of dialogue with coaches and players alike.
Player Liaison Officer
Player Liaison Officer
Implemented September 2024
Player Integration
Player Integration
Season Planner implemented June 2024 (formerly known as 'end-of-season questionnaire'). Form is completed by players to aid transfer of information for new coaches and acts as support for start of season conversations.
Key Events
Key Events
Player Needs and Expectations
Player Needs and Expectations
Team Building / Culture
Team Building / Culture
Participants in the player design thinking workshop in March 2024 created ideas towards improving the players move from Minor to Adult playing levels. These ideas were collated and structured into a series of questions, shared in a survey to club members and supporters to validate the yearbook and season planner artefacts.
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