Development Plan 2019-2021
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Development Plan 2019-2021 Contents Contents 1 Foreword 2 Glossary of Terms 3 Introduction 4 International and national contexts 4 Strategy Process 4 Implementation of the Development Plan 5 A strategic approach to developing Gaelic games in Europe 5 GGE’s Vision 5 GGE’s Mission 6 GGE’s Values 6 Inclusion 6 Collaboration 6 Respect 7 Progression 7 Enjoyment 7 Pride 7 Development Areas - Objectives, Strategic Actions, Indicators 7 1. The Games 8 2. Growth and Participation 10 3. Governance and Administration 12 4. Communications and PR 14 1 Foreword Gaelic games in Europe have grown rapidly since four clubs came together in Amsterdam in 1999 to establish the European County Board of the GAA. So, as we enter our 20th year, it is entirely appropriate that we celebrate the fact that over 90 clubs from more than 20 countries now cater for thousands of youths and adults who play gaelic football, camogie, hurling, handball and rounders across the continent. Any organisation that wishes to remain vibrant and successful needs to review, reflect and renew itself on an ongoing basis to ensure that it remains relevant to its members. While good progress was made in implementing our 2016-2018 Strategic Plan, we must also acknowledge that there was room for improvement. New issues have also emerged and more will do so in the coming years. That is why my priority on being elected GGE chair was to put in place a process to identify what we do well, what we can do better and create a plan to address future challenges. Everyone has their own views and ideas, but no one has all the answers, so it was important that we involved as many people as possible and try to achieve consensus on what actions are needed in the coming years. This Development Plan is the result of the most widespread consultations we have ever undertaken and aims to respond to our members concerns and reflects their ideas on the future development of gaelic games in Europe. The plan is essentially a ‘roadmap’ to guide us for the next three years rather than a set of solutions and is divided into four key development areas - Games Growth & Participation Governance & Administration Communications & Public Relations The main section (pages 5-17) contains the 20 Objectives and 39 Strategic Actions (16 are prioritised for action in 2019) along with High Level Performance Indicators which we will use to monitor and evaluate progress. There are also comprehensive reports on the consultations, key baseline data for monitoring & evaluation progress during implementation and an audit of the previous plan in the Appendices. I wish to thank the members of the Working Group and our facilitator, Joan O’Flynn, for all their hard work, the 300+ players, coaches, referees, club and GGE officers who participated in the online survey and the 30+ stakeholders who found the time for extensive one-to-one interviews. I would also like to thank the GGE Management Committee, our clubs and Federations and the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association officers & staff who engaged in the process and especially thank Jim Bolger (Chair) and Leinster Council for enabling us to bring this plan to fruition. A lot of effort has gone into the Plan already but the real work of implementing it starts now. Many actions require further consultation to ensure we move together and all require cooperation and hard work. I wish everyone well in their endeavours over the three years of this Plan – and beyond! Tony Bass Chairperson, Gaelic Games Europe December 2018 2 Glossary of Terms Camogie Association: the governing body for Camogie. Convention: annual meeting of GGE club delegates and Management Committee members. Development: refers to building the capacity of GGE and its constituent parts such as GGE Sub Committees, Divisions, regional committees, federations, clubs and constituent members such as players, coaches, referees, administrators. Divisions: the formal term for defined geographical areas and their administrative structures within a single GAA ‘county/board area’ (frequently referred to as ‘regions’ in Europe). Europe: the area within GGE’s remit (Europe excluding Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales & Isle of Man). Executive Committee: sub-committee of the GGE Management Committee. GAA: Gaelic Athletic Association, the governing body for hurling, football, handball and rounders. GGE: Gaelic Games Europe. LGFA: Ladies Gaelic Football Association, the governing body for ladies’ football. Management Committee: the main GGE decision-making body between Annual Conventions. Mission Statement: describes the purpose of GGE. Answers the question ‘Why does GGE exist?’ Objective: refers to things GGE will set out to achieve which, if successful, will contribute to the achievement of Development Areas that have been identified as priority areas for 2019-2021. Performance Indicators: measures used to indicate progress of strategic priorities (as outlined in this Development Plan) and operational priorities (outlined in annual implementation or business plans). Regions: geographical competition//administrative areas within GGE Benelux: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany (western lander) Central-East: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany (eastern & southern lander), Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland Iberia: o Andalucía (Spain), Gibraltar; o Galicia (Spain); o Central: Portugal, Spain (rest of country) Nordics: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden North-West: o Bretagne (France); o Federal: Channel Islands, France (rest of country). Strategic: refers to deciding the right things to do and how to do them. In the Development Plan this is reflected in the vision, mission, values, development area, objectives and priority areas that are detailed for the period 2019-2021. Values: The values statement defines what GGE believes in and how people in the organisation are expected to behave—with each other, with members, people it links with /relates to and with other stakeholders. Vision: describes what is envisaged as the ideal future for Gaelic games/GGE over the next 10 years. 3 Introduction International and national contexts Gaelic Games Europe (GGE) represents the European County Committee of the GAA, European County Board of the LGFA and the European International Board of the Camogie Association, each of which is governed by their respective Associations, namely the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Camogie Association. GGE is a member of the GAA central governance structure, Central Council and is a member of the World GAA Committee. GGE has representation and voting rights at the Annual Congresses of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association. Clubs and members registered with GGE are de facto GAA and/or LGFA and/or Camogie Association members. GGE and Leinster GAA (an Irish provincial unit of the GAA) enjoy a twinning partnership for the purpose of the development of Gaelic games across Europe. Clubs registered with GGE have a variety of legal statuses and recognition arrangements, across the different national and regional jurisdictions within Europe. Strategy Process In June 2018, the Management Committee of Gaelic Games Europe (GGE) agreed on a process to develop a strategic plan development of Gaelic games in Europe. An independent facilitator (Joan O’Flynn - former Director General of the Camogie Association) was engaged to support this process. A series of actions were undertaken as follows (see Appendices for more details): A Strategy Working Group was established, comprising members of the GGE Management Committee and members drawn from Federations or regions within Europe. An audit of the pre-existing Strategic Plan, agreed in 2106, was undertaken to establish the range of completed and outstanding actions. Baseline data on key operational areas of GGE was established, using the end of 2017 and current 2018 data as the baseline. An online European wide survey was developed and disseminated to clubs, regions and Federations of GGE and publicised on the GGE website and social media channels. This consultation was vital to giving voice to members’ issues and to ensure that the Plan is grounded in the experience and aspiration of members. A series of 1:1 discussions were undertaken by the Facilitator with key respondents in Europe and Ireland. These consultations focused on getting more in-depth insights and perspectives on future strategic and immediate priorities. A draft Plan was prepared by the Working Group during a weekend workshop with the support of the independent facilitator. The draft Plan was considered and endorsed by the GGE Management Committee at its meeting on 6th November 2018. The Plan was launched at the GGE Annual Convention on 1st December 2018. The Working Group agreed a general approach built around widespread consultation and building support for effective implementation of the final plan. Starting by gathering information for analysis and establishing baseline data while seeking members views and opinions and listening to stakeholders to identify key issues and priorities. Revisiting the vision, mission and values of GGE helped underpin our analysis and proposals 4 for the focus areas, key objectives, specific actions and priorities were aligned with findings from the consultations. The four strategic areas for future development, prioritised for progress are: The Games Growth & Participation Governance & Administration Communications & Public Relations Details of the objectives,