NACB hosting football, hurling coaching clinics

Following meetings between the NACB and Croke Park’s International Dimension Committee, the GAA approved a limited grant to fund intensive Gaelic football, hurling and camogie coaching clinics in three of the board’s major divisions, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The clinics are structured to accommodate as much as possible the participation of club coaches from all divisions in the country. As approved by Croke Park, the grant will cover the cost of travel and accommodation for a team coach from each NACB club outside these three cities, for men’s and women’s football clubs, hurling clubs and camogie clubs.
These clinics are structured for team coaches only and are directed at people coaching from the Under-14 age level through to adult teams at club level. The clinics will each have two instructors from Ireland, one who is primarily a football instructor and the other who is primarily a hurling/camogie instructor, both of whom are experienced tutors who have received specialist training.
All courses involve practical coaching assignments with indoor and outdoor training. Travel plans have been completed for the coaching instructors to conduct the two-day, all-day clinics. The Boston clinic was held March 21 and 22 at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Mass. The Chicago clinic will be held at Gaelic Park and the San Francisco clinic at United Irish Cultural Center, both on April 3 and 4 – April 3 & 4, 2004. Approximately 250 coaches from around the country are expected to participate in the clinics.
In other NACB news, the GAA’s Management Committee approved the vast majority of the board’s byelaws which required deviation from the Official Guide. Most noteworthy were those related to women’s football and camogie. The committee agreed that the NACB be the governing body for ladies football in the NACB area and for camogie in all of North America, thus permitting representatives of ladies football and camogie clubs a voice and a vote at divisional and county committee level of the NACB.
Following are the 2004 board of officers for the major divisions within the NACB:

CENTRAL DIVISION
Honorary president, John Hunt; chairman, Joe Begley; vice Chairman, Liam Murray; secretary, Harry Costelloe; treasurer, Peter Lavery; registrar, Peggy Murphy; youth officer, Lisa Flaherty.

MIDWEST DIVISION
Chairman, Jim Coyne, Cleveland St. Jarlath; vice-Chair: John Shovlin, Pittsburgh Celtic; treasurer, Howard Elbert, Pittsburgh Celtic; secretary, Kate O’Connell, Detroit St. Ann; registrar, Maura Hynes, Detroit St. Ann; youth officer, Kieran Savage, Detroit Wolf Tones.

NORTHEAST DIVISION
Honorary president, Pat Callaghan; chairman: Bernie Connaughton; vice chairman, Johnny Quirke; secretary, Sharon O’Brien, assistant secretary, Roisin McCallan; treasurer, Connie McEleaney; assistant treasurer, Richie Fleming; registrar, Ray Brady; youth officer, Mike O’Connor.

PHILADELPHIA DIVISION
Chairman, Eamonn Tohill; vice chairman, Sean Breen; secretary, Ann Marie Bonner; treasurer, Ann McElroy; registrar, Martin Gallagher; PRO, James Carmody; youth officer, Anne Bourke.

WESTERN DIVISION
Chairman, Malachy Higgins; vice chairman, Eric Kenneally (Na Fianna); secretary, Frankie Keenan (S