ULSTER GAA: The role of the healthy club officer for clubs

HEALTHY club officers and health & wellbeing committees continue to perform an invaluable role in GAA clubs across the globe.

How fantastic it is that people from all walks of life across the world are benefitting from the formal health and wellbeing activity that has been organised by their GAA club?

Of course, we benefit from being involved in the GAA in more ways than just through formal health and wellbeing activity; think of the ‘Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing’ message. Our involvement in the GAA helps us to achieve all 5 steps – Be Active; Keep Learning; Give; Connect; Take Notice.

Most clubs now have an appointed healthy club officer (HCO), and the importance of the role has been increasingly recognised. There is no requirement that a HCO should have any formal medical qualifications or experience. Rather the role requires people who are empathetic, are well organised, and are good at reaching out to others to see what campaigns and support already exist.

It is about having an understanding about how the club operates, and seeing within that, what opportunities exist for promoting health and wellbeing. The emphasis should be on proactive, preventative work, as opposed to being reactive – but it is understandable that there are occasions when this can’t be avoided.

Once appointed, healthy club officers should inform their county health & wellbeing committees that they are now in the role. This will help to form networks, as county health and wellbeing committees are linked into programmes from both National and Ulster GAA.

County health & wellbeing committees can be contacted by emailing chair.hwc.[insert county name]@gaa.ie. For example: chair.hwc.tyrone@gaa.ie. Failure to inform your county HWC that you are in the role will mean that you will miss out on important information.

Following another hugely successful Ulster GAA officer development programme rolled out last month, and national GAA’s Healthy Club Officer training just last week, it is great to see so many more people coming on board to garner ways to promote health and wellbeing in their club and community.

HCOs are reminded to look online for local council and local health trusts websites, and request to sign-up to their newsletters. It’s a great way to stay in the loop of what programmes, training, and funding opportunities are available to your members.

Although sometimes we hear a lot of negativity about the state of our health system, you may be pleasantly surprised about how much opportunities exist through local, free, and affordable programmes.

Of course there are many GAA specific programmes which Ulster GAA are involved in, and Ulster GAA have a raft of programmes available to clubs.

For more information on the programmes/campaigns which are available visit the Ulster GAA health and Wellbeing microsite.