Traugh’s Counihan hoping to make things easier for managers

THE access to coaching resources in Gaelic games has never been higher, but for Truagh clubman Mark Counihan there is still a way to go when it comes to providing content for managers.

With that in mind, the Monaghan minor manager has produced the GAA Game Day Journal – a book that aims to cover all aspects for managers at all levels and codes of the GAA.

“For me, there was a niche in the market,” said Counihan, who guided the Oriel county to the 2019 Ulster Minor Football title. “There’s a lot of coaching content at the moment but there is not a lot based around management.

“That’s where the idea the came from and it’s an 160-page book that, I feel, covers everything from advice to journal pages where you can log information throughout a season.”

Covering everything is a fair comment when you see what is included.

The role of the manager, planning, reflection, KPIs (key performance indicators) are all accounted for while noted sports psychologist Kelley Cuddy has also contributed to the book.

The information is concise, and Counihan said it was important to present the information in a clear and informative way.

“I wanted to make sure that all managers could use this. I want any manager, senior, underage, to be able to pick it up and take something from it and feel it was worthwhile.

“There are lots of management tips, tricks of the trade. It has things like dealing with a leadership group within your squad, referee analysis, all those sorts of things that we can use.”

While the first part of the journal provides advice for managers on how to improve, the second half is game and season-specific.

It will allow to you to chart everything that happened, a handy reference point should you need it later in the season.

Playing your local rivals for the second time in the league? Flip back to your diary and see what match-ups worked well. Are you starting well after the water break? Refer to your second quarter scores across the season for proper assessment.

“That part of the book is very important. Like most managers I started with my club and over the years I’ve had an ad-hoc filing system of notes and pieces of information. This provides the opportunity to put them all in one place in an easy manner.”

To order the book for you or your club, you can contact Mark on his Twitter page – @GaaJournal or by emailing gaagamedayjournal@gmail.com.