thanking volunteers of junior coaching

sdraobs wrote: »

My kid has been going to GAA training for the last few months.

As the coaches are volunteers, does anyone know if the club looks after them with free croke park tickets or free dinners. im wondering if i need to thank them with some chocalate/wine. or are they looked after?

I'm not familiar with how GAA clubs are run, so apologies if this is a stupid question.

Fair play to you. A lot of parents who are very familiar with how GAA clubs are run take things like this completely for granted.

I'm sure the coach would really appreciate such a gesture. I reckon even one expression of gratitude like that would make up for a lot of the negative nonsense coaches have to deal with.

We give a bottle of wine (or similar - whiskey or similar for certain coaches who have been with them for years ) for each of our sports coaches (all of whom are voluntary) at Christmas/end of year for past 10 years!

yop wrote: »

You ever thought of moving to Mayo... we are lovely coaches

Well done on that. I'd be shocked/embarrassed if any of the parents did that to be, I genuinely do it because I get a great kick of the lad young players improving and just to get them away from devices and out into the fresh air, but hats off to you.

I'd be in agreement with this. No big gesture required generally, but a quiet word to a coach to thank them for thw work or that you see an improvement in your kids play, or indeed that your kid is enjoying the coaching, is often appreciated, especially if it's genuine

sdraobs wrote: »

..with free croke park tickets or free dinners. im wondering if i need to thank them with some chocalate/wine. or are they looked after..

In our club, 2 all ireland tickets are raffled for each of the codes. One hurling tickets is raffled between hurling mentors and the other between all members, same for football. The winners pay the face value of the winning ticket.

Paulzx wrote: »

I've been given the odd bottle of wine at the end of the season but to be honest I get more of a kick out of a kid or parent coming up to me after a match or training session and saying "thanks"



It's the simple things that make you feel appreciated

This. I don't even know what half the parents of the kids I train look like. The kids magically appear before training with no sign of a parent and vanish afterwards. They'd give David Copperfield a run for his money.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

a gift voucher for a restaurant or other local business would be nice gesture

In an ideal world it would.

But for most clubs it just wouldn't be feasible.

Take a club that plays one code only. You have an average of 3/4 mentors at u6, u8, u10, u12, u14, u16, Minor, Junior and Senior. That's probably 30 individuals at least. Give them all a voucher for only even €25 each and it's €750 at least.

Then you have the volunteers in charge of the field, lotto, fundraising, underage and adult committees etc and it just wouldn't work - unfortunately - for most clubs.

Been an under age coach for my sons team since he was 4, now 12
Most mentors get involved to help with their own kids team, and many other's do it for the love of the game

Its nice to get the odd thank you present, but as other's have said its never expected and sometimes does embarrass us mentors when it happens

None of us is it for the glamour and prizes believe me

A simple thank you from the lads after training and a game can do more than any gift if I am being honest, and if the parents throw in the odd Thank you too then even better.

And no, in my club we do not get any tickets,and have to pay full membership just like everyone else

The club do have an end of season night with a few beers and some light food I must add.

sdraobs wrote: »

On an official level i agree that its alot if everyone who contributes to the club got 25 euro voucher.

I think Niceguy was suggesting that if there was a particular coach, a restaurant voucher might be a good idea.

My kid has about 4 or 5 coaches at different sessions, depending on who shows up. so i think ill get them a bottle of 7euro wine each. wont break the bank and show the appreciation. means i feel less guilty for having to mind younger kids and thus i am not coaching myself.

Oh god yea, don't get me wrong - I think it's a great idea. It rarely happens (not that it's expected to be honest) but I'd say it would be very much appreciated by the coach.

I've been coaching about 22 years and only once did I get something (was never expected or even thought of). You'd get plenty of players every year thanking you which is more than enough as it's not why we do it.

That one time though a 16 year old on our minor team came to the house around Christmas time with a box of chocolates. He was not long after being diagnosed with leukaemia (he passed away the following summer). He was a good hurler who should have made that years minor team but never got going right at training (it was obvious after why) and, to be honest, we'd been a bit harsh on him over his loss of form. He appreciated our efforts though and to have him make that gesture to me considering what he was going through himself still gets to me and reminds me why we do it.

So, yea, making any sort of gesture to a coach could make more of a difference than you think!!