Connacht minor championship supports
emotional wellbeing in major way
Ahead
of renewing rivalries on the pitch in the 2015 championship the five Connacht
minor panels showed a united front today when they came out in support of the #littlethings emotional wellbeing
campaign.
The
campaign, run by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and
supported by the GAA, highlights the little things that people can incorporate
into their everyday lives to support their wellbeing and build their
resilience. The captains of Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Galway all gathered
in Connacht GAA Centre, Bekan, on Wednesday, June 24, just hours after the
Taoiseach launched the Government's new national strategy to reduce suicide 'Connecting for Life' in Dublin, which
has a strong youth focus. The players were supported by their team managers, county
boards, sponsors, the provincial council and Croke Park, while representatives
of the counties new health and wellbeing committees were also in attendance at
the event.
To
show their support for the campaign the five county sponsors have encouraged
their respective panels to wear identical alternative training tops on game
days, each of which will be adorned with the #littlethings logo, the website
address www.yourmentalhealth.ie as well as the Connacht GAA logo. It is hoped
that by wearing this kit back in their clubs, communities, and schools/colleges
they can become ambassadors for positive mental health and continue the
conversation amongst their peers.
The
event comes on the back of the recent Connacht senior football semi-final at
which the Galway and Mayo County Boards and teams also supported the
#littlethings campaign by branding Pearse Stadium with appropriate messaging
and arranging a wellness walk to the game. Other recent wellbeing events in
Connacht include life-skill sports camps for development squads in Mayo during
the Easter break in conjunction with Mental Health Ireland, diet and nutrition
workshops for the Sligo minors, and a farm safety event in Roscommon (on the
foot of the Champions for Change campaign supported by Connacht GAA and the IFA
during the FDB Connacht league).
The
gathering was also used to launch the 2015 Electric Ireland Connacht minor
football championship. Leitrim and Sligo are the first out clashing in a
quarter-final in Pairc Sean McDiarmada on Saturday, June 27, at 2pm. It’s an
eagerly anticipated game with both sides showing real potential recently. The
fact that the 1994 Connacht winning Leitrim footballer Aidan Rooney is managing
Sligo adds to the local interest (his son Nathan is one of Sligo’s go-to score
getters.) Both semi-finals are scheduled for on Saturday, July 4, at 6.30pm. Roscommon
awaiting the winners of the above game (it will be played in Hyde Park if Sligo
win, but should Leitrim prevail Roscommon will have to travel to Pairc Sean
McDiarmada) while Mayo play Galway in Elvery’s McHale Park, Castlebar in the
other semi-final.
Uachtarán
CLG Connacht, Mick Rock, said: “The positive emotional wellbeing of all our
players is a priority and it’s important that everyone knows where to seek and
find help if they need it. Our minors are role models for their peers on and
off the field and they will bring this positive message back to their clubs,
counties, schools, and colleges.”
This
campaign reinforces the innovative efforts by the association and its various
partners’ to support the health and wellbeing of all GAA members and the
communities we serve. The sponsors kindly supporting the minor panels in this
campaign are Devenish Nutrition (Sligo), Elverys Sports (Mayo), Kerrigan
Quarries (Leitrim), Supermacs (Galway) and Club Rossie (Roscommon). The
campaign was also supported by the National Office for Suicide Prevention,
Healthy Ireland and Croke Park’s Community and Health section.
For
more information contact GAA Community & Health Manager Colin Regan on
087-2945705 or email: colin.regan@gaa.ie