Funding announced amid new initiative in Kerry

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CAMOGIE in Kerry received a huge fillip this week with the announcement of substantial funding for the development of the game in RAPID areas (Revitalising Areas by Planning Investment and Development). The RAPID programme is a Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs initiative which is managed locally through the Area Implementation Team (AIT).

The purpose of this project is to provide an opportunity for young girls and their mothers in RAPID areas to increase their participation in sport by learning the skills of camogie. This will take place in the local GAA club for girls who are over the age of seven. The programme will be six to eight weeks for two hours per week. Mothers and daughters attend at the same time.

Mothers are introduced to the basic skills of camogie and the recreational and social elements of the game. Young girls are introduced to the fun element of camogie as a team sport, through fun games etc. Introductory coaching courses and administration are provided for mothers on completion of the programme.

There are three RAPID areas in Tralee in which residents work closely with the local Town Council, local development and statutory agencies to plan for and provide services for their areas through the RAPID AIT. Shanakill and Rahoonane, Spa Road and Balloonagh Estate, and Mitchel’s Crescent and St. Martin‘s Park were designated RAPID areas by the Government in order to ensure that priority attention and investment was given to these areas.

Specific Dormant Accounts funding is made available to the RAPID areas for local projects, with a particular emphasis on young people and increasing physical activity. The Tralee AIT welcomes the opportunity to work with Camogie in the RAPID areas they year by allocating funding for a Puc-Around- Tralee event.

From previous projects the AIT has learned that increased time, skills and more focused attention is required to engage young girls into main stream sport activity in order to provide them the same opportunities as boys to play sport. This is a great opportunity for young girls and women in RAPID areas to try out a new sport and have fun and join clubs which are growing in popularity in north Kerry.

Munster camogie development officer Deirdre Murphy expressed her delight with the initiative.

“”This is a huge boost for camogie in Kerry, especially as the game is relatively young in the county. But thanks to the hard work of the Kerry Camogie county board it is getting stronger with six clubs. Kerry is an area with great potential to develop the game.

“”I would like to thank the Tralee Area Implementation Team, Pobal and in particular Colleen Hennessy, RAPID co-ordinator of Community and Enterprise, Kerry County Council.””

Further information is available from Deirdre Murphy, Munster Camogie Development Co-Ordinator Cam¾gaÝochta na nGael

Mob: 087 6415485

Email: deirdre@camogie.ie
Web: www.camogie.ie

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