Coaching Development Programme
Donegal Sports Partnership provides training and support to coaches, tutors and clubs to recruit, train and retain coaches, volunteers and administrators.

Code of Ethics & Good Practice in Children’s Sport, Child Protection in Sports Awareness and Keeping Safe Officer Training
We recognises that a central goal for all those involved in sport for young people is to provide a safe, positive and nurturing environment where children can develop and enhance their physical and social skills. Promoting a child-centred environment should go hand in hand with identifying and eliminating practices that impact negatively on a young person’s safe and enjoyable participation in sport. The welfare and the protection of young people is the concern of all adults at all times, irrespective of their role within the organisation. Each club and organisation must accept this as part of their responsibility and duty to care for young people. The prevention and detection of child abuse depends on the collaborative effort of everyone concerned. In order to achieve this, Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP) and the Irish Sports Council (ISC) is providing a 4-hour training module for leaders within sports club through the local sports partnerships and governing bodies of sport. This ‘Child Protection in Sport’ Awareness Workshop is for Sports Leaders and Children’s Officers and will be of interest to all adults involved in the organisation of sport for young people. A certificate of attendance is awarded.

DSP, HSE and ISC are planning a further course. ‘Keeping Safe’, it will be a 6-hour course (two modules) aimed at Children’s Officers who have completed the 4-hour awareness module. Issues raised in the awareness training will be explored in greater detail. It will help children’s officers to implement the clubs code of conduct and provide a safe, positive environment for young people. It will also discuss how to identify and eliminate practices that impact negatively on a young person’s safe and enjoyable participation in sport. This ‘Keeping Safe’ training will be available through the Donegal Sports Partnership at specified times throughout the yearLucozade Sports Education
This Sports Education Programme, sponsored by Lucozade Sport, devised by the National Coaching & Training Centre (NCTC) and coordinated in Donegal by the Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP), offers clubs and provinces an opportunity to access free education for their athletes, players and coaches in the area of Sports Science. The DSP can arrange a daytime, weekend, or evening seminar for your group. An expert in the area of Sports Science will present on a range of topics. The initial seminars topics have been selected and designed to cover the areas where the NCTC most frequently receives requests for information. The Programme is available to sports clubs, athletes, players and coaches throughout Donegal and is interactive and modified to suit your sport and the age group/experience of your target audience. Clubs may choose to charge an entry fee if they wish, with all proceedings going to your club. This is an ideal and easy fund-raising opportunity, and a valuable educational experience. By implementing principles of good practice relating to sports science, nutrition and hydration, coaches, players and athletes can improve performance. This programme will raise awareness of these key principles by tapping into local networks and helping to create stronger links between grass roots and high performance programmes.

First Aid Programmes
The Donegal Sports Partnership offers a number of Occupational First Aid Courses with the main emphasis on sport throughout the County. These courses are delivered by approved Health & Safety Authority Occupational First Aid Instructors in accordance with regulations on best practice. On the course students learn how to recognise medical emergencies & casualty assessment, the proper response to any emergency which can minimise the risk of further harm to the athlete or player. Sports First Aid Courses are heavily focused on trauma that could possibly occur on the sports field or indeed in the workplace. The course is aimed at persons over 18 years of age, wishing to become First Aiders in their Club/Organisation, such as, Coaches, Club Volunteers / Leaders, Parents, Teacher’s involved in sports activities. The duration of the course is 20 hours (compulsory). The ‘Chain of Survival’ is based on four links – Early Access, Early CPR, Early Defibrillation and Early Advanced Care. Establishing an AED Responder Programme in your community can strengthen the first three links of the ‘Chain of Survival’ in your community. When establishing an AED programme it is also a good idea to train your wider community in CPR. This means when an incident occurs there is the opportunity for CPR to be performed immediately. This keeps the victim’s brain and heart supplied with blood and oxygen until the AED arrives and can be used.

Defibrillator Programmes and the Irish Red Cross
The DSP recognises and supports training in the use of Defibrillators and in partnership with the Irish Red Cross, aims to inform clubs in all areas relating to the training such as the purchase of equipment, location and access to AED training. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) guides the user through the steps of defibrillation. This device recognises life threatening heart rhythms and advises the user to shock or not shock the victim appropriately. An AED Responder Programme involves the placement of AED(s) in specific locations with responders trained in CPR and the use of an AED along with a system to alert those responders when necessary of an emergency so they can take action. Sport for All Leaders Award Programme. The Sport for All Leaders Award (SFA) is designed to provide a panel of trained, knowledgeable and enthusiastic community-based leaders, whose aim is to encourage more people to become and remain involved in sport and physical activity. The Award is approved and certified by the Irish Sports Council and has been developed to ensure that leaders have the necessary competencies to plan and lead safe, enjoyable sport and physical activity sessions.

First Flight Programme
This pilot project is a collaboration between Irish Gymnastics and the Donegal and Waterford Sports Partnerships to address the need for a creation and continued support of local gymnastics clubs in both counties. Under the scheme we will suggest a buddy system where we pair up an existing club with the new club. The existing club will provide qualified personnel to support the development of the programme. Two new clubs will be identified and developed in Donegal. Appropriate workshops run by the LSP’s in effective club management / administration and child protection funded through the Club Development Grants Scheme. In this way it is hoped that the club will be self-sustainable by the end of Year Three. Equipment will be provided to the clubs by Irish Gymnastics to the value of €3,800. At end of Year Three, if successful, the ownership of the equipment will be transferred to the club.Sports Volunteer Management
Another new initiative which will involve registering all exiting and potential volunteers in County Donegal and matching them with volunteering opportunities. Sport is a great way of building communities and getting people working together in a common cause. However many sports clubs need to be more proactive about recruiting and managing volunteers , this new initiative will aim to match sport, community groups with people who want to get involved and assist in the development of recruitment policies for the clubs.

Performance Programme
There is a big gap between participating in local competitive sport and then moving up to county, provincial and national level. This programme will work with talented local athletes/players, their coaches, parents/guardians, mentors and teachers to look at what it takes to become even better. Advice, mentoring and access to improved training, coaching and support will be provided to our top young people.Sports Patrons Programme
This is another new initiative which will focus on creating a Hall of Fame to recognise leading sports people in the county – who will then be invited to be patrons of the DSP providing inspiration, motivation and mentoring to the sporting community.

Sports Information Programme
DSP give advice, source funds and promote initiatives
• DSP Club Development Programmes
• Sports Capital Funding – Dept. of Arts, Sports & Tourism – Roinn na Gaeltachta
• The National Grant Scheme for Sport and Physical Activity for Older People.
• Donegal Local Development Company Community Grant Schemes
• Donegal VEC Youth Clubs/Organisation Grant Schemes
• DCC Sports Bursary Awards
• EU Programme for Peace & Reconciliation PEACE 2 and Peace 3
• INTERREG 3
• Know Racism Grant Scheme – National Anti-Racism Awareness Programme
• Football Foundation – Stand Up Speak Up Grants
• SCNI Grant Schemes

(Last update: 12th August 2009)