Ireland Lights Up with the GAA

The GAA, in partnership with RTE’s Operation Transformation and Get Ireland Walking are seeking GAA clubs to be part of ‘Ireland Lights Up/ Initiative. (Please note there is key criteria required to be selected).

In a bid to make exercise more accessible on the dark winter nights, ‘Ireland Lights Up’ will see participating clubs turn on their floodlights/lighting systems between 7-pm-9pm each Monday for a six-week period (22nd January – 26th February, 2018) as Operation Transformation returns to our screens in the New Year.

Each Monday, club and community members will be invited to come together at participating clubs to walk off the Christmas excess, catch up with their neighbours, and banish the winter blues. (Walking is proven to benefit both our physical and mental health.) GAA clubs are already becoming hubs for health through the Healthy Clubs Project, with at least one Healthy Club in each county.

During the six-week period Operation Transformation cameras will visit a selection of participating clubs across the series, with all clubs encouraged to capture their stories via videos and images for use on the show, GAA.ie, and RTE’s various platforms.

The GAA is seeking expressions of interest from clubs that are keen to participate in ‘Ireland Lights Up’, which is also supported by Healthy Ireland and Get Ireland Walking (GIW). Clubs that complete the registration process and adhere to the necessary criteria will be covered by GIW’s insurance for all walk leaders and participants.

However, irrespective of GAA membership status, leaders and participants are not covered by the GAA Injury Benefit Fund for this initiative. Closing date for submission is December 31st at 5pm.

To participate, clubs MUST comply with certain criteria, including:

1. Register your club and at least two walking leaders free-of-charge with GIW at http://www.getirelandwalking.ie/GAA/. This extends additional indemnity cover to the club in addition to the GAA’s public liability cover (be sure to click yes on this box on the registration form).

2. Ensure your club has a current health and safety statement in place and completes a documented hazard inspection of the proposed walking track/route in the club. All floodlighting must be checked prior to the commencement of each walk

3. Ensure your club can provide a safe, floodlit location for the ‘Ireland Lights Up’ walk each Monday between January 22-February 26, 2018. This should only take place on a purpose-built walking track/surface.

4. The club can decide (and promote to its members and communities) what time between 7pm-9pm each Monday the lights will be turned on. (It can be all or some of this period, depending on walk leader availability, floodlight resources etc.)

5. A registration of all participating walkers must be taken each night. This is will provided in the support pack once your club signs up. This is once again designed to protect the club from exposure to insurance risk and to allow us tally final numbers to evaluate the success of ‘Ireland Lights Up’.

For any more information please contact the GAA’s National Health & Wellbeing Coordinator Stacey Cahill at stacey.cahill@gaa.ie or 01 8192387.