In our first Edition of Gaelic star- Mickey Johnston the larger than life character at St. Johns Belfast, spoke to us about his love for  Hurling and Coaching.

IN AN era when we hear so much about hurling in crisis, it’s refreshing to speak to Mickey

Johnston, hurling co-ordinator for Antrim club St John’s.

The South Antrim club took the plunge 10 years ago to embrace a structured coaching and player development plan which is beginning to pay real dividends.

The club has contested the last three Feile Na Gael hurling finals (U-14), winning in 2006 and 2008. Many of the same players went onto lift the Feile football title at the same agegroup to complete a remarkable double.

“We realised there was a need to develop a plan and spent around a year working towards it,” said Mickey.

“We visited other clubs and opened ourselves to models of juvenile development in other counties. We spent time at coaching conferences etc, looking for ideas and stuff that would suit us as a dual club.”

For Mickey, a former minor and U-21 player with Antrim, his two key areas of responsibility remain how hurling is coached at the club and what is coached at each age group and secondly ensuring that every player gets meaningful playing time.

“One of our key mission statements is that the club is not responsible for players dropping out or burning out,” he said.

“Where possible, we work to develop every player’s potential.”

That ethos has resulted in large numbers participating and playing at the club and more importantly, sticking with the club.

Mickey estimates that the club have 40 lads training regularly at U-16 level who have been with the club from U-8.

The hurling club alone can field a full 15 at every age group from U-8 to U-16.

That scenario is replicated on the football side. “We don’t encourage any division. We see

both games as complimenting each other,” added Mickey.

One of the ways they manage to avoid any clashes over selection or fears over burnout

is to ensure that the coaches and managers of both codes work closely together.

“For example, the U-14 hurling manager is also a selector on U-14 football team,” added Mickey.

“That way, players aren’t being burnt out. If there is a problem with a player we can

hopefully identity it and resolve it quickly “One size doesn’t fit all. Players can be

competing above their age group in schools, even in their own club and they could be

playing other sports as well, so we try to take a managed approach to rest and recovery.”

It’s a serious commitment for anyone looking to get involved and one were personal glory has to

be left aside in favour of the ‘greater good’.

“No-one can take a role within the club purely to fulfil league fixtures. The job is for

10/11 months of the year,” said Mickey. “They have to propose a plan and that plan

must fit in with the overall development of the players initially and the overall

development of the team. “We’ve moved away from a situation were

guys look to take a team because they perceive it to be a good team, which does

happen in other GAA clubs, and stop in June when they get knocked out of the championship.

“We look at development of the players and development of a style of play and we are

looking at 11 months of a year.”

Mickey believes that St John’s is still three to fours years away from making a serious impact at senior level but is convinced that the club will get there in due course.

“We believe that we don’t currently have enough quality senior hurlers,” he said.

“We are working to fast track players at 18/19 years of age.

“You look at the successful clubs, your Loughgiels and Cushendall etc, they all have

a quality bench, strength in depth, 30 players of good quality. “We need to extend our base and we need to

get a quality group together.”