Project Futsal Masterclasses
DCU in the Community and DCU School of Health and Human Performance have hosted an event to mark the end of a series of Masterclasses delivered to Project Futsal programme participants by a group of final year Sport Science and Health students.
Project FUTSAL (Football Used Towards Social Advancement and Learning) is a one-year programme consisting of adult education, personal development, football coaching education and work experience designed to provide education and work opportunities in sports coaching for people in disadvantaged areas. Futsal also aims to influence and assist community regeneration via employment and volunteerism. The programme is supported by the FAI, Whitehall College of Further Education, and Dublin City University.
It is the second academic year in which DCU students have designed and delivered a series of Masterclasses as a part of their module in Sport and Exercise for Special Populations. The sessions were carefully tailored to the FUTSAL participants’ developmental needs and interests and held on DCU campus drawing on university’s and the School’s expertise and state of the art sports facilities. Classes included practical sessions in a variety of coaching contexts including adapted physical activity, injury, coaching education and nutrition deigned and delivered by the six students involved in the project.
Sports Science and Health Students Cathal McGrenaghan, Cathal Ellis, Kenneth Glover, Antoin McFadden, Niamh Barry and Michale Boyle with Supervisor David Passmore (second from right)
The project is an example of the benefits that community-based learning can bring to both university students and participating adult learners, many of whom commented on their increased confidence as football coaches and players, and knowledge about physical activity and exercise. "The most important thing I learned was the nutrition needed to play your best in sport", Clara Giltrap, Project FUTSAL participant said. Her classmate, Stephen Baker, added: “I felt the classes helped a lot and gave me more confidence”.
Kenny Glover, final year Sport Science and Health student commented: "Our aim was to promote the coaches to think differently about their coaching philosophy and begin to adopt new practices that may not have been familiar to them prior to our classes. We placed them in situations that challenged everything they had learned with us and the FAI and we were delighted to see how well they all performed". His classmate Cathal McGrenaghan added: "I feel I have gained a lot from my interaction with the group, which will ultimately help in any group exercises in the future".
Delivery of the sessions was supervised by David Passmore from DCU School of Health and Human Performance who commented positively on the initiative “this is my first experience of working with students within this setting and really highlights the alround benefit to all of community based projects. I was impressed by the commitment of the DCU students to the careful planning and delivery of the classes which clearly benefitted the FUTSAL coaches’ development”.
Joanna Ozarowska from DCU in the Community noted: “The project allowed both DCU students and community participants to develop their communication, problem solving and leadership skills, as well as respect for diversity, through the medium of sports and coaching education. DCU in the Community is glad to facilitate this link between academia and sport.
FUTSAL Coaches with their final certificates along with DCU Students, FAI Coaches and Joanna Ozarowska (front right) from DCU in the Community