Laois Gaels launch for 2026 as Laois GAA coaching and education calendar goes live

Laois GAA Head of Games Development Shane Keegan has outlined a comprehensive programme of coaching, education and player development for 2026, with Laois Gaels continuing to play a central role in supporting the county’s players, coaches and clubs.

Laois Games & Gaels will begin the year with their first coaching workshop of 2026 on Saturday, January 24, at 11am in the Centre of Excellence, Portlaoise. The workshop, themed 'Session Design & Implementation', is aimed at U13 to senior football coaches and will feature two highly regarded guest coaches, Stephen Rochford and Evan Talty.

Rochford is the former Mayo senior football manager and has also coached with Donegal, while he guided Corofin to All-Ireland club success in 2015. Talty is currently involved with All-Ireland finalists St Brigid’s of Roscommon, is a coach with the Limerick senior footballers, and is the founder of the I Gaelic Coach platform, bringing a strong background in performance analysis to the workshop.

Individual tickets for the event cost €25, while clubs can avail of a club pass for €100, allowing an unlimited number of coaches to attend.

Alongside the workshop, Laois Games & Gaels have confirmed that their formal Coach Education calendar for 2026 is now live, offering structured pathways for both hurling and football coaches at all levels. An Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games (ICGG) course will take place on Friday, February 13, and Saturday, February 14, beginning with a safeguarding course on Friday evening from 7pm and continuing with the main coaching course from 9.30am on Saturday. The cost is €25 per coach.

An Award 1 coaching course in both hurling and football will also commence on Tuesday, January 27, running for five consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7pm, at a cost of €80 per coach.

A key pillar of Laois GAA’s development work remains the Laois Gaels initiative, which Keegan has described as vital to supporting the county’s underage structures and academy squads.

All funds raised through Laois Gaels go directly back into player development and are reinvested in areas such as training standards, athletic development, sports science, performance analysis, nutrition, psychology, team building, coach education, parental support, exam support for players and a range of educational workshops.

New and updated Laois Gaels membership packs for 2026 have been introduced, offering fresh options across adult, junior, family and business categories. As an added incentive, the clubs with the highest membership uptake will once again be rewarded with the popular Laois Gaels Match Day Experience, which has proven a major success in recent seasons.

This initiative sees underage teams invited to the Centre of Excellence on match day, where they enjoy pre-game hospitality, meet the players, form a guard of honour and experience the atmosphere of senior inter-county fixtures first-hand.

Keegan will continue to oversee Laois Gaels in 2026 alongside Dean Malone (Participation GDC) and Pam Cooney (Office Administrator), with ongoing IT, graphics and promotional support provided by Paul Dargan.

Supporters and clubs are encouraged to follow Laois Games & Gaels across social media and to sign up for Laois Gaels membership for 2026, as Laois GAA continues to invest in best practice coaching, games development and the long-term welfare of players throughout the county.

Most importantly, whether at a Laois match or just and out and about in your Laois Gaels gear, make sure and tag them in your photos and posts so they can share them. SEE THE POSTER BELOW FOR MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS.

Those wishing to sign up can do so by clicking this link or by scanning the QR code on the poster above.

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