Game-Based
Training App for Hurling & Gaelic Football
GAA
Use games as the focus of training
- Train your team the way you want them to play.
- Create a focus for every session using themes and principles of play.
- Set specific game-based tasks to produce desired outcomes.
- With over 300 activities, each session is unique and players are kept engaged and interested.
- Upload custom games that you've devised and use them to build session.
- Save time and effort planning sessions.
- Share session plans to enable other coaches to deliver training sessions.
Develop players decision-making & problem solving
- Develop game-intelligence using small-sided games and a constraints-led approach.
- Develop confidence and gauge understanding by creating an environment that allows interaction with players through questioning and modelling.
- Increase players enjoyment and participation - players love playing games, not monotonous drills.
- Game-based training has been shown to increase physical activity and fitness when compared with traditional methods.
With all the features you need
Suitable for all GAA Teams
Suitable for all teams playing hurling, gaelic football and camogie; girls and boys up to adult women and men.
Underage Sessions
Our underage games are specifically designed to teach the game in a fun, interactive way. Get them to love what they do and they'll do what they love.
Skill Zone
How-to-coach videos that demonstrate the basic skills of hurling and football. Skill cards with step by step pictures and player friendly cues for coaches.
Adult Sessions
We strongly believe in a learning environment in coaching. All adult games and warm ups on the site can be used to coach a specific lesson to the players based on moments in the game.
Video Explainers
All games have a detailed image of the game with sample questions and an explanation of how to play the game. Coaching videos show how to coach and play the game.
Live Coaching Sessions
We have developed a library of live filmed sessions with live mic and voice-over to aid coaches in implementing a games-based approach. Watch samples here.
Upload Custom Games
Have a game that you or one of your coaching team came up with? Or a modification of one of ours games?Upload this custom game to your profile and use it to build sessions.
Build Sessions
Save Sessions
Save all your sessions for future use and to keep track of past sessions. Review alongside your club plan or hand to next years incoming coaches.
Print or Download
Print your session or download it to your phone as a PDF to share with team management & trainers.
Favourites
Save your favourite games for easy access in the future. Add games that you like to your favourites, so that other club coaches can see your suggestions.
Coach Resources
Our club resources section includes suggested club plans, fundamental movement skills booklets, how-to-coach guides and tactical development plans.
How it works
Live Coaching Session
We have developed a library of live filmed sessions with live mic and voice-over to aid coaches in implementing a games-based approach. See samples below of underage and adult sessions.
Underage Session
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Adult Session
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What the experts
have said
"I have found the content by the lads at GameSense Coaching to be an excellent tool for assisting with session planning, and I have been able to adapt and implement many of their ideas into my coaching."
"Their creativity in their game design is excellent for provoking thought about implementing various principles of play using a game-based approach."
"I have found the content by the lads at GameSense Coaching to be an excellent tool for assisting with session planning, and I have been able to adapt and implement many of their ideas into my coaching."
"Their creativity in their game design is excellent for provoking thought about implementing various principles of play using a game-based approach."
"Every training session was so enjoyable and challenging. The games really challenge you to think about the game in a deeper way. I loved every minute of it."
"Every training session was so enjoyable and challenging. The games really challenge you to think about the game in a deeper way. I loved every minute of it."
"I always loved coming to training to see what games we would be playing because they were so enjoyable and practical. Every session was like that."
"I always loved coming to training to see what games we would be playing because they were so enjoyable and practical. Every session was like that."
"There's no doubt in my mind that the games and training made us better players. We loved coming to training."
"There's no doubt in my mind that the games and training made us better players. We loved coming to training."
"You could always see the reason for the games. That was what stood out. There was no running out and back to cones. It is such an enjoyable way to learn about the game."
"You could always see the reason for the games. That was what stood out. There was no running out and back to cones. It is such an enjoyable way to learn about the game."
Pricing
Features to benefit your team
About us
GameSense was born out of our involvement with Paul Kinnerk in the Limerick Football academy. Paul introduced us to his philosophy and over the past 7 years we have used games as the primary method in teaching skills and tactical awareness in Gaelic Football. Through our involvement with schools we have seen the same approach work just as well with hurling.
During our time with the academy we have designed hundreds of games that cover a wide range of themes within the game and we want to make these games accessible in a simple, easy to use manner, so that every coach can see the benefit of using games in their training sessions.
Stephen Lavin has worked as a primary school teacher for twenty one years and is currently teaching principal in Scoil Naomh Iósaf in Adare, Co. Limerick. This is an all boys’ school, with a rich tradition of sporting excellence in hurling and football.
Stephen played hurling and football at senior level for his club Adare and has won numerous county medals in both codes. He played U21 hurling for Limerick and was part of the U21 All Ireland winning panel of 2001. In addition, he is one of Limerick football’s most capped players, playing for thirteen years with the Limerick Senior Football team. This Limerick football team was one of the most successful football teams in the county ever reaching four Munster football finals and winning two National League titles. He also represented Munster in the Railway Cup, winning an inter-provincial medal in 2008.
Stephen has coached extensively at school, club, university and county level over the last twenty one years. Under the stewardship of Paul Kinnerk, he has coached with the Limerick Football Academy since its inception seven years ago. In 2018, he coached the University of Limerick fresher football team to an All-Ireland final. He served as the Limerick Minor Football coach in 2020 and is currently the Sigerson Cup Football Coach for the University of Limerick. He is heavily involved with the underage girls' football in Adare with his two brothers also.
Peter Lavin has twenty year’s experience as a primary school teacher and is presently teaching principal of Manister National School in County Limerick. He played senior hurling and football with his club Adare, winning numerous county titles in both codes.
He is also a Munster U19 Schools Tennis Champion and Badminton Association of Ireland Grade 1 Club Champion.Peter is currently Chairperson of the IPPEA (Irish Primary PE Association) and coordinator of the European School Sports Day for all primary schools in Ireland. He is also a PE facilitator with the PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers) and has delivered countrywide professional development for primary teachers in physical literacy and fundamental movement skills (FMS)through the “Move Well, Move Often” programme.
Peter has coached hurling and football at school and club level for the past twenty years and has been a coach with the Limerick Football Academy since 2018. He is heavily involved with the underage girls' football in Adare with his two brothers also.
David Lavin has worked as a primary school teacher in Catherine McAuley school in Limerick for fourteen years. Having completed a Masters in Special Education, David works with children with a mild general learning disability. He is an Assistant Principal postholder, with specific responsibility for child protection, sport and wellbeing in the school.
He played senior hurling and football with his club Adare, winning numerous county titles in both codes. He is also a Badminton Association of Ireland Grade 1 Club Champion.David is a PE facilitator with the PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers) and has delivered countrywide professional development for primary teachers in physical literacy and fundamental movement skills (FMS) through the “Move Well, Move Often” programme.
He has coached many teams at school, club and county level and is currently video analyst for the Limerick Senior Football team. Under the stewardship of Paul Kinnerk, he has coached with the Limerick Football Academy since its inception seven years ago. In 2018, he coached the University of Limerick fresher football team to an All-Ireland final. He served as the Limerick Minor Football coach in 2020 and is currently the Sigerson Cup Football Coach for the University of Limerick. He is heavily involved with the underage girls' football in Adare with his two brothers also.
Coaching
Partner
Michael Gerard Doherty has worked as a primary school teacher for fifteen years in Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh in Belfast, Co. Antrim. He held the position of sports' coordinator throughout his time there which saw the school named as The Irish News Ulster GAA Primary School of the Year in 2019.
Michael Gerard has played for and captained his club Pádraig Sáirséil, Belfast, at every age group up to and including senior level. He has also been coaching teams of all age grades in the club for over twenty years and held the role of club coaching officer for the past number of years.
Michael Gerard has been sharing innovative games and coaching resources via social media which aim to help coaches create an enjoyable, encouraging and inspiring for young players.
He has delivered underage coaching workshops both in person and via video link for over 50 clubs and county boards including, Dublin GAA, Kilkenny GAA, Down GAA and Cork GAA.
Furthermore, he is the creator of the interactive family workbooks, Our Sporting Journey, as well as co-authoring the children's storybooks, My First Gaelic Football Match and My First Hurling-Camogie Match.
Michael Gerard has recently left the teaching profession to focus on his current role as a Life and Performance Coach.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a ‘lite’ version of the app. Sign up on our website, download our app (Android or Apple) and you will be able to access limited free content to get an idea of how it works.
You can join the web based platform using a credit card. Once you have signed up using the website, you can download the app and sign-in with the same details. You can choose to use the website or the app.
Your subscription will auto-renew after a year. You can cancel it by visiting your profile on the website and selecting ‘cancel subscription’.
The beauty of playing games is that, while the players love playing the games, you are also coaching them how to play the game. Players love playing games.
We have been involved in two completed PHDs. The first PhD was carried out by Paul Kinnerk in the PESS department in U.L. and measured the effect of a games-based approach on decision-making in GAA players. The results were very favourable.
We also took part in a PhD with Kevin Gavin in TUS, Athlone. It measured and compared the physical activity levels in youth gaelic football between a game-based and traditional approach to training. The results were very favourable.
We are currently taking part in a PHD study with Cian O Dea, in TUS, Athlone, that is asking, ‘does a game-based approach to training lead to increased fitness levels?
There are suggested times and numbers of players for every game on the site. These are a guide. We would suggest that experience be your guide when deciding on times, dimensions and numbers for games.
There is no limit to the number of games but it may affect the quality of your session, if you try and get through too many games in one session.
You can build, share and edit unlimited sessions using the app.
You can print sessions, email them to other coaches or download them and send them via whatsapp on both android and apple devices.
The app is available to download for Android on Google Play and for iPhone and iPad on the Apple Store.
Yes, you can use the website on your desktop and laptop on Windows or Mac. You simply log in through your web browser.
We are available to answer any query or deal with any issue via email or the message form above.
