ESB, official sponsors of the GAA All-Ireland Minor Football and Hurling Championship, launched an exam support guide during the week created specifically for Minor GAA players. Part of ESB’s “Positive Energy” programme, which is designed to provide support for players participating in this year’s championship, www.esbexampass.ie was unveiled on Monday by former Minor stars Séamus Callanan and Marty Clarke, both of whom contributed to the site.
Created for GAA players by GAA players, ESB Exam Pass aims to provide positive and relevant tools to help minor players cope with the additional pressures that exam time brings. Former Armagh player and Sports Psychologist Enda McNulty focuses on achievable goal setting and motivation, trainer Mike McGurn has a guide to keeping match fit during exam time, while nutritionist Freda Molamphy provides simple tips on the best food to eat to ensure optimum performance throughout exam time. Brian Cody and Marc O’Sé combine their experience as teachers with their own GAA insights and recent minors Marty Clarke and Séamus Callanan use their own personal experience to provide advice for current players.
“We understand that combining training and playing for your club or your county with the added pressure of studying or sitting exams can be extremely challenging.” said ESB Chief Executive Padraig McManus “With the ESB Positive Energy programme, we want to provide minor grade players with simple tips that will help reduce the pressures they face”
“Exam Pass is the first step in the programme, and we hope that the insights and advice from GAA players, who have gone through the same experience themselves, will be of help to minor players over the coming weeks.”
Speaking at the launch, Marty Clarke said he felt his experience as a GAA player helped both his focus and his preparation for exams “On training days, I used to try and put in that extra bit of effort in the classroom, and make every time I had count, as I knew I’d have less time in the evening due to training commitments”
“I learned a lot from the older players in my club when I was going through my final year exams, and I hope that other players out there across the country find something to help them in this guide.”
The ESB GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships take a break during the exam period, with the last games scheduled for May 30 and the action resumes on June 13, with the ESB Ulster GAA Minor Hurling Championship.
