IAFCA Technical Director Darrin O’Toole visited the USA Jan 8th to attend two very important coaching events- The IFAF Technical Conference in Central Florida and the AFCA Convention at the world famous Marriott Convention Centre.
January 8th 9th and 10th saw Coach O’Toole attend conferences with representatives from all over the world to discuss strategies for the development of youth football world wide. Speakers from Australia , Japan, USA and Canada amongst others outlined their strategies for LTAD, or long term athlete development.
On January 11th 12th and 13th, Coach O’Toole became Ireland’s first ever representative at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Convention, which attracted over 6000 coaches from the USA.
Attendees were lucky enough to hear seminars from Elite Master Coaches such as Lou Holtz,TCU’s Gary Patterson, new Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, Texas Coach Mack Brown, Superbowl winner Tony Dungy and many more.
The highlight was an emotional talk by San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary, who gave a heart felt speech about the tolls of coaching on the family.
The evenings saw chalk talks and buzz sessions from coaches from the top US colleges on a variety of formations and philosophies.
Coach O’Toole also met with AFCA President Grant Teaff, who was supportive of football in Ireland, and stressed his family tree comes back to Ireland and the Taffe families.
Coach O’Toole also met coaching legend Jack Lengyel, made famous by Matthew McCaunaghy in the movie “We are Marshall”. Coach Lengyel was the Athletic Director of Navy during their trip to Croke Park in the 90’s and stressed he is eager to return.
Overall the IAFCA’s attendance at both events was vital for the progression of the great game of football on the global scene. Several coaches expressed genuine interest in coming to Ireland, and the plans for LTAD will greatly benefit the youth football scene in Ireland.