A Conversation with Graham Gartland
The former League of Ireland stalwart talks about Shamrock Rovers’ new academy and the importance of mental health.
Graham Gartland retired early. It was unintended, but that’s what injury does. From Longford Town to St. Johnstone, every side he played for was a recipient of his generosity of spirit and endeavour; on and off the pitch. But he hasn’t looked back. Now an integral part of the new Shamrock Rovers Academy which launched last week, his focus is wider now.
Insightful and affable; fused with pragmatism, here Gartland speaks about the academy, coaching, mental health, suicide, trust in dressing rooms and how men talk about their feelings.
Brian Strahan: It’s nearly a year since we last spoke. A lot’s happened at Shamrock Rovers. What’s changed for you?
Graham Gartland: A lot more work really. We’ve increased our schools from three to eighteen with further expansion coming. We’ve also improved relationships with a lot more football clubs in the Dublin area as well as Kildare. We hope to increase our family attendances at games and get an all-round goodwill feeling towards Rovers in the surrounding community, as well as the greater Dublin area.
In terms of our charity work we will back mental health projects and lend our support in any way we can. Hopefully helping people along the way especially in our area of Tallaght.
So, since July my workloads has increased which is great, because it means we as a club are making a great effort to engage with everyone.
BS: Is there a particular focus on mental health projects?
GG: Any mental health project that the organisation are running that would like our support or to facilitate getting their message out, we’d be delighted to help back; or use our support networks.
BS: Is there a reason that mental health is being focused on?
GG: A lot of suicides in the area particularly young men between ages of 15–30 who, from talking to experts in the field, are very difficult to connect with, and reluctant to ask for help. But it’s not just a focus on men; we want to help highlight programs that can facilitate the whole demographic.
BS: Is football changing? Shamrock Rovers are obviously undertaking valuable work. But is it still the same banter and lad culture? Not saying that’s bad, but it’s a hard environment to feel comfortable talking openly about feelings.
GG: Good dressing rooms, successful dressing rooms are always built on trust first and foremost, so players, I’m sure, will have lads in there they can talk privately too about any topic if they needed too. I’m sure what’s said in there should always stay in there in my opinion.
BS: Men though, by their nature, still find it hard though to talk about feelings. That’s not football even. Across the board.
GG: Exactly, that’s why we’ve decided to support initiatives that will encourage people to talk about how they’re feeling. We recognise the issue.
BS: It’s a tough age. Did you find those years tough?
GG: Of course, everyone does, but I had a great family and friends around me that I could lean on for support.
BS: How’s the coaching going this season?
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GG: Yeah, it’s great; our new faculty has allowed us to have all our teams in the one training complex for the first time ever — from the first team to Under-8’s. The coaches we have are brilliant, so we learn from each other too.
BS: Centralising everything at Roadstone, it must make for a completely different feeling?
GG: Yeah, we feel together finally from top to bottom, everyone pushing in the same direction with good people leading it. People who started out with this project in mind are driving it now, the manager Stephen Bradley, Shane Robinson the Academy Director, Stephen McPhail the Sporting Director, Chairman Jonathan Roche; all pushing the club to break new ground.
BS: It will take time though before you will see it taking an effect on the pitch. Or have you seen it already with the Under-17’s?
GG: Yeah, obviously, we see the effect with new national league, we’ve seen it with our 17’s players who are now our 19’s with a lot having played and been around the first team. Where we see the effect is on our kids who turned up to play — and the first team train the same place. Where the managers know all the kids names from 8’s up and all the kids attends first team games. No other club can have that, you play for Shamrock Rovers!
BS: What are your own strengths as a coach?
GG: Jaysus, self-assessment isn’t one of them! Tough questions to be honest. I tend to spot trends and patterns. Trends in players and patterns in teams, so the aim then is to coach players to be unpredictable to their opposition. How to do that is the key to it.
Enthusiasm is massive. I honestly love this job, and try to give that love and enthusiasm to the kids that they care and represent themselves first; their family and Rovers, as well as they can.
BS: Spotting trends in players and team patterns. Is that something you’ve had to learn?
GG: Something I’m still learning. I still miss a lot in the heat of the game at times. It’s something I need to hone. It’s probably something I took from playing really, I had to play the game in my head as I wasn’t overly athletic as a young player.
BS: Can you teach that skill?
GG: Yeah, it’s just observation; really watching game with a purpose. What’s causing us trouble and how can we get at the opposition. Then individualise it for the younger ones. Enhance their strengths while helping with part of their game they might not be confident with.
BS: The Shamrock Rovers Academy opened recently. It’s the first professional academy in the country. That’s pretty big.
GG: Yeah it’s huge not just for our club but for football in Ireland. We feel it’s the way forward. The FAI have put a pathway in place that we can follow to enable us to get play through our system into our first team. That’s the end product that everyone wants to see. It has to start somewhere, and it starts with our academy.
BS: When you say the FAI put a pathway in place, what do you mean?
GG: When the leagues are going national from Under-19’s, 17’s, 15’s and 13’s; so we’re in a position to avail of that.
BS: The rewards will come but it will take time. Will there though be a pressure to produce in the next 5–10 years. More so than any other club.
GG: Pressure from ourselves, yeah, of course. In terms of external pressure, we can’t control that. We’ve set up an academy from scratch here it’s going to take time but what’s wrong with being ambitious? We’re so quick to knock that in Ireland, so quick to put things down, but as I said we can’t control that, we just have to keep pushing on why we believe in.
BS: The overall atmosphere must be one of real excitement?
GG: Yeah, it’s brilliant, the excitement that young talent brings is infectious. We just have to be patient with both the kids and our academy.
