Intended-enacted-experienced-hidden: Exploring the curriculum of youth Gaelic games

The journey through youth sport is often associated with changing motivations and increasing emphasis on competition. Using rapid, semi-structured interviews with 140 participants (players, parents and coaches from under-13, under-15 and under-18), we sought to better understand the youth sport experience in Gaelic games following the journey from modified games to competitive programmes, through the intended-enacted-experienced, and hidden curriculum framework. Two themes were developed following a reflexive thematic analysis, ‘it's the perceived seriousness’ and ‘it means a lot to us’. Findings suggest that the administration of games, the intended curriculum, was a source of frustration. We suggest that games programmes require attention and articulation by governing bodies to provide meaningful games for players. However, the greatest impact on experienced curriculum seemed to be interactions between players and coaches, the enacted curriculum, highlighting the need to support coaches in meeting participant needs. Furthermore, community was at the heart of the experience, perhaps explained by the cultural importance of Gaelic games. This led to acceptance of certain coaching practices, detrimental to the individual, as being necessary for the betterment of the team, an indication of the hidden curriculum.