LAOIS, IRELAND — GAA Rounders is teaming up with Emerald Diamond International (EDI) to host a national Rounders Skills Clinic in Laois led by American baseball coach AJ LaMonda, bringing more than a decade of high-level coaching experience to Rounders players and coaches from clubs across Ireland.
The partnership reflects EDI’s ongoing mission to build connections between American baseball and Irish sport, and GAA Rounders’ continued investment in player development at club level.
“We’re delighted to welcome AJ to Ireland and to be working alongside Emerald Diamond International on this initiative. While Rounders and baseball are distinct sports, they share many of the same core skills, and learning from coaches with AJ’s experience will be a real benefit to our players and coaches. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term partnership focused on developing young players and supporting clubs across the country,” said Craig.
The clinic will focus on fundamentals that translate directly between the two sports—including hitting mechanics, fielding technique, baserunning, and game awareness—giving players and coaches direct access to coaching methods honed at the high school, collegiate, and national team levels in the United States.
Coach LaMonda brings extensive Southern California high school coaching experience, including stints at Servite, Orange Lutheran, and St. John Bosco, most recently as Head Coach at Damien High School in La Verne. A former first baseman at Loyola Marymount University, he has also worked as a scout for USA Baseball. Before travelling to Laois, Coach LaMonda will deliver a series of baseball clinics in Kinsale.
The programme will consist of four clinic sessions across two days with participating clubs allocated to sessions to ensure the best use of coaching time and to maximise the experience for every player.
Each participating club will also receive a generous equipment package, kindly sponsored by Emerald Diamond International, to support the continued development of players within their clubs.
About Emerald Diamond International
Emerald Diamond International (EDI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation dedicated to growing and supporting youth baseball in Ireland while celebrating the contributions of the Irish to the game of baseball in America.
About GAA Rounders
GAA Rounders is one of the four founding codes of the Gaelic Athletic Association, established under the GAA’s original 1884 charter alongside hurling, Gaelic football, and handball. The sport is governed nationally by the GAA Rounders National Council and continues to grow through investment in club development, coach education, and youth participation.
