Hurling and camogie are the fastest field games there are, and photographing them from the sideline is a real test. The sliotar is gone before the phone focuses, helmets and faceguards hide faces, and the best photos are often the quiet ones: the panel lined up for the parade, the captain lifting a cup, a child with a hurl taller than themselves at their first blitz.
For the underage mentor putting together a presentation night slideshow, that means planning ahead. Here is a way to collect enough good photos of every child on the panel across the season.
Season timeline for the small ball
Spring, the first collective training
Set up the season and share the link in the panel's WhatsApp group. Ask for photos without helmets at the start of sessions; those are the shots families will treasure.
Summer blitzes and Féile
Blitzes and Féile weekends are the high points for younger players. Remind families to add photos of the team, the jerseys and the trophy as well as the play.
Late summer check
Look at the coverage list. The full-back line and the goalkeeper are always behind. Copy the reminder naming children who need photos.
League final
Finals produce the best photos of the year. Remind parents the night before.
Two weeks before presentation night
Set the deadline and review the slideshow with the other mentors.
Making the slideshow
Set up a season per panel
Hurling and camogie panels are separate seasons, each with its own link and video. Paste first names; jersey numbers help if they stay fixed through the year.
Check photo consent
Flag any child the club has recorded as having no photo consent before you share the link. Their photos are hidden and never used.
Ask for helmets-off moments
When you share the link, ask families for photos of the panel before throw-in, at half time and with the cup afterwards. Helmets and faceguards make action shots anonymous.
Let parents tag teammates
Parents can tag every child they recognise in a photo. A shot of a ruck around the sliotar might cover four players at once.
Review and export
After the deadline, blurry action shots are scored down, bursts are grouped, and every child reaches the minimum. Rename chapters ("Féile", "League final") and export.
The small-ball moments families treasure
The parade before a final, with the panel walking behind the club flag, is one of the most beautiful sights in underage hurling and camogie, and it is the one time every player is walking slowly towards the camera. Ask a parent to stand at the front of it. The pre-match puck-around, when players strike sliotars back and forth in pairs, gives clear photos of faces under raised helmets. Half-time huddles on the pitch put the whole panel together. And never forget the photo of the panel with the cup in the dressing room or the clubhouse afterwards, hurls raised; it is often the image families frame.
How long should a hurling or camogie slideshow be?
A panel of 20 to 25 children at three appearances each needs around four and a half minutes. If the club shows a slideshow for every age group on one night, three minutes each keeps things moving and still gives every child two appearances.
Song length plannerFit your photos to the music, song by song.The Pitch style's strong titles suit hurling and camogie. Choose a lively instrumental, and if any players are moving up from the underage section, mark them for a tribute at the end.
Presentation night checklist
On the night
- Put each panel's slideshow on the laptop in running order.
- Test the screen and sound in the function room during setup.
- Ask the chairperson to introduce each slideshow before the medals.
- Have a copy on a USB stick in case the laptop misbehaves.
- Share the private link with each panel's families the next day.
Privacy and safeguarding
Faces are never scanned or recognised. Children are matched to photos by the tags their families add and the numbers on their jersey. Only first names are stored, location data is removed on the phone before upload, the season’s link is private and never appears in search engines, and anything inappropriate for a youth sports setting is hidden automatically. Any parent can report a photo, and the organiser has the final say on every photo in the video.
Questions from hurling and camogie families
Can one slideshow cover both the hurling and camogie panels?
It can, but two shorter slideshows are fairer and easier to follow. Show them one after the other.
Most photos are blurry. Will the slideshow look poor?
The sharpest photos are chosen automatically, and team photos and celebrations fill in. Ask parents to photograph puck-outs and frees, when players are still.
Do parents need to download an app?
No. They open the link in their phone's browser, choose their child and add photos.
Can each family get a video of their own child?
Yes, a Family Reel. Families can buy one on Team seasons; on Team Plus every child gets one included.