Once named the fastest man in the world, David Gillick looks back at his life in stages somewhat defined by the jerseys he has worn: “It’s interesting because you can almost put the last 30 years of my life into various categories. When I think of jerseys, the first thing I’m drawn back to is my youth. Playing for a local soccer club and GAA club, and what that represented growing up in my area.”
As Gillick moved through the stages, or ‘jerseys’ of his life, how he felt and understood jerseys evolved: “Sonia O’Sullivan was a huge icon growing up in the world of athletics – I wanted to wear the Irish singlet. That became a goal in my late teens, to try and get an Irish vest.”
Gillick’s goal soon became a reality when he first wore the Irish singlet at the World Juniors in Jamaica in 2002.
“I remember picking up the kit and being so proud. This was a dream come true.”
For the Olympian, jerseys helped him reflect on his life and reminded him of those pivotal in his journey: “The simple shamrock brings you back to all of the people that would have been on that journey with me – from my parents, family, friends, couches and my club, Dundrum South Dublin”.
Nowadays, Gillick can be more commonly found in the ‘mix zone’, luring jersey wearers in with his tactful interviews, as the country proudly witnessed in Paris: “I’m not wearing a jersey in the mix zone, but I get to interact with people wearing jerseys and seeing what that means to them. In some countries, there are a lot of barriers to various sports, but athletics seems to be a sport that people from many countries can get involved in.”
The athlete-turned-presenter reflects on his recent field trip to Uganda in his role as ambassador for the Irish NGO, GOAL, and how seeing the Ugandan jersey at the Olympics brought back memories.
“With GOAL, I visited Uganda this year,” he said. “When I see a Uganda jersey, it brings me to their country. The fact I’ve sampled what it’s like in Uganda and understand that for some of these athletes, the various struggles they have – what it must mean to get that jersey, that singlet, that vest on themselves on the biggest stage.
“When you see that and feel that it doesn’t matter if they’ve won bronze, silver or gold, it’s how they’ve managed to get to the Olympics to represent their country.”
Some other jerseys that captured Gillick’s heart at the recent games included the Palestinian jersey – a staunch reminder of the very active struggle in the region: “I can remember a Palestinian athlete walked past me and looking at the Palestinian kit and going, ‘Oh my God. With everything going on in that country, here she is. Someone who is representing the people and representing her family.’ That is something that sticks with you.”
For Gillick, jerseys have the ability to take you to places you’ve never been: “There are countries there that sometimes you haven’t even heard of. There could be wars and things going on there, but yet here is someone representing not just themselves but their entire country. And that is something quite special.
“Win, lose, draw, or even just qualify. The impact of that performance on that country is transmitted through TV, through all the satellites, back to millions of people who might be back at home – and what that does to them. That sense of pride. That sense of nationalism. That sense of confidence that it could give a young kid watching to say, ‘You know what? I want to be like that person. I want to represent my country on the biggest stage of all.’”
Nowadays, Olympians aren’t the only jerseys Gillick plays a key mentorship role for, as he is kept busy in a team of much smaller jerseys as father and coach to his three little ones.
Speaking about his ambitions as a mentor to his own kids, Gillick said: “Some of the things I’m trying to work on with [my son] Oscar is that it’s not all about goals and scores. I might ask him what he did well today, and he might tell me he scored a goal, and I’ll ask, outside of the goals, what did you do well? As a coach, as a mentor, those are the things you want to nurture in kids. It’s not all about winning.”
Gillick now sees the power of jerseys to bring communities together. As a park runner, he reflects on the jerseys he meets at this much-loved community event: “The number of jerseys you see at a park run and what they represent always surprises me. Park run has brought people from all walks of life who have never run, giving them that sense of community.”
David talked about the different types of jerseys spotted on runs: “In the running world, if you’ve run a road race somewhere in the country, you tend to get the T-shirt when you finish, and people wear that with pride. And in many ways, that’s their jersey. They’ve accomplished something – be it a 5km, 10km or even the Dublin Marathon. They may not have won the Dublin Marathon, but they’ve won their own race. And that was finishing.”
David brings that sense of community, of one, home, as he refers to his family with wife Charlotte, as “the team”. He said: “Both of us were in the world of athletics as individuals, but you don’t realise that there is a team behind that individual. For any of my top performances, I had a team behind me. And as much as it is an individual sport, there’s a collective bunch of people that help you on that journey.
“When we were deciding to have a family, along came Oscar and then Olivia, and all of a sudden, there’s a team of four – and in the running world, you think, that’s a relay team! And then Louis came along, and now you have the sub, and a team of five – and that’s where the team element comes from.”
Gillick highlighted the importance of communication, no matter what the team. For him, this plays a critical role in the success of his team: “The things I’ve learned from being involved in teams are collaboration, communication, understanding each other, empathising, trying to give each other as much time as possible, and helping when it matters. I think your closest team is your family. They’re the people that will be with you in the long run. In my world they ‘re the priority.”
David has witnessed the power of jerseys as tools for unity, and the particular role they play in Irish culture, he said: “In Paris, people were going around with Irish soccer jerseys, rugby jerseys, inter-county GAA jerseys – it pulls you in. You gravitate towards them because they’re my tribe, my people. That’s the power of sport. The power of jerseys.
“I think people in Ireland are very passionate about their true colours and where they’re from. They could be living in Dublin for the last 40 years, but they’ll say, ‘I’m not a Dub, I’m a blow-in,’ and they’ll wear their county colours with pride.
“I know in offices and schools, all around the country, on GOAL Jersey Day this October, there’ll be a bit of banter – just that craic – I think that’s really, really important.
“It’s all tied up in the jersey”.
Jersey Day is one of GOAL’s annual fundraising campaigns held across Ireland. GOAL Jersey Day sees thousands of people coming together and wearing their favourite sports jerseys to support GOAL’s work with vulnerable communities. Register today and join in the fun this October by visiting jerseyday.org