Are GAA players fitter then soccer players?

Seamus357

We had a debate in the canteen in work today about who’re fitter GAA players or soccer players? The majority said GAA because the ball (especially in hurling) moves up and down the field so much faster. Some felt that soccer players mostly jog around the field. What to the rest of you think? Maybe we should have a vote on it?

Waylander

I would have thought that simply meant the ball did more of the work as opposed to the players. If you are comparing Inter County to Premiership players, I would have to go with Premioership players being slightly fitter as they are after all full time professionals. If you are just talking club level I dont really think you could distinquish as it would depend on the individuals.

Seamus357

I mean players of the sport in general. In other words does the very nature of the sport call for higher levels of fitness? For example I think everyone would agree that both soccer and GAA players are much fitter than golfers, professional has nothing to with it. Professionals aren’t necessarily that fit if their sport doesn’t call for it (e.g. professional dart players).

One Cold Hand

The other thing to consider that in GAA players don't cover as much of the pitch (even if the pitch is bigger). In soccer even the centre backs go right up the pitch for corners and frees, and strikers drop back to inside their own half when their team is defending. In GAA the full back and full forward generally stay within their own 45's. Of course the half back and forwards do cover more ground, generally.

Of course in a lot of cases it just depends on the individual....
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thirtyfoot

Depends what you mean by fitness. Is a marathon runner fitter than a sprinter. Or is a boxer fitter than a formula 1 driver. Can't compare I believe but you can say that top soccer players are closer to their maximum required fitness than a top GAA player is because they are full-time professionals, full-time vs part-time is an huge difference.

Pride Fighter

Who would win in a soccer match Dublin or Drogheda United. The Dubs would. Our players are super fit. If our sport was professional IMO gaelic players would have Aussie rules type physiques, IMO they are fitter than soccer players. At the moment at the highest level of soccer they are fitter but the difference is not great.

Marse

Pride Fighter wrote:

Who would win in a soccer match Dublin or Drogheda United. The Dubs would. Our players are super fit. If our sport was professional IMO gaelic players would have Aussie rules type physiques, IMO they are fitter than soccer players. At the moment at the highest level of soccer they are fitter but the difference is not great.

I don't know about that. For starters a soccer game is 90mins long and 2nd a soccer player covers more distance in a game than a Gaa player. Mind you or pitch is bigger and our lads are tougher.
I do agree if our lads were pro's they'd have the physique of the aussies and be well able to stand toe to toe with the aussies.

super_furry

Pride Fighter wrote:

Who would win in a soccer match Dublin or Drogheda United. The Dubs would. Our players are super fit. If our sport was professional IMO gaelic players would have Aussie rules type physiques, IMO they are fitter than soccer players. At the moment at the highest level of soccer they are fitter but the difference is not great.

Hahahahahahaha. Jesus. Would Dublin beat the New York Giants in NFL? They're probably fitter afterall. The Dublin GAA team wouldn't beat the Irish women's football team. Likewise, Drogheda United wouldn't beat the Dublin women's GAA team. Being fit does not automatically mean you're better at a sport.

MrJoeSoap

PrideFighter, by your logic, Man Utd would beat the Dubs at Gaelic because Man Utd are professional, full-time athletes, am I correct?

Absolute nonsense.

Waylander

Seamus357 wrote:

I mean players of the sport in general. In other words does the very nature of the sport call for higher levels of fitness? For example I think everyone would agree that both soccer and GAA players are much fitter than golfers, professional has nothing to with it. Professionals aren’t necessarily that fit if their sport doesn’t call for it (e.g. professional dart players).

Yeah but you didnt mention darts, golf or snooker. You mentioned soccer and GAA, and that is what my reply referred to. To be honest if you are not talking about the top levels, you cant really say, as it is really an individual thing, and there asre alot of players that play both.

6ix

Having played both at club level, I would say that GAA required more fitness. I played as a half forward, and found there was more constant running in that position than I ever had in soccer.

You can't really compare. For example rugby requires yet a different type of fitness - more power and bursts of speed rather than constant running. I know some of my rugby playing friends certainly wouldn't last a GAA match, but I probably wouldn't last too long playing second row for some rugby club!

Nalced_irl

If your talking top level of both sports, soccer players are fitter, no doubt about it.

cournioni

I'm fit as ****... I would beat everybody. I am better than Ronaldo, I'm better than the Gooch, I am better than Shefflin, I am better than O'Driscoll... :cool:

Nalced_irl

Everyones better than O Driscoll...oh i mean that on a personality basis tho Only buzzing Brian, win us the world cup and ill stop slaggin ya off!

K-9

Marse wrote:

I don't know about that. For starters a soccer game is 90mins long and 2nd a soccer player covers more distance in a game than a Gaa player.

Eh, they cover more distance because the match is longer!:rolleyes:

Marse wrote:

Mind you or pitch is bigger and our lads are tougher.
I do agree if our lads were pro's they'd have the physique of the aussies and be well able to stand toe to toe with the aussies.

Probably, though Aussie Rules tend to want tall and thin players. GAA not as much. McGeeney is an ideal GAA players physique but not an Aussie Rules. The smaller, skillful player still has a place in Gaelic.

MrJoeSoap

Seanies32 wrote:

Probably, though Aussie Rules tend to want tall and thin players.

Such as?? Other than Andrejs Everitt there are very few tall and thin players in the AFL, most of the tall guys are built like brick sh1thouses!

pfpwcl

What soccer player does as much running in a game as tom and jerry from the cork hurling team.

Nalced_irl

honestly, anyone who honestly thinks GAA players are fitter are wrong. To prove it you would need a long distance race but soccer players are alot fitter. They are trained every week on it, they go 90 mins from end to end and in extra time they get tired but keep going. Id love to say GAA players are fitter but the fact is they are'nt!

Also, this is another soccer V GAA thread. Im into both and add Rugby into it also to a small extent.

col16

Check the stats for how long the ball is actually in play , for the duration of a soccer match. It would shock you.

Waylander

col16 wrote:

Check the stats for how long the ball is actually in play , for the duration of a soccer match. It would shock you.

In a good soccer match the ball is in play for about half the 90 minutes. But the ball goes out of play in GAA matches as well, play gets stopped for treatment to players also, maybe not as much but it does happen in most games at least once. Also there are alot more scuffles etc prolonging the out of play time in GAA. I think this more or less cancels each other out.

careca

An Arsenal player from a few years back (might have been Lee Dixon) was asked who was the fittest player he had played with. He said it was an Irish GAA player that was over for a trial, none of them could match his fitness. Turns out it was Graham Geraghty.

I don't think it can be judged generally though as GG would be considered fit even as GAA players go. Comes down to the individual I reckon.

Waylander

careca wrote:

An Arsenal player from a few years back (might have been Lee Dixon) was asked who was the fittest player he had played with. He said it was an Irish GAA player that was over for a trial, none of them could match his fitness. Turns out it was Graham Geraghty.

I don't think it can be judged generally though as GG would be considered fit even as GAA players go. Comes down to the individual I reckon.

Hey Neil, hows it going. I heard similar stories about Anthony Tohill several years ago, I think he went training with United. I would say that these would be exceptions though. We could go the other extreme and compare Colm Clrkery or the great Vinnie Murphy:D

Mr. Incognito

Modern professional soccer players have every professional at their disposal and that's their job! GAA players work all day.

Soccer players are fitter hands down.

knird evol

careca wrote:

An Arsenal player from a few years back (might have been Lee Dixon) was asked who was the fittest player he had played with. He said it was an Irish GAA player that was over for a trial, none of them could match his fitness. Turns out it was Graham Geraghty.

I don't think it can be judged generally though as GG would be considered fit even as GAA players go. Comes down to the individual I reckon.

Its hard to reconcile that with GG and his mates reaching exhaustion point, cramps etc half way through games with Ausie Rules lads - professional athletes- (who prob even had a beer or two in the week before game) who power on effortlessly to the finish of those games.

gustavo

Pride Fighter wrote:

Who would win in a soccer match Dublin or Drogheda United. The Dubs would. Our players are super fit. If our sport was professional IMO gaelic players would have Aussie rules type physiques, IMO they are fitter than soccer players. At the moment at the highest level of soccer they are fitter but the difference is not great.

Seriously ?
Drogs would thrash Dublin obviously , its not the same sport , plus Drogheda are fully professional so they would be every bit as fit and more as their GAA counterparts

K-9

gustavo wrote:

Seriously ?
Drogs would thrash Dublin obviously , its not the same sport , plus Drogheda are fully professional so they would be every bit as fit and more as their GAA counterparts

Of course it isn't. One is 90 minutes, the other is 60/70. Then again a GAA pitch is bigger.

Some GAA would just as fit, if not fitter as posted about Geraghty. The likes of Dooher, McGeeney and O'Halpin do serious trainings in the mornings and evenings. They cover serious amounts of a bigger pitch.

MrJoeSoap

Seanies32 wrote:

Of course it isn't. One is 90 minutes, the other is 60/70. Then again a GAA pitch is bigger.

Some GAA would just as fit, if not fitter as posted about Geraghty. The likes of Dooher, McGeeney and O'Halpin do serious trainings in the mornings and evenings. They cover serious amounts of a bigger pitch.

Bigger pitch, but four extra players a side don't forget. That more than compensates for the extra lengths. The one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the ferocity of the hits, particularly in hurling. In the AFL recently they have introduced a vest that players wear to measure the G-Force of a hit, and I'm sure GAA and hurling wouldn't be too far behind.

I'd still reckon soccer players would be 'fitter' in general, but you would need to define specific aspects in order to judge fitness, such as long distance running, bleep tests etc...

Marse

Seanies32 wrote:

Eh, they cover more distance because the match is longer!:rolleyes:


No, nothing to do with match lenght. Other than strikers, pretty much every other soccer player plays box to box. Our lads wouldn't cover as much ground even if our match was 90mins.

K-9

Marse wrote:

Eh, they cover more distance because the match is longer!:rolleyes:

I take it you have stats to compare covering a smaller distance in 90 minutes as against a larger distance in 70 minutes.

Be very interesting to see Dooher's stats in a match!

thirtyfoot

MrJoeSoap wrote:

I'd still reckon soccer players would be 'fitter' in general, but you would need to define specific aspects in order to judge fitness, such as long distance running, bleep tests etc...

You are dead right. 'Fitness' needs to be defined. Things you could measure would be V02 max, 30m sprint time, vertical jump, bench press, squat, response time, agility, flexibility etc. Being able to run for hours and hours doesn't mean you are 'fit' in my book.

The NFL Combine would be a reasonable test as this looks at lots of the above (except maybe vo2 max).

careca

Waylander wrote:

Hey Neil, hows it going. I heard similar stories about Anthony Tohill several years ago, I think he went training with United. I would say that these would be exceptions though. We could go the other extreme and compare Colm Clrkery or the great Vinnie Murphy:D

Hey Niall, all good thanks, long time no talk. Hope you are still winning online !!

Vinnie played with my club in Tralee for years. Legend.

event

careca wrote:

An Arsenal player from a few years back (might have been Lee Dixon) was asked who was the fittest player he had played with. He said it was an Irish GAA player that was over for a trial, none of them could match his fitness. Turns out it was Graham Geraghty.

I don't think it can be judged generally though as GG would be considered fit even as GAA players go. Comes down to the individual I reckon.

though soccer players werent as fit back then as they are now, thats about 15 or so years ago

alkev

In a recent survey by (I think) the university of Limerick, a LOI soccer team a County football and hurling team and a rugby team were tested for fitness.
The Soccer team came out tops.
If you still believe in the myth of super fit GAA players just look at how the Aussies show them up for fitness in the compromise rules games.

thirtyfoot

alkev wrote:

In a recent survey by (I think) the university of Limerick, a LOI soccer team a County football and hurling team and a rugby team were tested for fitness.
The Soccer team came out tops.
.

Do you know what they tested? Any links?

Waylander

alkev wrote:

In a recent survey by (I think) the university of Limerick, a LOI soccer team a County football and hurling team and a rugby team were tested for fitness.
The Soccer team came out tops.
If you still believe in the myth of super fit GAA players just look at how the Aussies show them up for fitness in the compromise rules games.

Intercounty GAA players are exceptionally fit for amatuer sportsmen, but the Aussies (like the soccer teams) are pro's so there would be something wrong if they were not fitter!

Nalced_irl

To be honest, this is a silly question (sorry OP). Anyone who says GAA players are fitter, really do not know what they are talking about. Of course, are Kerry fitter than some Sunday Leinster Senior League team, yes naturally they are but to even try and say in general that GAA are fitter is simply wrong. Top level soccer players are fitter than top level GAA players..mid level soccer players are also fitter than their GAA counterparts, lower level is about fun more than professionalism in both so they would be about even id say.

yop

hard to know about that, much of a do, different criteria for fitness, GAA are probably physically stronger as even the amateur players now do big weigths preseason where as there is not an much of this in soccer.

We have a mix of players who play both, i cannot honestly say that 1 out performs the other.

Very hard to quantify.

redzerdrog

i have played soccer and Gaa at all sorts of levels and i play right full in both codes i find i have to be fitter for Gaa there is far more bursts of energy needed and there is nowhere to hide on a Gaa pitch because you are directly against your opposite number were as soccer players can hide and take it easy if there tired.

megadodge

To be honest, this is a silly question (sorry OP). Anyone who says GAA players are fitter, really do not know what they are talking about.

I would say the opposite.
If you really think that simply because one crowd are professional they're automatically fitter you are the one who is lacking in knowledge here.

I remember reading in a national paper about the time Larry Thompkins was recovering from a cruciate ligament operation circa. late 80's/ very early 90's. The Cork Co. Board sent him to an elite clinic in Manchester as part of his recovery routine. The only other clients were top flight soccer players. All clients were graded similar to school exams on their fitness level. Larry got an 'A' and was one of the few to do so. He said that the soccer players couldn't comprehend how someone could be that fit and not be paid for it. Pretty understandable IMO.

Now, Larry was regarded as an exceptionally fit man in GAA circles at the time, but, as absolutely everyone knows, the fitness levels and preparatory work (diets, sleeping patterns, weight programs, warm weather training camps, etc. etc.) by GAA players has gone through the roof in the intervening 15-20 years and what Larry was doing back then would be standard enough fare nowadays. This point would be backed up by any top ex-player now involved in team management or any long-serving player and is regularly referred to in interviews. It's also one of the reasons so many GAA players retire earlier than they used to - they just cannot keep it going while trying to have a career/ raise a family at the same time.

Then when you look at the pace of both games (soccer is soooo much slower) and the amount of seriously hard hits GAA players take in a game I fail to see how anyone could say

Top level soccer players are fitter than top level GAA players..mid level soccer players are also fitter than their GAA counterparts

I personally don't think there's a whole lot of difference in relation to stamina or speed, but when it comes to physical strength / power there really is no comparison !

Nalced_irl

I wouldnt class power or physical strength as fitness tho. I dont think soccer players are fitter simply as they are professional, its just simply that they train more and are for the most part at the very peak of their ability fitness-wise. I dont think the same can be said for GAA players. Sure they are very fit and close to their peak, but not to the extent that most Premiership/La Liga etc players are. Soccer is slower but as pointed out, its 20 mins longer with less players, positions like wingbacks and midfielders cover the entire pitch and so are normally constantly running. Aparentally the average soccer player covers approx 6km during a match which i would guess (just a guess, will take back if corrected) is alot more than the average GAA player.

thirtyfoot

megadodge wrote:

I personally don't think there's a whole lot of difference in relation to stamina or speed,

Are you having a laugh saying GAA players have similar speed to soccer players!! Theo Walcott is probably a 10.4-10.6 man over 100m. A GAA player would struggle to go sub 11. This difference in speed at 100m can be factored to 10m, 30m whatever. On speed soccer players are much faster. Think about it again, its not like Ireland is blessed with the fastest sprinters in the world (although Paul Hession is breaking through) so how can you say that your average GAA player is as fast as soccer players with backgrounds from more traditional sprinting strongholds like west africa etc. Are you seriously trying to tell me that GAA Joe Soap would match the top soccer players for speed or acceleration?

As Eamonn Dunphy said on wednesday night Ireland has the greatest hurlers and gaelic footballers in the world (probably in the same way Japan has the best sumo wrestlers)!!

Pride Fighter

Tingle wrote:

Are you having a laugh saying GAA players have similar speed to soccer players!! Theo Walcott is probably a 10.4-10.6 man over 100m. A GAA player would struggle to go sub 11. This difference in speed at 100m can be factored to 10m, 30m whatever. On speed soccer players are much faster. Think about it again, its not like Ireland is blessed with the fastest sprinters in the world (although Paul Hession is breaking through) so how can you say that your average GAA player is as fast as soccer players with backgrounds from more traditional sprinting strongholds like west africa etc. Are you seriously trying to tell me that GAA Joe Soap would match the top soccer players for speed or acceleration?

As Eamonn Dunphy said on wednesday night Ireland has the greatest hurlers and gaelic footballers in the world (probably in the same way Japan has the best sumo wrestlers)!!

Paul Hession was a former GAA player. So was David Gillick. Saying GAA players are all slow is wrong IMO. I heard that Dennis Rommedhal can do a 10.2 100M, but that is when he trained in athletics when younger. As I said at the top level of GAA they are fitter than most pro's in soccer ie teams that are outside Champions League standard but they are not as fit as the Man U's or Barcas of this world.

thirtyfoot

Pride Fighter wrote:

Paul Hession was a former GAA player. So was David Gillick. .

Many olympic athletes of many sports in Ireland will have played GAA, proves nothing. I don't think they got their speed from GAA.

Pride Fighter wrote:

Saying GAA players are all slow is wrong IMO.

Never said they are all slow but I did say they are slower than soccer players. I explained my logic, do you disagree with that?

Pride Fighter wrote:

. I heard that Dennis Rommedhal can do a 10.2 100M, but that is when he trained in athletics when younger. .

Danish record in only 10.29.

Some GAA folk think they have recently cornered the market on elite "amateur" training. Rowers, cyclists, runners, swimmers, boxers and many more have been training 10 times a week, holding down a job, raising a family and training as if a pro for decades in Ireland. Yet, when these athletes go on the world stage they are outperformed by athletes from other nations. How can you say the same would not happen to GAA players if they performed in a global sport, it defies logic. Occasionally, we come across the exceptional talent who with the same hard work of the normal international will hit the dizzy heights and be true world beaters. This is maybe once in a generation.

GAA is a great sport, I've played it and now enjoy watching it. I've competed internationally myself to limited success in athletics, played football to trialist level in the UK so would have had an insight into the sports and I can gaurantee you in a global context GAA players are still amateurs when it comes to both natural and trained conditioning and physique (of course here as well there are exceptions, eg, Sean Og). One point I will say I know a respected fitness coach in Ireland who has worked with top GAA and top LOI teams, and he says GAA players are well ahead of LOI when it comes to condition and also application, but internationall is a different matter.

Pride Fighter

Tingle wrote:

One point I will say I know a respected fitness coach in Ireland who has worked with top GAA and top LOI teams, and he says GAA players are well ahead of LOI when it comes to condition and also application, but internationall is a different matter.

That is the main point of my post. GAA players are in better shape than modest professionals across the world, I never said that they are of olympic standard. I dont disagree with your logic, it is quite rational. I only wrote this post as somebody earlier in the thread disagreed with me that the Dublin GAA team would beat Drogheda United in a soccer match. Dublin's fitness levels are far superior and if they had 2 or 3 months of skills drills and team building it would be a drubbing.

MrJoeSoap

Pride Fighter wrote:

Dublin's fitness levels are far superior and if they had 2 or 3 months of skills drills and team building it would be a drubbing.

Thats the biggest crock of **** I've read in a long time. Maybe if Dublin fielded 15 players and Drogheda fielded 11 they would beat them, but 11 on 11 they'd have no chance.

K-9

Tingle wrote:

I can gaurantee you in a global context GAA players are still amateurs when it comes to both natural and trained conditioning and physique (of course here as well there are exceptions, eg, Sean Og). One point I will say I know a respected fitness coach in Ireland who has worked with top GAA and top LOI teams, and he says GAA players are well ahead of LOI when it comes to condition and also application, but internationall is a different matter.

I'd say they're catching up but as has been pointed out they are amateur and there's only so much they can do. LOI and GAA is probably a fairer comparison rather than Premiership players. Even then if LOI professional players are at the same or slightly higher level, well they should be really!

Marse

Seanies32 wrote:

I take it you have stats to compare covering a smaller distance in 90 minutes as against a larger distance in 70 minutes.

Be very interesting to see Dooher's stats in a match!

No Stats required. Our pitch is bigger, but with more men that generally don't travel too far from their position.
When a soccer team sweeps forward, pretty much the whole team attacks.
Dooher is one player and you telling me he covers more ground than a box to box midfielder like Roy Keane or Steven Gerarrd.
Think not.

Stats I'll show you mine:

The least active player on a football pitch covers 9.86Km (CB)
While the most active covers 11.49(MF).

Now lets see yours

:rolleyes:

Nalced_irl

Marse wrote:

The least active player on a football pitch covers 9.86Km (CB)
While the most active covers 11.49(MF).

Now lets see yours

:rolleyes:

My stat from earlier may have meant to be in miles or something, or i could just have been very wrong. Still, as i said, its a straightforward answer to the thread question. At the similar levels of each sport, Soccer player would be easily fitter. Here is another stat (well, not a stat i suppose but a valid point), most GAA players drink, during league seasons, quite often during the champo season. If they have a few weeks until another match after a win, they go out to celebrate. Most Soccer players dont touch a drop during the season. That is going to play a major part in boths fitness levels.

K-9

Marse wrote:

No Stats required. Our pitch is bigger, but with more men that generally don't travel too far from their position.
When a soccer team sweeps forward, pretty much the whole team attacks.
Dooher is one player and you telling me he covers more ground than a box to box midfielder like Roy Keane or Steven Gerarrd.
Think not.

Stats I'll show you mine:

The least active player on a football pitch covers 9.86Km (CB)
While the most active covers 11.49(MF).

Now lets see yours

:rolleyes:

I take your point. I know the Sunday Game have started recording some of these statistics. Anybody have any to hand, if not I'll try and dig some out, could be difficult though!

applehunter

Tingle wrote:

One point I will say I know a respected fitness coach in Ireland who has worked with top GAA and top LOI teams, and he says GAA players are well ahead of LOI when it comes to condition and also application, but internationall is a different matter.

Step forward Mr. Gareth Farrelly.:D LOI's answer to Colin Corkery.

I think its a bit like apples and oranges. One game is for 70 mins and requires a lot of spirts of energy while soccer is a 90 mins of constant movement.

K-9

Nalced_irl wrote:

My stat from earlier may have meant to be in miles or something, or i could just have been very wrong. Still, as i said, its a straightforward answer to the thread question. At the similar levels of each sport, Soccer player would be easily fitter. Here is another stat (well, not a stat i suppose but a valid point), most GAA players drink, during league seasons, quite often during the champo season. If they have a few weeks until another match after a win, they go out to celebrate. Most Soccer players dont touch a drop during the season. That is going to play a major part in boths fitness levels.

Many GAA players caught taking Cocaine lately or indeed dogging or 3/4 in a beds? Though that could increase their fitness! :rolleyes: