ESRI STUDY AN EXAMINATION OF PLAYER WELFARE AMONG SENIOR INTER-COUNTY GAELIC PLAYERS

seligehgit

SAFEGUARDING AMATEUR ATHLETES: AN
EXAMINATION OF PLAYER WELFARE AMONG
SENIOR INTER-COUNTY GAELIC PLAYERS

The executive summary contains all the pertinent findings.

They are very highly educated individuals who in large part choose a career in the educational sector.

The study highlights that inter-county play impacts players’ professional career and
is another area that warrants further attention.
Some players are selecting sectors of employment with lower levels of working
hours,namely those that enter public sector jobs,with ‘education’ being the main
public sector sub-sector in which players are employed.While this may assist
players to meet the demands required to play senior inter-county, the research
revealed that there is a trade-off in terms of earnings.


Whilst studying at third level they have grave difficulty balancing their playing and more importantly educational requirements.

Varying not unsubstantial percentages chose their career path on leaving second-level
education based on their being able to play inter-county,indicated that they would not select the same post second-level career pathway again,more so among players that selected their post-second-level pathway to enable them to play inter-county.

The study highlighted the fact that although their frequency of alcohol consumption was below the general male population both in pre season and off season this was reversed.

The binge drinking brings into question the vexed question re blanket alcohol bans during the playing season.

3 out of 4 of the cohort examined may engage in what is deemed hazardous drinking which is concern in the context of the consequences of alcohol misuse health and society wise.

Gambling is perceived to be common amongst their peers although illicit drug use is low.

It is alarming that many players are sourcing supplements outside the county set up.They may be neither required nor the correct ones.

Only just over 50% of players indicated that their supplement intake was monitored within the county set up.

It is reassuring that almost all players indicated that they saw anti-doping testing and compliance as
important to protecting the integrity of gaelic games in spite of manys dissatisfaction with the information provided about anti-doping testing and
compliance.

Unsurprisingly the study also finds that satisfaction with the way a player’s code (football/hurling)
is treated by their County Board, in terms of access to pitches,meals,gear,etc.,
compared to the other code in their county is lower among teams in the lower
playing levels.This inequality needs to be addressed.

The aspiration of inter county managers for a good balance between their players playing commitments and work/life evidently did not align with the study findings.

Re the issues in relation to the lengthy playing season and travel commitments associated with it Professor Niall Moyna believes collective training could be restricted by up to 40% with little ill effects as one enters in the heat of the championship.He questioned the quality of same.As somebody involved in a successful Dublin set up who he stated train less but train cleverer...

More matches and less training is the plead.It is sad that there appears to be an absence of joy in all such an ultra competitive environment.

In spite of the GPA and increases in advocacy for player welfare there is much room for concern.Players career pathways,earnings potential and promotional prospects must not suffer irrespective of whither they wish to play at inter county level.

There must be a life outside of playing with less likely risky behaviours with shorter playing season.Concerns re burnout and increased risk of injury are the result of excess training and lengthy seasons.

The whole area of supplements IMO is a minefield and player welfare is sacrosanct.Recommendation of supplements by a strength and conditioning coach should be rubber stamped solely by a medical doctor or dietitian/nutritionist.Players should not be taking this decision alone.

Our players at all levels are the association's most precious resource and this excellent study indicates much work needs to be done to optimise player welfare mindful of some of the constraints that are present.

RoversCeltic

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

tabby aspreme

RoversCeltic wrote: »

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

Friends young lad is in college and he drive 480 miles a week to attend county training, gets nothing for it, and has a weekend job to keep the car on the road, he is not training to be a teacher

MrMusician18

seligehgit wrote: »

SAFEGUARDING AMATEUR ATHLETES: AN
EXAMINATION OF PLAYER WELFARE AMONG
SENIOR INTER-COUNTY GAELIC PLAYERS
...

CAN YOU SAY IT LOUDER, I DIDN'T QUITE HEAR YOU

beggars_bush

It's an amateur game
Nobody is asking them to do it, unless they are on a scholarship

Pogue eile

RoversCeltic wrote: »

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

Where did you get that from?

ShyMets

RoversCeltic wrote: »

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

Edgy

RoversCeltic

Pogue eile wrote: »

Where did you get that from?

they gpa get millions from the state and pay the players with it

RoversCeltic

ShyMets wrote: »

Edgy

fact

KaneToad

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Friends young lad is in college and he drive 480 miles a week to attend county training, gets nothing for it, and has a weekend job to keep the car on the road, he is not training to be a teacher

If he can't afford his hobby - he should choose a different one.

Bonniedog

RoversCeltic wrote: »

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

Why don't you concern yourself with that pathetic gangster organisation you follow?

Sunny Disposition

Things like the drinking need to be compared with non county players to have any meaning. The career stuff is dubious too, no doubt education levels and career progress is good among co players.
A GPA spokesman is quoted on the ESRI reds release, wonder if they influenced the direction of this research.

Dots1982

RoversCeltic wrote: »

why does the state pay these amateurs to partake in their hobby?

The senior intercounty game generates millions for the economy. All those people traveling to games around the country- filling their cars up in petrol stations, or buying bus or train tickets, drinking in pubs, eating in restaurants, takeaways and burger vans, shopping in newsagents, staying in hotels.

All that money filtering through the economy. Makes sense for the government to support it as they get a multiple of whatever they pay back in VAT and local business also gets a huge revenue boost from match going crowds.

LoughNeagh2017

I wonder what the correlation between county players and IQ is. People like to think that career success is just down to hard work but it isn't, IQ plays a big role. Many club players wouldn't get the school grades to become a teacher, I can't remember what the required grades were but I know I didn't get them so it was quite lucky I wasn't any good at football. Nowadays if you do a low skilled job you can't even guarentee if you will have the evenings off, most of the factorys around here do evenings shifts too whereas back 10-15 years ago they just did morning shifts. Working evening is actually very nice as a childless wifeless man but that is a discussion for another forum, you get to enjoy some nice sunsets when eating your lunch in the summer.