Kerry coach looks east to inspire players

IN this period just before the annual exams, the atmosphere on the University of Limerick campus is one of focused revision for the many students embarking on life-changing final exams.

Cian O’Neill teaches on a number of degree programmes in the university, including Physical Education, Sport & Exercise Sciences, the MSc. Sports Performance, and the BSc. Physiotherapy.

“It is certainly fair to say there has been an increased interest in the area of sports education over the last decade, almost an explosion of courses related to health and physical activity,” he says. His research interests are focused on human performance evaluation, sports performance analysis and coaching science. Currently investigating the relationship between key performance indicators of athletes across different sports, he is a member of the UL Body Composition Research Group which aims to provide a reference point for adult human body composition early in the 21st century. “When I started with UL in 2000, we were the only third-level provider of physical education and sport sciences in the country, whereas today there are three institutions catering for it. This is clearly driven by the demand for career courses by students coming out of schools, as well as mature students returning to education,” he adds.