Project to look at issues affecting inter-county GAA players

Issues affecting inter-county footballers and hurlers such as burn-out and demands on their work and home life are to be explored in a research project due to be published in December.

The project will seek input from all 1,962 players from the 2016 inter-county championship panels, who will be contacted from today asking if they wish to participate in the research.

A final report will be published in December and any issues it raises are likely to be discussed at future GAA Congress. The research is being conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which has been commissioned to carry out the work by the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA).

Among the issues that will be explored are the effect an inter-county career has on day-to-day working life, its impact on family, how it affects a player’s role with his local club, and issues around physical and mental burn-out.

It will not address any potential financial issues and players will have the option of opting out of taking part in the study if they prefer.

The ESRI said the study would, for the first time, give players the opportunity to portray the demands of senior inter-county football and hurling and to give their views on how best to support player welfare.

It will also provide the first profile of senior inter-county footballers and hurlers and GAA president Aogán Ó’Fearghail said he was in favour of the initiative.

“A lot has been said and written about the well-documented challenges associated with playing our games at the highest levels and the commitment involved,” he said.

“Involvement in our games at inter-county level should not come to the detriment of the personal development of our players and we have committed to working with the GPA to establish a clear view of the situation using the expertise of the ESRI.”

The research is part of a new agreement unveiled last July that established a joint working group comprising players, administrators and others.

The aim is draft proposals that would assist inter-county players to better manage their personal and professional lives.

The chairman of the GPA, Seamus Hickey, said the research study was a first step in gaining a picture of all the issues that impact on players.

“The deliberations of the joint working group, informed by this research study, should lead to concrete recommendations that can help address the challenges faced by players both on and off the pitch.”