‘Player welfare being ignored’

THE debate on the future of the U-21 championships has deflected attention from the issue of player burnout, according to the GAA’s Player Welfare Manager Paraic Duffy.

GAA President Nickey Brennan yesterday named a 12-man committee, on which Duffy will serve. The group will submit proposals to address evidence of the impact of player burnout on elite players in the 16-21 age groups.

The task force will be chaired by former Dublin manager Dr Pat O’Neill who, like GAA Head of Games Pat Daly and Colm O’Rourke, served on a similar committee three years ago, one which attempted to tackle the problem of over-training. The group will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, April 4 and is expected to present its findings at the end of June.