ESRI study shows GAA enduring alarming player drain

The GAA is losing adult players — male and female — at a rate far in excess of almost every other team sport in Ireland, according to new research conducted on behalf of the Irish Sports Council.

The ESRI’s report on participation levels in sport and exercise, Keeping them in the Game, has discovered that the likelihood of an adult dropping out of Gaelic football, hurling or camogie between the ages of 18 and 22 is “greater than one-half”.

The only comparable casualty rate can be seen in basketball — where the fall-off is even greater — but the GAA clearly has reason to be alarmed, especially given the rates for soccer are less than half that. Figures for rugby are unavailable.