Report gives accurate vision of what Gaelic football is. Now to fix it

MARK: Dublin’s Brian Howard battles to hold on to the ball under pressure from Kerry’s Graham
O’Sullivan in the All-Ireland SFC final in July. Pic:  David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

After a bleak football championship, the comprehensive statistical report published by the GAA last week emerged like a lighthouse in a storm. Detailed analysis, unanimous conclusions, wide consultation. A warning siren and a stewarding signal all in one.

The data stemmed from a forum chaired by John Tobin, Chairman of the National Coaching and Games Committee. They invited Gaelic Stats to provide a comparative analysis of over 500 senior inter-county games from 2011 to 2023. Former and current stars met to discuss the approach. Pages and pages of statistics were made publicly available as a result. As well as the library they had a framework.