Science and Gaelic football: A review

This review focuses on Gaelic football and scientific reports of the characteristics of its players and the demands of the game. Anthropometric characteristics vary according to positional role, but top players display high muscularity and good all-round fitness at the peak of the competitive season. Match analysis indicates that exercise intensity is roughly equivalent to that for professional soccer. Average heart rates are approximately 160 beats· min-1 during competitive matches, and average oxygen consumption is about 72% of maximum. Metabolic fatigue in active muscles is unlikely. Conventional biomechanical and electromyographic techniques are useful in gaining insight into individual games skills. Inadequate attention has been given to injury prevention and to psychological aspects of the game. Although possessing unique characteristics, Gaelic football has many similarities with other football codes, especially Australian Rules football where the ball is played by both hands and feet and where tackling is permitted.     

Science and Gaelic football: a review

This review focuses on Gaelic football and scientific reports of the characteristics of its players and the demands of the game. Anthropometric characteristics vary according to positional role, but top players display high muscularity and good all-round fitness at the peak of the competitive season. Match analysis indicates that exercise intensity is roughly equivalent to that for professional soccer. Average heart rates are approximately 160 beats x min(-1) during competitive matches, and average oxygen consumption is about 72% of maximum. Metabolic fatigue in active muscles is unlikely. Conventional biomechanical and electromyographic techniques are useful in gaining insight into individual games skills. Inadequate attention has been given to injury prevention and to psychological aspects of the game. Although possessing unique characteristics, Gaelic football has many similarities with other football codes, especially Australian Rules football where the ball is played by both hands and feet and where tackling is permitted.     

Body composition analysis of inter-county Gaelic athletic association players measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry

Gaelic Football and Hurling are two sporting codes within the Gaelic Athletic Association. The purpose of this study was to report the body composition phenotype of inter-county Gaelic athletic association players, comparing groups by code and field position. 190 senior, male, outfield inter-county players (144 hurlers and 46 Gaelic footballers) were recruited. Stature and body mass was measured, estimates of three components of body composition, i.e. lean mass, fat mass and bone mineral content was obtained by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and normative data for Gaelic athletic association athletes by code and position was compared. Other than in the midfield, there was limited difference in body composition between codes or playing position. Stature-corrected indices nullified any existing group differences between midfielders for both codes. Further comparisons with a non-athletic control group (n = 431) showed no difference for body mass index (BMI); however, the athletic group has a lower fat mass index, with a greater lean mass in accounting for the matched BMI between groups. In addition to providing previously unknown normative data for the Gaelic athletic association athlete, a proportional and independent tissue evaluation of body composition is given.     

我国优秀女子三人篮球运动员比赛和训练的运动负荷特征比较

目的：通过探索我国女子三人篮球运动项目自身独特的比赛负荷特征,为我国女子三人篮球运动的训练与比赛提供理论和实践参考,指导训练和比赛,以期提升我国女子三人篮球的竞技水平。方法：使用SIMI Scout技战术分析系统和Polar Improve系统,测量和分析我国女子三人篮球队在国际比赛、队内比赛和对抗训练中的运动负荷。结果：在国际比赛中,我国优秀女子三人篮球运动员的单位时间跑动距离要显著低于同场竞技的外国选手;国内比赛中成年优秀选手与青年选手在单位时间跑动距离上没有明显差异;我国优秀女子三人篮球运动员在国际比赛和队内比赛中的单位时间跑动距离也没有明显差异。我国优秀女子三人篮球运动员在正式比赛中的最大心率和平均心率均显著性高于对抗训练,最小心率则无明显差异。在不同速度区域的跑距占比分析中,比赛和对抗训练的跑距占比均随着速度的提升而下降;在速度区1和速度区2中,正式比赛的跑距占比要显著高于对抗训练,而在速度区3和速度区4中,比赛的跑距占比则要显著低于对抗训练。结论：我国优秀三人女子篮球运动员国际大赛中的运动负荷要低于国际高水平运动员;可根据对抗训练和正式比赛的运动负荷特征,对对抗训练的运动负荷进行调整,以期达到正式比赛的预期运动负荷。     

Entrepreneurship in an Amateur World: The Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland

Abstract

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is unusual in the world of contemporary sport. While at the organizational level it is wholly corporate and follows standard global models of maximizing revenue from media deals and sponsorship, the players remain entirely amateur. As a result, rather than profits being removed from the organization in terms of dividends, the income is recycled through the grassroots of the organization so that local communities benefit. This is at odds with the two other major sports in Ireland, soccer and rugby, which both spend a large percentage of their revenue on player contracts and therefore only recycle comparatively small amounts of money to their grass roots. Historically, the GAA did not embrace entrepreneurship due to the nature of the general national economy, a lack of modernization and the drain of emigration from the island. It was only until the economic boom of the 1990s that the GAA began to innovate entrepreneurially, and the success of this strategy is evidenced by a healthy profit that is underpinned by a commitment to amateurism.     

The influence of pitch dimensions on performance during small-sided and conditioned soccer games

Abstract

This study examined the influence of pitch dimensions in small-sided soccer games in shaping opportunities for performers to maintain ball possession, pass to teammates and shoot at goal. Fifteen amateur standard male participants (M = 21.87, σ = 1.96 years) played 5 v 5 small-sided soccer games in three varying pitch conditions (28 m × 14 m, 40 m × 20 m and 52 m × 26 m). Thirty sequences of play in each condition were selected for digitisation using TACTO software, allowing the capture of bi-dimensional displacement coordinate data of all players and the ball. The values of interpersonal distance between all attackers and immediate defenders and the relative distances of defenders to intercept a shot and a pass were computed as dependent variables. Results showed existence of fewer opportunities to maintain ball possession on smaller pitches, compared to medium and larger pitches. Conversely, the different dimensions set to the pitch did not influence opportunities for players to shoot at goal, or to perform passes to other teammates. By examining the specific spatial–temporal relationships of players and key-task constraints, the data from this study explain how effects of manipulating pitch dimensions of small-sided games might enhance opportunities for acquiring specific movement and decision-making skills.     

Speaking Irish with hurley sticks: Gaelic sports,the Irish language and national identity in revival Ireland

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ban on foreign games, implemented nationally in 1905, affected not only GAA members but Gaelic League members also. The shared Gaelic heritage of both organisations led to their marriage in the Irish Ireland movement and the aims and ideals of both organisations were promoted alongside one another. GAA members were expected to promote and use Irish while Gaelic League members were to play only Gaelic sports. The commitment of GAA members to the language was to prove controversial throughout the Irish revival period, however, where lip service, symbolism and general lack of interest in the language led to the diminishing of GAA language policies. Nevertheless, GAA members enjoyed the status of being uniquely Gaelic. The same leniency was not afforded to Gaelic Leaguers with regard to vigilance in games. By tying itself to the GAA and the ban, the Gaelic League compromised its own ideals as regards the language forming the basis of Irish nationality and the importance of the games as part of Gaelic identity greatly increased. This corresponds with Timothy G. McMahon’s argument that the secondary aims of the Gaelic League came to obtain greater prominence in the Gaelic Revival than the language itself.     

Influence of technical instructions on the physiological and physical demands of small-sided soccer games

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of changes in the number of ball contacts allowed per individual possession on the physiological, technical, and physical demands within small-sided games in elite soccer. Twenty international players (age 27.4±1.5 years, body mass 79.2±4.2 kg, height 1.81±0.02 m, velocity at [Vdot]O_2max 17.4±0.8 km ·h^?1, percent body fat 12.7±1.2%) performed three different small-sided game formats (i.e. 2 vs. 2; 3 vs. 3; 4 vs. 4) on three different occasions in which the number of ball contacts authorized per possession was fixed (one touch, two touches, and free play). The relative pitch per player ratio was similar for all small-sided games. The small-sided games were performed with four support players (placed around the perimeter of pitch) with instructions to keep possession of the ball. The total duration of the small-sided games was the effective time of play. The physical demands, technical requirements, heart rates, post-exercise blood lactate concentrations, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed. The percentages of successful passes and numbers of duels were significantly lower when the small-sided game was played with one touch (P<0.001), whereas the number of balls lost increased (P<0.001 for 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 3; P<0.01 for 4 vs. 4). The small-sided game played with one touch also induced increases in blood lactate concentration and RPE, as well as greater physical demands in the total distance covered in sprinting and high-intensity runs. In conclusion, the main findings of this study are that by altering the number of ball contacts authorized per possession in small-sided games, the coach can manipulate both the physical and technical demands within such games.     

Comparative efficacy of active recovery and cold water immersion as post-match recovery interventions in elite youth soccer

ABSTRACT

The current study compared cold-water immersion (CWI) and active recovery (AR) to static stretching (SS) on muscle recovery post-competitive soccer matches in elite youth players (n = 15). In a controlled crossover design, participants played a total of nine competitive soccer games, comprising three 80 minute games for each intervention (SS, CWI and AR). Muscle oedema, creatine kinase (CK), countermovement jump performance (CMJA) and perceived muscle soreness (PMS) were assessed pre-, immediately post-, and 48 hours post-match and compared across time-intervals and between interventions. Following SS, all markers of muscle damage remained significantly elevated (P < 0.05) compared to baseline at 48 hours post-match. Following AR and CWI, CMJA returned to baseline at 48 hours post-match, whilst CK returned to baseline following CWI at 48 hours post-match only. Analysis between recovery interventions revealed a significant improvement in PMS (P < 0.05) at 48 hours post-match when comparing AR and CWI to SS, with no significant differences between AR and CWI observed (P > 0.05). Analysis of %change for CK and CMJA revealed significant improvements for AR and CWI compared to SS. The present study indicated both AR and CWI are beneficial recovery interventions for elite young soccer players following competitive soccer matches, of which were superior to SS.     

Sport activities differentiating match-play improvement in elite youth footballers – a 2-year longitudinal study

This study examined contributions of different types of sport activities to the development of elite youth soccer performance. Match-play performance of 44 German male players was assessed by expert coaches twice, 24 months apart (age 11.1–13.1 years), based on videotaped 5v5 matches. Player pairs were matched by identical age and initial performance at t₁. Each player was assigned to a group of either “Strong” or “Weak Responders” based on a higher or lower subsequent performance improvement at t₂ within each pair (mean Δperformance 29% vs. 7%). A questionnaire recorded current and earlier amounts of organised practice/training and non-organised sporting play, in soccer and other sports, respectively. Group comparison revealed that “Strong Responders” accumulated more non-organised soccer play and organised practice/training in other sports, but not more organised soccer practice/training. Subsequent multivariate analyses (multiple linear regression analyses (MLR)) highlighted that higher resultant match-play performance at t₂ was accounted for R²_adj = 0.65 by performance at t₁, together with more non-organised soccer play and organised engagement in other sports, respectively, and greater current, but less earlier volume of organised soccer. The findings suggest that variable early sporting experience facilitates subsequent soccer performance development in German elite youth footballers.     

Evidence of the relative age effect in football in Australia

Abstract

The birth date distributions of elite male and female footballers in Australia, from junior youth (age 14 and upwards) to senior (professional) players, were examined. A statistically significant relative age effect was found among junior male players, reducing in effect with increasing age. An inter-year relative age effect that became apparent among the players at national level in the Under-17 and Under-20 age groups, due to the timing of the respective World Cups for those age groups, was also identified. It is conjectured that this might lead to players born in certain years having a curtailed pathway in the elite game, leading to drop-out among this very elite group. In the case of women elite players, no significant relative age effect was found among youth players, possibly due to less fierce competition for places, although a significant effect was found to exist at senior elite level.     

The adolescent motor performance development of elite female soccer players: A study of prognostic relevance for future success in adulthood using multilevel modelling

ABSTRACT

Considering the scarce empirical evidence regarding talent predictors in female youth soccer, the present study aimed to investigate the long-term prognostic validity of elite female soccer players’ adolescent motor performance for future success in adulthood. Additionally, the three-year development of highly talented girls’ motor performance and the predictive value of this motor development for reaching a professional adult performance level (APL) was analysed.

Overall, N = 737 female players participated in nationwide motor diagnostics (sprinting, agility, dribbling, ball control, shooting) within the German Soccer Association’s talent identification and development programme at least twice between the age groups Under-12 (U12) and U15. Based on their APL at least four years later, participants were assigned to a professional (first German division, 6.2%) or non-professional group (lower divisions, 93.8%).

Multilevel regression analyses revealed a general prognostic relevance for the investigated parameters with respect to players’ APL. In addition, there was a non-linear improvement in participants’ motor performance across all variables from U12 to U15. However, non-significant interactions between APL and these improvements indicate motor performance development itself cannot adequately predict players’ future success in adulthood. Findings provide insightful information that can help coaches foster optimal support for young female soccer players’ development.     

Prevalence of disordered eating in elite female athletes in team sports in Greece

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to assess (a) the prevalence of disordered eating (DE) in elite female team sports players compared to non-athletes and (b) to compare DE prevalence in elite female players in basketball, volleyball and water polo. One hundred and seventy-five females were recruited (age 23.10?±?5.4, BMI 21.85?±?2.3?kg/m²), 53 were elite basketball players, 42 were elite volleyball players, 34 were elite water polo players and 46 were non-athletes. Participants completed the Eating Disorders Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and a physical activity questionnaire. The EDE-Q incorporates 36 statements which relate to the occurrence and frequency of key behaviours of eating disorders, under the following four subscales: Restraint, eating concern, shape concern and weight concern and a global score of disordered eating. No differences were found in the EDE-Q subscale score and global score between athletes and non-athletes. Only 6.2% of the total number of participants exhibited DE using the global score >2.3. Water polo players had significantly higher scores in the ‘eating concern’ subscale and in the frequency of key behavioural features of DE such as binge eating episodes and objective and subjective bulimic episodes, compared to volleyball and basketball players. In conclusion, team sport elite female players do not exhibit greater prevalence of DE compared to non-athletes. Water polo, a sport that emphasises leanness and control of body weight for international distinctions, is associated with a higher tendency to exhibit DE, when compared to other team sports.     

FIFA11+热身练习对女子甲级足球运动员灵敏和下肢爆发力的急性影响

FIFA11+热身练习被证明可以有效降低足球运动员运动损伤的发生率,但是其对高水平女子足球运动员竞技表现的效果还需要进一步研究。本研究旨在探究FIFA11+热身练习对女子甲级足球运动员灵敏和下肢爆发力的急性影响。21名我国女子甲级联赛某球队足球运动员自愿参加本次研究。受试者随机先后进行FIFA11+热身练习(初级)和常规热身。热身前、热身后即刻和热身后15 min,受试者进行反应灵敏、反向纵跳和505灵敏测试。FIFA11+热身练习后即刻受试者反应灵敏和反向纵跳显著提升,505灵敏测试成绩无显著变化,但FIFA11+热身和常规热身间无显著差异(P>0.05)。热身后即刻与热身15 min后的急性影响类似,且FIFA11+热身练习和常规热身间无显著差异(P>0.05)。FIFA11+热身练习的平均心率和主观疲劳度显著高于常规热身。FIFA11+热身练习可以提高女子甲级足球运动员反应灵敏和下肢爆发力的急性表现,且这些急性效果可以持续至少15 min。然而,FIFA11+热身练习的这些急性效果似乎并不优于常规热身练习,且还可能会造成更高的生理和主观负荷。     

The Development of Gaelic football and Soccer Zones in County Donegal, 1884–1934

This article examines the geography of Gaelic and Association football zones in Donegal between 1884 and 1934. It will illustrate where these sports were initially played and will show how, by the early twentieth century, soccer was the number one team game in the county. With the decline of competitive soccer in Donegal after 1915, a vacuum existed for the organisation of competitive structures for Gaelic football and the Donegal Gaelic Athletic Association county board was refounded in 1919, having run initially from 1905–1907. County championships were soon organised and these provided a competitive form of football on a regular basis as players could adapt to each code fairly easily. However, many local sports organisers in the north-east of the county were eager to continue with soccer and it was through the organisation of local leagues and cup competitions that they managed to do this. A deep tradition of soccer and strong connections with Derry city and Scotland also meant that association football received priority there. In contrast, by 1934, Gaelic football had become firmly entrenched in the south and south-west. The importance of local organisers within the county and the failure of both the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of the Irish Free State to develop soccer in this peripheral area will also be outlined.     

Cultural Nationalism,Gaelic Sunday and the Gaelic Athletic Association in Early Twentieth Century Ireland

To date, much of the established historical literature on the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the governing body of Gaelic games in Ireland, has focused on the potential or perceived political agency of the organisation. To this end, great swathes of work that has centred on early twentieth century Ireland has also examined the extent of the relationship the GAA had with other nationalist bodies in the country at that time, such as the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), or at the very least the role of GAA members who were also part of such groups. However, the GAA failed in fact to adopt any official ‘political’ position during this period, albeit with one notable exception – a mass demonstration that came to be referred to as ‘Gaelic Sunday’. The example of Gaelic Sunday will be used during the course of this article to demonstrate the actual position of the GAA during this time and in so doing temper the pervasive view abroad, one that the GAA is perhaps too willing to acquiesce with, that it somehow played something close to a defining role in the broader political and revolutionary pursuit of partial independence for Ireland. Rather, as this article will confirm, the GAA's role within early twentieth century Irish society, whilst undoubtedly revealing it to be a powerful nationalist body, remained nevertheless much more cultural than political in nature.     

The developmental and professional activities of female international soccer players from five high-performing nations

ABSTRACT

We study the developmental and professional activities engaged in by 86 female adult soccer players from the senior national teams of Australia, Canada, England, Sweden, and the United States of America. Players completed the Participation History Questionnaire (PHQ) to elicit the amount and type of activities engaged in across their developmental and professional years, including milestones, soccer-specific activity and engagement in other sport activity. Greater specialisation than diversification characterised their childhood developmental activities, including all players starting in soccer in childhood and accumulating more hours in soccer activity than other sports during this period. However, interindividual variation further characterised these childhood activities, with a proportion of players diversifying into other sports and/or soccer play to a greater or lesser degree during childhood when compared to the other players. The amount of coach-led soccer practice increased for all players across their development culminating in an average of 15–16 h/wk across a 40-week season in early adulthood. In contrast, the amount of engagement in other sports and soccer peer-led play varied between players but generally decreased across adolescence to negligible amounts in late adolescence. Findings are commensurate with the deliberate practice framework and early engagement.     

Academic performance and self-regulatory skills in elite youth soccer players

Abstract

Although elite athletes have been reported to be high academic achievers, many elite soccer players struggle with a stereotype of being low academic achievers. The purpose of this study was to compare the academic level (pre-university or pre-vocational) and self-regulatory skills (planning, self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, effort, and self-efficacy) of elite youth soccer players aged 12–16 years (n = 128) with those of 164 age-matched controls (typical students). The results demonstrate that the elite youth soccer players are more often enrolled in the pre-university academic system, which means that they are high academic achievers, compared with the typical student. The elite players also report an increased use of self-regulatory skills, in particular self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, and effort. In addition, control students in the pre-university system had more highly developed self-regulatory skills than those in the pre-vocational system, whereas no difference was observed within the soccer population. This suggests that the relatively stronger self-regulatory skills reported by the elite youth soccer players may be essential for performance at the highest levels of sport competition and in academia.     

Centre of pressure sway characteristics during static one-legged stance of athletes from different sports

Abstract

The frequency of one-legged stance and two-legged stance differs considerably among sports. We therefore expect the balance ability of athletes from different sports to vary. This study compared the sway characteristics during a static one-legged stance of soccer players, basketball players, swimmers, and non-athletes. The centre of pressure sway during one-legged stance of ten male participants representing each of the four groups was measured using a stabilometer. Centre of pressure sway was assessed by four sway factors: sway velocity, anterior-posterior sway, horizontal sway, and high-frequency sway. None of the four groups of participants showed significant differences in body sway between standing on the dominant leg and standing on the non-dominant leg. The soccer players had more high-frequency sway and less anterior-posterior sway and horizontal sway than the basketball players, swimmers, and non-athletes. These results suggest that soccer players have superior ability to maintain a stable one-legged stance. Further study is required to determine how much of the superior balance ability in soccer players is innate and how much is developed through training, as well as to determine the relationship between balance ability and playing performance.