GPA propose radical changes to third-level competitions to prevent player burnout

There is still only 52 weeks in the year.

No matter what way you look at various GAA competitions, there is still only a limited amount of time for players to play various different competitions.

Just this week the issue of player burnout was highlighted as  Cork’s Colm O’Driscoll revealed his brother Brian would miss this Sunday’s league final because he was injured playing his third game in the space of just six days.

That news comes just as the GPA have published a new report this morning that shines a light on the difficulties facing players at third level.

Not being an athlete during our time in college, our hours were mostly spent drinking studying and being home every day at 1.20pm to make sure we caught the latest ‘Home and Away’. However it’s slightly different for top level GAA stars.

‘Never Enough Time’ highlights the key concerns of GAA players at third level, and reveals that players are most worried about a lack of a consistent planning in relation to playing and training schedules, academic under performance, financial difficulties, a lack of time with family and friends, time management and stress.

The results are from a detailed player survey conducted by the GPA at third level over a number of years

The survey also highlights that 40% of third level students surveyed by the GPA have had to repeat college exams while 14% repeated an entire academic year.

In order to try and alleviate the stresses placed on college players in football and hurling the GPA feels a radical overhaul of the playing calendar needs to take place.

The players group are proposing that the fixture programme for third level sides is restructured between January and March while the U21 grade is changed to now only extend to u20s.

They propose that the Sigerson Cup should now be played from mid march to mid April but that no change is required to alter the Fitzgibbon Cup.

The GPA is also concerned at the amount of players who are travelling home midweek for training and games and feels that during a college term players should not train with club or county midweek but only in their free time at weekends.

 

The GPA also feel that third level sides should be excluded from January competitions such as the McGrath Cup and Walsh Cup.

The survey also highlights the strains that playing for a college side is having on the day to day lives of students with an alarming 50% of those surveyed feeling overwhelmed by their various sporting and academic commitments while 55% face financial difficulties.

The survey also shows that almost 45% of players at third level are training more than five times a week.

The report in full can be accessed here 

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