Education Choices Among Inter-County Players

Inter-County GAA Players are almost twice as likely to have a degree than the general male population though some will have chosen a course in order to allow them further their football and hurling career as opposed to one that will advance the same beyond the field of play.

Theses are two standouts from the latest ESRI report on GAA players commissioned by the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association.

This is the second edition of the report and is based again on an extensive database of player interviews, albeit drawn from 2016.

61 per cent of players have at least a university degree compared to 35 per cent of the general male population of the same age. However, the study finds that players appear to be basing many decisions related to their education and their professional career around playing Gaelic games.

Aside from education the survey also reports on a range of other issues relevant to players’ lives, including alcohol consumption, supplement use, their views on player welfare supports and their experiences within the inter-county set-up.

Choices

One in four players said they had chosen a career path after second-level education that would facilitate them to play senior inter-county. This percentage was higher among top-tier players.

Over 40 per cent said they would not select the same post second-level career path again. This figure was over 50 per cent among players who selected their post second-level education pathway because it allowed them to play inter-county.

It would be interesting to compare this figure to the general base of the population. It is a fact of human development and life that we are forced to make key decisions on working life at an age where we have very limited life experience. In a modern work culture where change is the norm as opposed to a single career followed for life, some degree of wistfulness over the initial decision on what to study is inevitable.

Over 80 per cent of players reported difficulty balancing the demands of studying and playing during their education course; 16 per cent either dropped out of a course or had to repeat a year and 80 per cent missed college lectures, classes or labs.

Some players select sectors of employment with fewer working hours, with perhaps a higher proportion than would be the norm choosing to teach as a career path.

Away from the work environment, the proportion of senior inter-county players who consume alcohol is similar to the general male population of the same age.

However, there is a greater tendency towards binge drinking with nine out of ten reporting they had done this during the offseason.

A similar number consume supplements and are recommended to do so by teams. Worryingly however, many players source their supplements from outside of the inter-county set-up, including over the internet and only just over half of players indicated that supplement use is monitored within their team.

Players identified two key areas where they would like to receive more support. These were ‘professional career’ and ‘how to keep their inter-county participation in perspective’.

Players specified that the issues they would most like to change about their inter-county experience would be a reduction in the length of the playing season, fewer time commitments and the reintroduction of enjoyment into the games.

The majority of the issues that players would change about the inter-county set-up are under the remit of either the inter-county management team or the players’ County Boards.

“Unless the underlying drivers that are giving rise to the current inter-county commitment levels are identified and addressed, the knock-on effects identified in this study are likely to be amplified among future generations of players,” said report author Elish Kelly.

Changes

“One of the main benefits of the current research is that players themselves have identified changes that could be made to assist with addressing some of these effects.”

“There is a significant amount of time invested and commitment made by our inter-county players. Previous feedback from the playing population was extremely useful and likewise, this report will assist our approach to player welfare on and off the field,” added GAA President John Horan.

“The report’s findings under the key themes of Educational Experience and Educational Choices will prove to be a valuable resource. As we strive for a modern form of sustainable amateurism where players understand the importance of their career outside of the game, and how to balance this with their inter-county commitments, this information is hugely beneficial.”

“The report also underlines the need for a robust range of player development supports from the GPA. It shows us there is a growing need for more education and information for players about their roles and responsibilities as inter-county players, particularly around supplement usage and alcohol consumption.”

“Encouragingly, our own research tells us that players who are actively engaged in their own personal development through GPA programmes are less likely to engage in risky behaviours in these areas and benefit from a better-balanced lifestyle.”