Sleep is key.

A study was carried out on the lives of inter-county players recently and there were some interesting findings.

Basically, inter-county players are more sleep-deprived and injury prone than your normal Gael because of their involvement in the county panel.

But as with all stats, they should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The deficit in sleep is hardly surprising given the hectic lives inter-county players lead, but we’d doubt that club players are getting much more sleep than them. Just because lads have the opportunity to go to bed early doesn’t mean they’re going to go to bed early. Inter-county players don’t really have an option to stay up really late into the night – so it can work both ways.

Time spent training is time well spent

“GAA players can spend up to 31 hours per week on their senior inter-county commitments…Players spent just over six hours per day on these commitments on a pitch-based training day,”

And even though the travelling can be a pain, they’re enjoying every one of those hours. Indeed, the ESRI research goes a long way to busting the most trodden-out myth in the GAA that the demands have become too much and that professionalism has gone out of control in the GAA.

Most players are revelling in the increased focus and dedication required now.

“In spite of the time commitments, very few players cited ‘too demanding’ as their reason for ceasing playing. The research revealed that the vast majority of 2016 players were glad that they made the choice to play senior inter-county,” it continued.

The pros of being a county player

It’s all about the connections and the confidence.

“The benefits they identified from playing included the opportunities to build leadership skills, self-confidence and professional connections.”

The most dedicated bunch

It’s the 18-21-year-olds.

 “40 per cent did not have any time off from Gaelic games in 2016. Players aged 18 to 21 had particularly high levels of time commitment because the majority played with four or more teams.”

Sleep

Who gets ten hours sleep anyway? The experts claim, however, that county players are getting nowhere near enough shut-eye.

“Players compromised on sleep, with almost half not getting the eight to ten hours recommended for athletes on a pitch-based training day. The injury rate was higher among players getting seven or less hours sleep.”

Mental well-being

We’re not so sure about this one. We would actually have thought that the distraction playing with a team creates would have been a benefit for an individual. It offers them a release from the stresses of work and college and as the saying goes, a healthy body is a healthy mind.

“Players’ mental wellbeing was poorer than that of the general population, especially when compared to those of a similar age. Suboptimal sleep may be contributing to their poorer mental wellbeing.” 

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