Researchers Exhibition

A research exhibition will be organised in conjunction with the Games Development Conference, to take place on Friday, January 6th and Saturday, January 7th 2017 in Croke Park.The exhibition will focus on applied research concerning Gaelic games and will provide an opportunity for researchers from various 3rd Level Institutes to present their work to over 800 delegates. Below are the details of the researchers, and the titles of their research projects. For more information on each project, click on the researcher name.

Brian Cuthbert	Jason Gahan	Alan Dunton	Sam Jermyn
University College Cork	Cork Institute of Technology	Cork Insitute of Technology	Cork Insitute of Technology
Luke Jordan/Ronan Hogan	David O'Callaghan	Karen Mullins	Patrick Jones
Setanta College	Waterford Insitute of Technology	Waterford Insitute of Technology	Mary Immaculate College of Education
Denise Martin	Michael Fitzpatrick		Fiach Andrews
University College Dublin	University College Dublin	University of Limerick	University College Dublin
Diarmuid Lester	Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh	Mark Roe	Colm Clear
University College Cork	University of Limerick	Uninversity College Dublin	Carlow Insitute of Technology

Brian Cuthbert

Biography

Brian Cuthbert is a PhD student in the School of Education in University College Cork. He is the principal of Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh Primary school in Bishopstown. Brian graduated from Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick, in 1993. He received his Masters degree in Applied Sport and Exercise Science from Staffordshire University, Stoke, U.K. in 2009. His Masters thesis focused on youth withdrawal from Gaelic Games. Brian has managed teams at all levels, from underage teams in his club and school, to managing the Cork Senior football team. Brian is currently researching talent identification and development systems in Gaelic Football with a particular emphasis on the role and perceptions of the key stakeholders.

Research Brief

The aim of this study is to develop a holistic description of the talent development environment surrounding elite Gaelic football academies in Ireland. In doing so, this study will seek to clarify the roles and functions of key components and their interrelations within the environments contiguous to elite youth Gaelic footballers. The study will also examine successful player development environments in Ireland and establish the factors that underpin optimal ecologies for the holistic development of elite adolescent GAA players.

The study aims to answer the following questions:

1) What are the roles, functions and relations of key components within talent development environments in Gaelic Games academies in Ireland?

2) What are the perceptions of academy players regarding the quality of their development environment?

3) What factors underpin development environments in the most successful counties in Gaelic Games?

David O'Callaghan

Biography

David Callaghan is currently completing a research masters in Waterford IT, evaluating Phase 2 of the GAA’s Healthy Club Project. David is from Boyle, Co. Roscommon. He plays Gaelic football for Boyle GAA club and has also coached a number of juvenile teams. David graduated from DCU with a BSc. in PE and Biology in 2012. After graduating from DCU, David taught PE and Biology in a number of schools as a sub teacher. In 2015 he completed a MSc. Sports Performance from the University of Limerick. Following his time in UL, David took the opportunity to work in New Zealand for 6 months as a High Performance Intern with Counties Manukau Rugby Union. After moving home David began his research with the Centre for Health Behaviour Research, WIT in early 2016.

Research Brief

The GAA, in partnership with the HSE, have developed the ‘GAA Healthy Club Project’ initiative. The aim of the initiative is to ''explore the potential of the GAA club as a setting in which to promote the health and well being of club members and the wider community'' (Lane et al, 2015). The aims of this current research are (i) to assess the impact of Healthy Club Project initiatives on the health of individuals and communities, (ii) to assess the impact of the project on the daily workings of the GAA club unit and (iii) to assess the process involved in phase II of the project particularly in relation to the governance model of health development across the GAA. In phase 1, 16 clubs ran a total of 72 health promotion initiatives. Assessment of these initiatives showed that 60% had a moderate impact on participants' health behaviour, 36% had a low impact and 4% had a high impact. Case studies of initiatives in phase I revealed that the Healthy Club Project had some positive impacts on health behaviour. Findings from Phase I suggest the positive impact that participation in the Healthy Club Project can have on GAA clubs and communities. In Phase II we hope to identify more detailed and specific impacts of the Healthy Club Project on indicators of health and wellbeing.

Karen Mullins

Biography

I graduated from the Institute of Technology Tallaght in 2013 with an honours degree in Sports Science and Health. From there I began a PhD research study in Waterford Institute of Technology. In my spare time I play Camogie and Ladies Football for my local club in Tipperary and work as an underage coach within the club. I am currently a coach with the WIT Senior Ladies football team as well as working as an assistant lecturer in the Department of Health Sport and Exercise Science at WIT.

Research Brief

My research is in the area of femoroacetabular impingement (Hip Impingement) in association with the Whitfield Clinic in Waterford. Hip impingement is a chronic condition of the hip which is caused by excessive bone growth on the femoral head, pelvis or both, and restricts fluid movement of the femoral head into the joint during movement and subsequently causes tearing of the tissue inside the joint. Symptoms include deep groin pain or stiffness that is exacerbated by twisting/turning, sitting for prolonged periods, and stair climbing; patients also report an audible clicking sound coming from the hip and typically have reduced hip flexibility. This problem is highly prevalent in young athletes and if left untreated hip impingement has the potential to progress to early osteoarthritis of the hip. Physiotherapy can be used to relieve symptoms but may not always be effective, in such cases surgical intervention can be used to address the problem. My research focuses on the changes in athletic performance following arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery. I assess patients for sprint time, agility, power and range of motion; patients are tested at baseline, 12 weeks post-surgery and 1 year post surgery and compared to a healthy control group of hurlers and footballers at each time point. The results of my research will give athletes a clearer understanding of what outcomes can be expected should surgery be undertaken and allow them to make a more informed decision as to their treatment options. In conjunction to this, I am also undertaking a 3D biomechanical analysis of the movement patterns common to the game of hurling to determine whether the movement patterns associated with match play may be putting the hip in positions that could increase the risk of tissue damage, particularly if an impingement is present.

Fiach Andrews

Biography

Fiach has been a member of the Ballymun Kickhams club since 1999, and currently plays on the Senior football team.

He is a former student of Scoil Chaitriona (Glasnaion), Scoil an tSeachtar Laoch (Baile Munna), and Scoil Mhic Easmainn (Trá Li). Having completed an honours degree in Sports Management and Coaching at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (2010-2014), he undertook an MSc in Coaching and Exercise Science at the University College Dublin. He graduated at the end of 2016.

Fiach has coached at juvenile level in his club, completed a coaching internship with the National Athlete Development Academy (NADA), and is currently concentrating on skill acquisition with the U13 Dublin Development Squad.

His coaching experience stimulated his interest in coaching practices. This acted as a catalyst for his research on the ‘Coaching Behaviours of Professional Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the GAA’.

Research Brief

'The Behaviours of Professional Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the GAA: A Systematic Observation of Inter-County Coaches'

This research addressed the interesting coaching questions:

How do elite inter-county strength and conditioning coaches conduct a session?
How do strength and conditioning coaches instruct their players?
How do strength and conditioning coaches compare with coaches from other sports?
The use of silence in coaching sessions?
The use of questioning as a coaching behaviour?
The frequency and content of feedback?

The research observed six inter-county professional strength and conditioning coaches, who are presently working or have worked at senior inter-county level. Criteria for professional coaches was deemed to be someone who has been accredited by a relevant strength and conditioning body or completed a third-level degree in a sports science related field.

Sessions were conducted in a one-on-one setting with a GAA player who had less than one year’s exposure to structured gym training. Three exercises were utilised to assess the behaviours of the coaches; the Hang Clean, Box Squat, and Bench Press. Each coach was observed in sessions working with two different athletes. All sessions were video recorded, and subsequently analysed using the Coaching Analysis Intervention System (CAIS), an instrument designed to measure the types and frequency of coaches behaviours, and the only coaching observational tool to be validated in the research to date (Cushion et al., 2012). NacSport Scout Plus software was used to create a tagging panel template to code the data that had been collected, and it categorised behaviours under such headings as; instruction, management, silence, feedback, and questioning.

The findings when contrasted with previous research from studies in soccer, basketball, and Volleyball, highlighted the need for further in-depth research into the coaching behaviours of GAA coaches at all levels.

Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh

Biography

My name is Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh, and I have recently completed an MSc in Sports, Exercise and Performance Psychology at the University of Limerick. Despite being a very proud Galwegian, born and reared in An Cheathrú Rua, I have been living and working in Dublin in recent years. I am employed by RTÉ as a bi-lingual journalist, and as GAA reporter. I've spent over 10 years working in broadcasting in both radio and television. Psychology has always been an area of great interest to me, it was one of my degree subjects, along with Irish. With my passion for sport, especially Gaelic games, Sport and Performance Psychology was the next logical step. This time, I returned to education with a much broader view of the world, and with the challenge of completing the workload while holding down a demanding full-time job. I used to play football with my club in An Cheathrú Rua and with na Gaeil Óga in Dublin, but work and a badly damaged Meniscus put a stop to that. For now I'm content to stand on the sideline, and want my experience to be of assistance to a team or an athlete.

Research Brief

The purpose of my reserach is to gain an understanding of what Gaelic games players experience as they transition through their careers, eventually retiring. The conclusions of my research will identity the key points and stages in player careers that require intervention to help them transition successfully and healthily through their careers. My paper, entitled 'Now what? Transitions for elite athletes in Gaelic Games, from third level to retirement,' explores how players transition through different phases of play and into retirement. It's a qualitative study, based on a sample of players, from Fitzgibbon/Sigerson Cup level, to inter county, to recently retired individuals and includes both Gaelic footballers and hurlers. It illustrates that so few athletes have a sound Plan B, and even less players expect their career to be impacted by injury, despite the high likelihood. It also shows that the more players identify with being an athlete (athletic identity) the more potential there is for problems or issues at times of difficulty or not playing. Difficulty can arise if an athlete is too committed to this identity, without developing other areas of their lives and personalities. This in turn can lead to a retired player being very unprepared for the next phase of their lives. The paper will conclude with recommendations, based on research and best practice for players, coaches and the GAA when it comes to managing players. The vast bulk of research on this topic has been carried out within various sports outside of Ireland. I hope this research will bring a unique, Irish perspective to the topic.

Colm Clear

Biography

Colm Clear is employed by Leinster GAA in the role of learning and development manager. During his time with the GAA he has qualified as both a tutor and more recently a tutor trainer through Coaching Ireland. In 2016 Colm completed an MSc. In Sports Performance Analysis from I.T. Carlow and previously complete a Master of Arts through research by investigating “The Effects of Music on the Performance of Muscular Endurance Exercises” in Waterford I.T. Colm has played hurling at Senior Intercounty Level for Laois and has been involved with coaching at all levels from nursery to adult in both a voluntary and professional capacity.

Research Brief

This study investigated the effectiveness of different attacking profiles for senior inter county hurling. 4,260 in play possession during the 2015 senior intercounty hurling championship were analysed to establish if certain patterns of play are more conducive to a successful outcome. The research established that shot efficiency and more significantly shot count are key performance indicators at senior intercounty level. Each possession was analysed using five variables:

How possession was gained,
Start location,
Pass count,
Pass pattern,
End location,

The research has given insight into the current demands of the game. For example, 86% of possessions involve two passes or less, the majority of possessions originate from ‘counter attacks’ (44%) and puckouts (39%), attacks benefited by commencing in the attacking third and the ability of a team to retain possession from a long ball pass significantly improves their chances of getting a shooting opportunity. As coaches we need to ask ‘does our training games reflect these demands?’ In Identifying attacking profile data for hurling, this study can inform coaching practices and future research.

Patrick Jones

Biography

My name is Patrick Jones. I am a primary school teacher in Limerick city. After qualifying in 2010, I became involved in coaching hurling and Gaelic football in both my school and local club in south Limerick. The same year my club achieved senior status in hurling. However the underage element of the club was struggling to field teams as well as recruit coaches. Since then the player and coach numbers have steadily increased as has the quality of coaching provided. I undertook Foundation, Level 1 and 2 coaching courses before engaging in the Tutor Training courses. These Coach Education experiences have illustrated to me that the key to raising playing and coaching standards within a GAA club lie in the development of the coaches themselves. As well as being a player and a coach, I am also currently the Coaching Officer for the club. My desire to raise the standard of coaching provision in my club led me to examine the development of coaches as my dissertation topic for my master’s degree.

Research Brief

“How can a Coach Education (CE) intervention, incorporating mentoring and reflection through a Community of Practice, address the challenges experienced by GAA Go Games coaches in their coaching practice?”

This study aimed to identify and address the challenges Go Games GAA coaches (coaching children <12 years) encounter in their typical coaching practice. The study was based on the Coach Education (CE) programmes within the GAA using concepts and models from the Coach Development Pathway (GAA 2009a). It focussed primarily on the development of the GAA’s pedagogical model for coaching, the “Six How to Coach Skills”.

Decontextualised coaching situations are an attribute of traditional and didactic CE practices (Jones et al 2012; Clifford et al 2009). Therefore this study aimed to locate learning within the context of the participant coaches’ specific coaching setting. It took inspiration from the concept of “Situated Learning” and a “Community of Practice” (CoP) (Lave & Wenger 1991) as well as “The Coaching the Coaches Programme” (Walsh & Chambers 2015). The study comprised of two Action Research cycles with each consisting of an initial CE workshop focussing on the “Six How to Coach Skills”, followed by three coaching sessions. During each of these coaching sessions, the participant coaches were observed by the researcher and mentor and given feedback on their coaching in relation to their engagement with the “Six How to Coach Skills”. A semi-structured focus group interview took place after each coaching session and each coach completed a written reflection examining their own coaching practice.

The study found that developing the “Six How to Coach Skills” model was effective in addressing the pedagogical challenges coaches face. However, coaches reported other logistical and organisational challenges. Dealing with varying ability levels of players proved particularly challenging. The flexible CoP framework allowed learning to be located in practice, but effectiveness was dependent on the role of the CoP facilitator/researcher. The practice of mentoring proved an effective tool for stimulating reflection-in-action when questions were used to elicit responses from the participant coaches.

These findings suggest the possible benefits to GAA clubs in creating sustainable mentoring and CE practices by harnessing the existing expertise and resources within a GAA club. It highlighted the need for further exploration of the benefits and challenges in establishing local, self-sufficient CoPs within individual voluntary sports clubs, the consideration for the needs of coaches specific to individual contexts and settings in CE intervention design and the emphasis on pedagogy in GAA CE provision.