Eircom league and IFA soccer

[AZOffaly]

To be honest, I can't remember if it was done at UL or not, but I vaguely remember some study that examined this. I was sure that Rugby players were evaluated as well.

If there was a study done in UL then it would have been published, but I can't find it, so I'd be confident that there wasn't one done at all. And the ITT study doesn't prove anything in terms of which players are fitter.

I'm working on Campus in UL, although not for the college. I know a few lads in the coaching centre, so I'll ask around. Maybe Dave Mahedy knows.

[Zulu]

This was taken from the..

British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol 29, Issue 4 229-231, Copyright © 1995 by British Association of Sport and Medicine

And this was the only study I could find that was done in UL and related to Gaelic footballers, and this is what the abstact said....

This group of Gaelic footballers was found to be taller and heavier than top level soccer players but smaller than Australian rules and American footballers. At 58.6 ml.min-1.kg-1 maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was higher than that reported for rugby players and American footballers and is probably similar to that of professional soccer players...........There were wide variations in flexibility among the members of the group, the best individuals being as flexible as elite track and field athletes while the worst were less flexible than untrained subjects. Vertical jump scores were high and averaged 503 mm. The fitness observations made on this group of elite Gaelic footballers showed that they were not only fitter but more homogeneously fit than rugby players and American footballers and their fitness was generally similar to that reported for professional soccer players.

This study was conducted in 1995 so you can't say with any confidence that the results would still hold today, but considering the marked improvement in training methods of Gaelic footballers I'd suggest that the results might be similar.

I'm working on Campus in UL, although not for the college. I know a few lads in the coaching centre, so I'll ask around. Maybe Dave Mahedy knows.

No offence AZ but Dave Maheady wouldn't know one way or another.

[Main Street]

Are you are referring to this study?
http://bjsm.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/39/7/437

That study was conducted in Tralee IT so I presume it is not the same study DF is referring to and AZ recckons he can remember a UL study also, is that right AZ?
          Regardless as with all these types of studies the devil will be in the detail and irrespective of the results DF's statement that LoI players are light years ahead is wrong. But if someone can post up the details of the study I'd be very interested.

Doesn't matter who carried out the study
As this one is printed in the BJSM that means it has fulfilled the criteria in order to be classified as a bona fide study.
Abstrac t- Method - results - discussion -conclusion - references.

[AZOffaly]

No offence AZ but Dave Maheady wouldn't know one way or another.

Ah jaysus, you're being very harsh on Dave there. Sure he runs the place you know

[dublinfella]

To be honest, I can't remember if it was done at UL or not, but I vaguely remember some study that examined this. I was sure that Rugby players were evaluated as well.

If there was a study done in UL then it would have been published, but I can't find it, so I'd be confident that there wasn't one done at all. And the ITT study doesn't prove anything in terms of which players are fitter.

I dont have time to find it online right now, I had a flick through the hard copy a few years ago but I'm 99% sure it was UL. It was a LoI side, IC Football team, IC Hurling side and an AIL Rugby club first team squads and the results were clear. The Gaelic Footballers were the best on average, with hurlers best hand eye, rugby most upper body and soccer aerobically the fittest. There was a small mention in the press at the time IIRC.

If you dont mind me saying, very arrogant of you to dismiss both myself and AZ because a quick google didnt turn it up.

The Tralee IT (TIT?) one is very unambigious as well.

[Zulu]

Ah jaysus, you're being very harsh on Dave there. Sure he runs the place you know

Doesn't matter who carried out the study
As this one is printed in the BJSM that means it has fulfilled the criteria in order to be classified as a bona fide study.
Abstrac t- Method - results - discussion -conclusion - references.

Well it does to a degree and just because it is published doesn't mean it's any good or that you can make any inferences for those particular sporting populations. We are getting off point here though, as I agree with you that there is nothing in any of the studies published that even suggest that LoI players are light years ahead of IC players in aerobic fitness.

I dont have time to find it online right now, I had a flick through the hard copy a few years ago but I'm 99% sure it was UL. It was a LoI side, IC Football team, IC Hurling side and an AIL Rugby club first team squads and the results were clear. The Gaelic Footballers were the best on average, with hurlers best hand eye, rugby most upper body and soccer aerobically the fittest. There was a small mention in the press at the time IIRC.

Well DF I'm pretty sure that there isn't any such study done by the UL Sports Science department in the past 5 years. More importantly if the results are based on one team from each sport then regardless of any other factors it is completely wrong to infer anything from the results IMO. And since fitness is made up of a number of components then from the results as you remember them, then Gaelic footballers are probably the fittest(if you want to use this study). You took one aspect of fitness (exaggerated it a bit) and passed it off as proof that LoI players were fitter than GAA players.

If you dont mind me saying, very arrogant of you to dismiss both myself and AZ because a quick google didnt turn it up.

I apologize if I came across as arrogant but I don't think I dismissed yourself or AZ I simply know that what you have said is wrong. If LoI players are aerobically fitter than GAA players they are not 'light years ahead', that is simply stating something as fact which is wrong.

The Tralee IT (TIT?) one is very unambigious as well.

All of these studies (involving GAA) would be unambiguous, that is partly why it is wrong to infer too much from them. Oh and I think they prefer the name ITT rather than the more logical TIT.

[Billys Boots]

I think they prefer the name ITT rather than the more logical TIT.

Sure in Galway didn't they merge with Mayo to avoid being GIT.

[AZOffaly]

Can they all have the same acronym though. Surely between Tralee, Tallaght and Tipperary, there's a least a pair of TITs

[Billys Boots]

And in the NorthWest they avoided any reference to Sligo Harbour when naming their Institute of Technology.

[Zulu]

Sure in Galway didn't they merge with Mayo to avoid being GIT......Surely between Tralee, Tallaght and Tipperary, there's a least a pair of TITs ......And in the NorthWest they avoided any reference to Sligo Harbour when naming their Institute of Technology.

I think this issue deserves a thread of it's own.

As for the actual topic of this thread I only have a passing interest in soccer at this stage. But whether I watch a game of soccer or not is not dependent on my GAA afiliations. And I don't know of anyone who won't watch soccer out of loyalty to GAA.

[dublinfella]

Can they all have the same acronym though. Surely between Tralee, Tallaght and Tipperary, there's a least a pair of TITs

Carlow = CLIT?

[his holiness nb]

Back on topic we are still waiting for someone to step up and admit they dont like Irish soccer due to "patriotism" to the GAA. But ye dont mind English soccer.

Come on guys, ye know who ye are, own up!!

[The Real Laoislad]

Many other gaelic footballers made it as professional soccer players Gerry McElhinney (thanks Lynchbhoy), Martin O'Neill, Gerry Armstrong, Anton Rogan, Philip Mulryan, Neil Lennon, Pat Bonner.

Not forgetting the most obvious one...Kevin Moran

Did Niall Quinn not also play for Dublin minors?

As someone mentioned i think it was only hurling he played with Dublin..But i seem to remember hearing somewhere that Quinn did join a local gaa club in Kildare after he retired i think it was around Kill or Johnstown..I think he might have even won a Junior county final or something but im not 100% sure on that
Anyway there was a story that came out that the team he was with got a penalty and Quinn stepped up to take it and went on to score it..At the end of the match the goalie of the other team went up to Quinn and said "You weren't so f**king quick to take a penalty in the World Cup against Spain ya lanky bolix"
Once again not 100% sure the above story is true it's just something i heard

[The Real Laoislad]

Back on topic we are still waiting for someone to step up and admit they dont like Irish soccer due to "patriotism" to the GAA. But ye dont mind English soccer.

Come on guys, ye know who ye are, own up!!

Maybe you should do a poll so people can vote ..I'm  pretty sure that there is posters here who feel that way..

[Billys Boots]

As someone mentioned i think it was only hurling he played with Dublin

#

I was pretty sure that he played minor football for Dublin too, though I can only confirm that I saw him playing football for Drimnagh Castle in Leinster Colleges football in 1984 (as did Shamrock Shore).