GAA want colleges to cut back

Gaelic Games News round-upThe GAA wants to limit third-level competitions as part of their continued effort to tackle player burnout. Speaking at yesterday's launch of the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon cups, GAA president Nickey Brennan called on Comhairle Ardoideachais, the higher education body, to suggest ways of streamlining the competitions to take some pressure off the players involved.

The third-level competitions start this week, and their launch, somewhat ironically, came just the day after the launch of the National Football League, which also starts this weekend, and just three days after the GAA's special congress on player burnout. The busy season, in other words, is now well and truly under way.

"Maybe people are burned out hearing about the burnout issue," said Brennan. "However, we see some unfinished business in that area. It's no great secret that we would see aspects of third-level operations as something that needs a little bit more scrutiny, and we'd ask the members of Comhairle Ardoideachais to give some thought themselves as to how they can play an even greater role in ensuring the issue of burnout does not impact on players within the sector.

"It's far better that solutions that might help this whole process come from within the third-level sector, rather than having them imposed on them. And I hope they will help with the burnout task force, which will be reconvened in a few weeks' time, to consider strategies going forward. Because the issue of burnout has not suddenly disappeared because of what happened last weekend. Some progress was made, but we need to move it a lot further."

Around 170 games will take place over the coming weeks, not just in the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon cups, but also the further education championship, the Corn na Mac Léinn, and Trench Cup in football, and the Feargal Maher Cup and the Ryan Cup in hurling.

The status of the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon cups has grown so much in recent years they've effectively become intercounty competitions in disguise. Dublin forward Mark Vaughan highlighted that intensity when outlining his level of preparation with Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), who wouldn't even be considered one of the major forces in the competition.

"I think it is as strong a competition as any other," said Vaughan. "Most teams have 10 or more intercounty players. And we aren't far off being a full team of intercounty players, with the likes of Aidan Kilcoyne from Mayo, Paul Brogan from Dublin, and Cian Ward from Meath.

"Just last weekend DIT went down to Mayo for a training camp, playing Mayo on Sunday (and beating them). That made me realise how big a competition it is. I always thought it was a bit of a Mickey Mouse competition. But some guys were killing themselves to get into the team."

Vaughan is in his second year of a business and management course at DIT, but missed last year's Sigerson Cup competition because of a shoulder injury. He admits the level of commitment is something of a catch-22: It helps with early-season fitness, but it also helps lead to burnout.

"When I was still playing under-21 it (burnout) was definitely an issue," said Vaughan, who at 22 has just moved out of that grade. "I think I was playing with five teams at the time. A massive factor as well is how good your club is. I was playing with Kilmacud, and that year we got to the All-Ireland semi-final. I think I got a week's break after that before I was back with Dublin, and the under-21s with the club and county as well. I think I had one week off for two years nearly.

"It was too much, really. Because you do need a break. It starts annoying you then, the whole sport, because you literally can't do anything else. And you end up getting frustrated. I can't see an easy solution, because someone is going to lose out, club, county, or whoever. The solution has to be a two or three-month break where it just shuts down, all tournaments.

"At least the Sigerson comes in the same time as the county. Because I'm finished with under-21 for me it's been a huge benefit. Normally this time of the year I'd only be training a couple of hours at the weekend. But I think we put in a 12-hour session nearly down in Mayo. So I am getting a lot fitter for this time of the year.

"It's still a build-up throughout the year. It's a completely different game in winter, than summer. And two different training seasons really."