A comparison of the physiological profiles of elite Gaelic footballers, hurlers, and soccer players: Table 1

Abstract

Background: Gaelic football, soccer, and hurling are prominent field games in Ireland and involve participants undertaking a variety of playing tasks and skills which place various physiological demands on the participants. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the mid-season physiological profiles of elite players. Methods: Physiological assessment was carried out on 29 inter-county Gaelic footballers, 30 inter-county hurlers, and 21 League of Ireland soccer players. Results: Significant differences were reported for % body fat (p,0.05), aerobic capacity (p,0.05), flexibility (p,0.05), upper body strength (p,0.05), upper body strength endurance (p,0.05), abdominal endurance (p,0.05), and speed endurance (p,0.05), while there were no differences recorded for height, weight, or speed levels. A relatively heterogeneous body size is evident for all three sports. Soccer players had lower body fat levels, greater aerobic capacity, greater strength endurance, and greater flexibility compared to both Gaelic footballers and hurlers, possibly due to specific training and conditioning programmes or physical adaptation to match play The greater strength of both Gaelic footballers and hurlers and the superior speed endurance levels of Gaelic footballers also reflect the physical nature of the sports. Similar speed levels amongst all three sports reflect the importance of speed for performance. Conclusions: The various physiological attributes for Gaelic football, soccer, and hurling reflect the physical requirements for success and participation in each of these field games.

Anthropometric and Performance Characteristics of Elite Hurling Players

“…Pronounced variations in body composition does not seem to exist across playing positions at the elite level of play. he participants in the current study possess lower adiposity than previously reported [10]. In contrast to the homogenous nature of outield training, goalkeepers typically engage is position speciic technical training.…”

“…Researches on the positional variation with regard to performance characteristics in Gaelic games are limited [8,9]. Whilst these studies have provided important information on the itness of Gaelic footballers no studies have presented position speciic data in relation to hurling [3,8,10]. An understanding of position-speciic characteristics within a sport can be utilized to inform efective preparatory practices.…”

Genç Futbolcularin Bazi Fi̇zi̇ksel Uygunluk Ve Somatoti̇p Özelli̇kleri̇ni̇n Oynadiklari Mevki̇lere Göre Karşilaştirilmasi

“…James ve ark. tarafından yapılan çalışmada ise hücum oyuncularının vücut ağırlıkları ortalama 66 kg ile 86 kg, savunma oyuncuları 60 kg ile 80 kg arasında değişmektedir (19,20). Watson (21) tarafından İrlandalı futbol oyuncularının incelendiği çalışmada ise genel olarak oyuncuların bu çalışmaya göre daha yüksek vücut ağırlığına ve yüksek yağ yüzdesine (% 15.9) sahip oldukları belirtilmiştir.…”

Positional differences in morphology, somatotype and body composition characteristics in university level Indian footballers

“…Some studies showed evidence for positionspecific anthropometric characteristics in football players. [8][9][10][11] Studies on position-specific anthropometric profiles have been reported for Australian football 12,13 , Gaelic football 14,15 , and American football 8,16,17 . Players' position is extremely important in interpretation of morphological data because of the different demands for a specific play; for example, midfield players cover a large area of a football field.…”