Mental health in the GAA: Why players are struggling

Inside a county footballer's mind | Visualisation & journaling | Meeting Djokovic

Join 7k+ athletes - Gaelic Games S&C, Performance and Coaching newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter [https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter] What does two years in the AFL system actually teach you that you can bring back to inter-county football?  Why is a call-out culture one of the hardest things a squad can build, and why does it matter so much?  And what was it really like sitting in a room with Novak Djokovic listening to him talk about discipline? Sligo footballer Luke Towey joins the podcast this week to break it all down. Luke spent two years with the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL before returning to inter-county football with Sligo, and has since built his own Performance Journal business used by loads of GAA players and teams. In this episode, we also cover: * Reflecting honestly on a disappointing season with Sligo * What actually happens inside a panel once an intercounty season ends * The two years he spent in the AFL system during COVID * Building culture and standards in a professional sporting environment * Comparing GAA and AFL strength and conditioning * A breakdown of Sligo's weekly gym schedule during championship * Mental prep, visualisation and sport psychology * The story behind his Performance Journal and turning it into a business * Meeting the 'hyper-obsessed' Novak Djokovic at the Suns * How he resets after a bad performance You can get 20% off your own journal by using the code 'HUMANS' if you go here [performancejournal.com/products/the-performance-journal]. And you can follow Luke's business page here [https://www.instagram.com/the_performance_journal].

Developing two-footed footballers: 'What we're currently doing is not working'

Join 7k+ athletes - Gaelic Games S&C, Performance and Coaching newsletter: ⁠⁠https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter [https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter] Why are GAA players being dictated to by their dominant foot without even knowing it? Why does dominant-side kicking shape a team's entire tactical shape? And why is what we're currently doing to develop the non-dominant side simply not working? Dr. Karol Dillon has just completed his PhD on bilaterality in Gaelic football - five years of research - and he's back on the podcast to break it all down. After our first conversation, Karol has spent the last year visiting clubs and counties across Ireland sharing his findings. What he found surprised even him. In this episode, we cover: * Why skill development in GAA needs to be treated like a lifestyle, not a drill at training * What the research actually showed when Karol ran a three-month intervention - and why the result wasn't what he expected * How dominant-foot kicking shapes team tactics across every division, male and female * Why left-footed players are worth their weight in gold and are undervalued * What David Clifford, Shane Walsh, Tomas Ó Sé and James O'Donoghue have in common that most coaches miss * Why the games-based approach is what teenage players themselves say works best * The role of parents in developing the non-dominant side - and why they matter more than the coach * How S&C coaches can bring this into training * How GAA's own 13-week coaching webinar only dedicates one week to skill - and what that tells us * Why we're playing with half a pitch and what would change if this improved by 25% over 30 years You can follow Karol on X: https://x.com/KarolDillon8 [https://x.com/KarolDillon8]

What GPS gets wrong | The reality of coaching in pro sport | GAA life in Sydney

I’m joined by Jonny McGailey, a Louth native who has worked across elite rugby, GAA, basketball and high-performance sport in Australia, with the Sydney Kings in the NBL. I played under Jonny for a season at Clan na Gael Sydney in 2023, so it was great to catch-up with him. We discuss: • Coaching NBA-level talent and managing elite athletes • The realities of working in professional sport • What GAA can learn from elite Australian systems • GPS, load monitoring and the future of athlete tracking • The rise of ADI and why traditional GPS may miss key movements • Injury prevention, asymmetries and return-to-play monitoring • The differences between GAA, rugby, basketball and AFL environments • Building buy-in with athletes across different sports and cultures • The challenge of making a career as a professional S&C coach • The GAA scene in Sydney • Lessons from working with professional teams in Australia We also dive into Jonny’s incredible personal story of donating a kidney to a close friend, and how that experience changed his perspective on sport and life. A great listen for GAA players, coaches, S&C coaches and anyone interested in elite performance environments, sports science and the future of athlete monitoring. Join 6k+ athletes - Gaelic Games S&C, Performance and Coaching newsletter: ⁠https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter [https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletter]

Mental health in the GAA: Why players are struggling

If you’re training hard, ticking every box in the gym and on the pitch, but still feeling flat, stressed, or close to burnout - it might not be physical. In this episode, I sit down with Aoibheann NicGhiolla Bhuí, who researched mental health in GAA players, to break down what’s really going on behind the scenes - and why so many players are struggling to keep up. We talk about: • Why GAA demands are becoming unsustainable for modern players • The concept of psychological flexibility and how it affects performance • Why over 50% of GAA players drop out between 16–24 • The hidden pressure of balancing college, work, and GAA • Why male inter-county players are 3x more likely to repeat a college year than their peers • The role of team culture, self-talk, and social media in performance We also dive into what players and coaches are getting wrong when it comes to mental preparation - and what actually helps. Whether you’re trying to improve performance, stay consistent, or just enjoy the game again, this episode will give you a different perspective on what might be holding you back. 📕 You can read Aoibheann's book here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GV3SF6RD] Stay Connected Subscribe to the Humans of Gaelic podcast wherever you're listening. ⭐ Leave a Review: If you found value in this episode, please give it a rating and review - it helps me get more top guests.📢 Share the Episode: Know someone who’d benefit from this? Share it to help spread the word! Follow Along 📍 Website: ⁠humansofgaelic.com⁠ [https://humansofgaelic.com/] 📸 Instagram: ⁠@humansofgaelic⁠ [https://instagram.com/humansofgaelic] 📘 Facebook: ⁠Humans of Gaelic [https://facebook.com/humansofgaelic] ⁠ [https://facebook.com/humansofgaelic]🎥 TikTok: ⁠@humansofgaelic [https://www.tiktok.com/@humansofgaelic]

What inter-county S&C is really like, the art of man marking & Achilles rehab

My guest this week is former Offaly captain Declan Hogan, who is currently combining playing club football while also working as S&C coach with the Tullamore senior hurlers. ⁠📲 Follow Dec's coaching page on Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/dhogansnc/] We discuss: - What inter-county S&C looks like and the changes he witnessed in gym work over the last decade - The level of work (gym, skill and recovery) needed to turn himself into an inter-county footballer - Adapting to playing corner-back - The 'sick' level of video analysis he does before man marking key forwards - Tragic passing of Offaly manager Liam Kearns while Dec was captain, and how the squad navigated it - Advice for young players - Achilles injury, surgery and tips for rehabbing tendons - How county football shaped him as a person ➕ I've got some great guests coming up. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes. Stay Connected Subscribe to the Humans of Gaelic podcast wherever you're listening. ⭐ Leave a Review: If you found value in this episode, please give it a rating and review - it helps me get more top guests. 📢 Share the Episode: Know someone who’d benefit from this? Share it to help spread the word! Follow Along 📍 Website: humansofgaelic.com [https://humansofgaelic.com/] 📸 Instagram: @humansofgaelic [https://instagram.com/humansofgaelic] 📘 Facebook: Humans of Gaelic [https://facebook.com/humansofgaelic] 🎥 TikTok: @humansofgaelic [https://www.tiktok.com/@humansofgaelic]