Player burnout report hits the mark - While the inter-county season can boast of an official closed season, a glance at any of the morning papers will confirm their club brethren must plough on through the muck and rain. And it is not just under 21 B finals that are being played out in the semi darkness of winter; if you look closely you will find results for county league finals throughout the country. Sure, just over a week before Christmas, we read reports of the Leinster Senior Club final. You can be sure then that there are players out there, mostly playing third level football and the bit of left over club activity, that are coming to the end of a non-stop year of footballing activity. A recent report on the feeder schools for third level education indicates a large percentage of the nation's teenagers now go to third level and if you are a gifted or elite footballer chances are you are getting playing in those leagues and preparing for Sigerson or its equivalent in early spring. The publication of the recent GAA Task Force on Player Burnout could not come at a better time. It is now with the counties, being discussed and debated but there are stormy seas ahead for the report - it appears local interests might be allowed to over-rule the most important aspects and recommendations of the report. The media often flag such reports as the culmination of deliberations by a 'high powered committee' when nothing could be further from the truth. The committee members are all very fine and highly qualified individuals but if you think the have the position and power to ram something like the Burnout Report through the various layers of GAA administration, think again. Despite having such luminaries as Paraic Duffy (Ard Stuirethoir) and Pat Daly (Head of Games) both big hitters in Croke Park, we can only hope the best and most important parts of the report will get a decent hearing. As we have mentioned here in this column from time to time, too much democracy in the GAA can be a dangerous thing and some really smashing ideas can be chopped down by that behemoth that is Congress. On this occasion a Special Congress will deal with the report so I trust its authors will get a reasonable chance to sell its recommendations. And it really is a superb report. It starts with some background information on Player Burnout and it is important we keep that short explanation in mind throughout any reading of the report. Players simply stop training for a period of time or permanently, disillusioned and fed up with over-training, training with injuries and playing too many grades of football where excessive and inappropriate schedules of training and games pertain. And all this with too many manager masters at different grades. Two of its key recommendations are: - Regulation of training for players especially where different managers and grades are involved" - The introduction of a formal scheduled playing calendar with structured rest and recovery periods and in particular, a closed season. The obvious benefit from this approach should see a reduction in injuries, medical treatment and associated costs. The amount of travel to be undertaken should drop dramatically and these players will surely benefit with regard to their focus on academic study at a most critical time in their lives. This report is founded on sound medical research and advice and this really should be the clincher. Included among its authors and contributors are Dr Pat O'Neill (Chairman of the Report), Professor Niall Moyna, Head of School of Health and Human performance at DCU and much of the core material was supplied by post graduates who have studied both burnout and the tracking of sports injuries in elite sportsmen. It should be emphasised that this report pertains to inter-county players only and is for a trail period of two years. And the major proposal to aid this transformation in the playing calendar and reduce the incidence of burnout is one that will provide fierce debate over the next few weeks: the amalgamation of the inter county minor and under 21 grades into a single under 19 grade for seasons 2008 and 2009. Put the burnout issues to one side and one of the main benefits will be to students of age 17 and 18 who are undertaking their Leaving Certificate. The parents of Ireland, if they had a vote at this Special Congress, would vote en masse and 'For' the proposal. But they don't have a vote and by surfing the provincial papers and gleaning the early debate reports for various county boards, I am afraid the proposals are in for a difficult time. To me, this whole area is a no brainer-based on scientific and medical evidence, and with the evidence any half-baked coach can witness with his own eyes, the answer is to accept this report in its entirety. Here are some of the frightening medical findings: - The largest proportion of players in the final phase of burnout are to be found in the 22-24 year old group - 30% of all players surveyed suffered from exhaustion - A third of players surveyed played for at least 5 teams and of these a further 26% played for seven or more teams! All this was in the same competitive season - There is a proven greater rate of overall injuries in elite GAA players and a higher recurrence rate also in Gaelic football The report sets out an excellent argument for the amalgamation and as such this is the keystone to the report. If this falls at the Special Congress the report fails. The benefit to the playing calendar is immediate but there are other add-ons such as the availability of the elite player to his club on a more frequent and regulated basis. The only absence in this report concerns the research data or indeed reference, outlining the link between excessive participation in sports and lower academic attainment. The link is mentioned but the studies to prove it are not there. They must exist and so, that was a little curious. But in an overall sense this is one of the most important reports to go before the association in a long time. In fact, the report on fixtures, also due for debate at the Special Congress, is, it could be argued, a sub set or follow on to this primary document. We will delve into the detail of that report next month - the report on Club Fixtures was prepared by Paraic Duffy and this too, is worthy of detailed consideration. Will both reports make it into the daylight of a new season? Only time and the Special Congress will tell . Tweet

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