Activity profile, PlayerLoad™ and heart rate response of Gaelic football players : A pilot study

The objectives of this study were to; quantify positional differences in the activity profiles of Gaelic football players and to evaluate decrements in physical performance during a pre-season competition. Global positioning system (GPS) data was recorded from 36 players from 3 teams across 5 games. The relative distance covered in locomotor activities, peak speed, relative PlayerLoad™ (PL.min -1 )and heart rate responses were evaluated between playing positions and across match periods using a mixed model analysis. The mean relative distance of 92.4 ± 23.3 m.min -1 covered,comprised 28.4 ± 10.2 m.min -1 of high intensity running (m.min -1 ≥4.0 m.s -1 ) and 9.9 ± 3.9 m.min -1 of very high i…