Mental health in the GAA: Why players are struggling
About this episode
This episode discusses the mental health challenges faced by GAA players and explores the underlying issues affecting their performance.
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 Stay Connected Subscribe to the Humans of Gaelic podcast…
More episodes of Humans of Gaelic
- What inter-county S&C is really like, the art of man marking & Achilles rehab
- The hidden reason for ACL injuries in GAA & why females are far more at risk
- The truth about half-time team talks: from an expert with Brazil & GAA counties
- Sleep expert for GAA: The truth about Whoop, naps, blue light, caffeine & alcohol
- Why can’t more Gaelic footballers use both feet? Are we coaching the solo wrong?
- Why you’re not getting faster for GAA – and what your warm-ups are missing
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Humans of Gaelic podcast page.