A Video Analysis of Suspected Injuries and Suspected Concussions in Elite Ladies Gaelic Football Matches

Leigh Porter; Stephen West; Stephen Behan; Siobhan O'Connor

doi:10.1177/19417381251372982

A Video Analysis of Suspected Injuries and Suspected Concussions in Elite Ladies Gaelic Football Matches

Leigh Porter
, Stephen West
, Stephen Behan
, Siobhan O'Connor

Dublin City University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Background: Previous research shows that injuries are prevalent in ladies Gaelic football. However, little is known about how these injuries occur (ie, the mechanism of injury). In addition, there are limited data on injuries sustained during elite-level matches. Concussions are also a key concern, yet research has examined solely self-reported suspected concussions, and it remains unclear how potential concussions are identified and managed during matches. Objective: To establish the incidence, characteristics, and management of suspected injuries and concussions in elite ladies Gaelic football matches. Design: Cross-sectional video analysis study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A video coding framework was developed based on similar published studies and validated by 5 Gaelic football-specific raters. One research assistant coded all matches from the 2022 season, and an experienced referee also reviewed foul play events. Results: There were 829 suspected injuries (suspected injury rate [IR], 229.0 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 214.0-245.2; 6.9 suspected injuries per match) and 162 suspected concussions (IR, 44.8 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 38.4-52.2; 1.4 per match) recorded in 120 matches. Most suspected injuries received onfield medical attention (84.0%); however, just 13.6% of suspected concussions were removed from play. The tackle accounted for the most suspected injuries (40.2%), player-to-player contact (68.2%) was the most common mechanism, and the head/neck (38.1%) was the body location injured most frequently. Foul play concerned 53.2% of suspected injuries, with 76.7% of fouls concerning the tackle. Conclusion: The nonremoval of suspected concussions and the frequency of tackle-related suspected injuries and foul play warrants attention. Clinical Relevance: Developing and implementing injury prevention programs, concussion management strategies, and education for all knowledge users may contribute to a safer playing environment.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	436-445
Journal	Journal of Sports Sciences
Volume	18
Issue number	2
Early online date	25 Sept 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381251372982
Publication status	Published - 1 Mar 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by the 2022 Sport Ireland Research Grant and supported by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.

Funders
2022 Sport Ireland
Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Keywords

concussion
female Gaelic football
injury
video analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

Access to Document

10.1177/19417381251372982Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Background: Previous research shows that injuries are prevalent in ladies Gaelic football. However, little is known about how these injuries occur (ie, the mechanism of injury). In addition, there are limited data on injuries sustained during elite-level matches. Concussions are also a key concern, yet research has examined solely self-reported suspected concussions, and it remains unclear how potential concussions are identified and managed during matches. Objective: To establish the incidence, characteristics, and management of suspected injuries and concussions in elite ladies Gaelic football matches. Design: Cross-sectional video analysis study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A video coding framework was developed based on similar published studies and validated by 5 Gaelic football-specific raters. One research assistant coded all matches from the 2022 season, and an experienced referee also reviewed foul play events. Results: There were 829 suspected injuries (suspected injury rate [IR], 229.0 per 1000 hours; 95\% CI, 214.0-245.2; 6.9 suspected injuries per match) and 162 suspected concussions (IR, 44.8 per 1000 hours; 95\% CI, 38.4-52.2; 1.4 per match) recorded in 120 matches. Most suspected injuries received onfield medical attention (84.0\%); however, just 13.6\% of suspected concussions were removed from play. The tackle accounted for the most suspected injuries (40.2\%), player-to-player contact (68.2\%) was the most common mechanism, and the head/neck (38.1\%) was the body location injured most frequently. Foul play concerned 53.2\% of suspected injuries, with 76.7\% of fouls concerning the tackle. Conclusion: The nonremoval of suspected concussions and the frequency of tackle-related suspected injuries and foul play warrants attention. Clinical Relevance: Developing and implementing injury prevention programs, concussion management strategies, and education for all knowledge users may contribute to a safer playing environment.",

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N2 - Background: Previous research shows that injuries are prevalent in ladies Gaelic football. However, little is known about how these injuries occur (ie, the mechanism of injury). In addition, there are limited data on injuries sustained during elite-level matches. Concussions are also a key concern, yet research has examined solely self-reported suspected concussions, and it remains unclear how potential concussions are identified and managed during matches. Objective: To establish the incidence, characteristics, and management of suspected injuries and concussions in elite ladies Gaelic football matches. Design: Cross-sectional video analysis study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A video coding framework was developed based on similar published studies and validated by 5 Gaelic football-specific raters. One research assistant coded all matches from the 2022 season, and an experienced referee also reviewed foul play events. Results: There were 829 suspected injuries (suspected injury rate [IR], 229.0 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 214.0-245.2; 6.9 suspected injuries per match) and 162 suspected concussions (IR, 44.8 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 38.4-52.2; 1.4 per match) recorded in 120 matches. Most suspected injuries received onfield medical attention (84.0%); however, just 13.6% of suspected concussions were removed from play. The tackle accounted for the most suspected injuries (40.2%), player-to-player contact (68.2%) was the most common mechanism, and the head/neck (38.1%) was the body location injured most frequently. Foul play concerned 53.2% of suspected injuries, with 76.7% of fouls concerning the tackle. Conclusion: The nonremoval of suspected concussions and the frequency of tackle-related suspected injuries and foul play warrants attention. Clinical Relevance: Developing and implementing injury prevention programs, concussion management strategies, and education for all knowledge users may contribute to a safer playing environment.

AB - Background: Previous research shows that injuries are prevalent in ladies Gaelic football. However, little is known about how these injuries occur (ie, the mechanism of injury). In addition, there are limited data on injuries sustained during elite-level matches. Concussions are also a key concern, yet research has examined solely self-reported suspected concussions, and it remains unclear how potential concussions are identified and managed during matches. Objective: To establish the incidence, characteristics, and management of suspected injuries and concussions in elite ladies Gaelic football matches. Design: Cross-sectional video analysis study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A video coding framework was developed based on similar published studies and validated by 5 Gaelic football-specific raters. One research assistant coded all matches from the 2022 season, and an experienced referee also reviewed foul play events. Results: There were 829 suspected injuries (suspected injury rate [IR], 229.0 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 214.0-245.2; 6.9 suspected injuries per match) and 162 suspected concussions (IR, 44.8 per 1000 hours; 95% CI, 38.4-52.2; 1.4 per match) recorded in 120 matches. Most suspected injuries received onfield medical attention (84.0%); however, just 13.6% of suspected concussions were removed from play. The tackle accounted for the most suspected injuries (40.2%), player-to-player contact (68.2%) was the most common mechanism, and the head/neck (38.1%) was the body location injured most frequently. Foul play concerned 53.2% of suspected injuries, with 76.7% of fouls concerning the tackle. Conclusion: The nonremoval of suspected concussions and the frequency of tackle-related suspected injuries and foul play warrants attention. Clinical Relevance: Developing and implementing injury prevention programs, concussion management strategies, and education for all knowledge users may contribute to a safer playing environment.

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A Video Analysis of Suspected Injuries and Suspected Concussions in Elite Ladies Gaelic Football Matches

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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