Tomorrow's World today: Science and technology in GAA training

A new documentary series on RTÉ One gives an unprecedented insight into the way science, technology and data are changing Gaelic Games.

The four-part Irish language series GAA Nua, presented by All-Ireland winning Kerry footballer Dara Ó Cinnéide, will reveal the lengths that GAA teams across the country are going to in their quest for victory.

Over four half-hours, starting tonight, Monday 19th June at 7.30pm on RTÉ One, Ó Cinnéide travels throughout Ireland meeting the managers, coaches, players, scientists, statisticians and medics using science and technology to revolutionise the way Gaelic Games are played. He asks if there is an advantage to the technology and expertise being used by teams across the country and whether the sport is better off without it. Does technology help or hinder as players put in blood, sweat and tears as they strive for success?

Dara Ó Cinnéide said: “Over the years since I left the inter-county game, I was constantly being told by those still involved that the game had changed beyond all recognition behind the scenes. The big revelation for me was seeing exactly how this was so. The level of preparation and attention to detail has escalated beyond anything I would have imagined. There are negative effects of this escalation but, by and large, it has been positive. Anything that helps the game evolve and helps players perform to the best of their ability, has to be a positive, but we also have to ensure that the games don't lose their soul. We examine the correlation between science and progress and the games' evolution in this series.”

With unrivalled behind-the-scenes access to everything from training days and matches to crucial career-saving surgeries, GAA Nua puts the use of this cutting-edge science, technology and analytics under the microscope. With clubs and counties across all codes putting science into action in the drive for victory, the documentary series looks at how the latest techniques are changing Gaelic Games fundamentally.

Contributors include Kerry senior football manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice, Waterford senior hurling manager Derek McGrath and Kildare senior football manager Cian O’Neill, as well as former Dublin footballer Coman Goggins, Waterford hurler Tadhg de Burca and former Down footballer Marty Clarke, and many more.

GAA Nua is directed by former Galway footballer, Pat Comer whose previous credits include the widely acclaimed A Year ‘Til Sunday and Tall, Dark and Ó hÁilpín. The series was produced for RTÉ by Galway based production company Meangadh Fibín with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound and Vision Scheme.