Updated / Thursday, 18 Jun 2026 14:42
Paula O'Hagan (left) with her son Charlie and Sara Louise Graffin with her daughter Cara
Elite intercounty female players need better support to have families because only 3% of them have children, the Gaelic Players Association has warned.
The GPA is calling for coordinated supports for female inter-county athletes who wish to start families while continuing their sporting careers.
The call comes on the back of research that shows 3% of female players currently have children, compared to approximately 7% in Britain's Women's Super League (WSL).
The study was carried out at the Department of Sport and Health Sciences in TUS Midlands Midwest by Sarah Doran and supported by the GPA.
It also showed that female intercounty players leave elite sport at younger ages than males, with just 11.5% of players aged over 30.
In addition, the research identified significant gaps in access to specialist support services that are critical for female athlete health and wellbeing.
Paula O'Hagan returned to playing intercounty camogie after having her first child
While access to physiotherapy and strength and conditioning support is generally positive across intercounty set-ups, many players report limited access to other key practitioners.
Among surveyed players: 38% have no access to a nutritionist; 41% have no access to a psychologist; 85% have no access to a medical doctor.
The GPA said these services can play a crucial role in supporting athletes through pregnancy, post-partum recovery, load management and return-to-play processes.
Another survey carried out by the GPA show that of practitioners working within Gaelic games, the majority reported having no specific education relating to female health and 47% stated they do not have adequate resources to support female health needs effectively.
Practitioners also rated interdisciplinary collaboration significantly lower for female health issues (48.6%) than for injury management (83%), highlighting the need for more integrated approaches when supporting players through pregnancy, post-partum recovery and broader female health considerations.
Dr Aoife Lane said there is a need to need to build a system specifically for women
Down Camogie player Paula O'Hagan came back to play intercounty camogie after her first child was born four years ago and she is now expecting her second.
She said education, training protocols and better processes for players are needed.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme, she said research in recent years on women training through their pregnancy has shown there are benefits for both mother and baby.
Ms O'Hagan said that when there was a lack of education perhaps about how women can return to their previous skill levels - she also wants to see more support around returning to play after birth.
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Dr Aoife Lane, Head of Department of Sport and Health Sciences in TUS Midlands Midwest, who oversaw the research is a founding member of the Women’s GPA.
"We've typically created an environment for women that's based on the men's templates," Dr Lane said.
"We actually need to build a system for women and that might help a lot of things in terms of injury management, performance, retention rates.
"So, you know, it's a challenge for all of us, but I think we all need to step up and probably call for greater investment."
GPA Head of Equality and Player Relations Gemma Begley said: "The encouraging aspect of this research is that solutions already exist.
"Targeted education for coaches and practitioners, improved access to specialist expertise, clear pregnancy and return-to-play guidelines, and better collaboration between medical and performance staff would significantly improve the environment for players."
Read the full article at RTÉ News →
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