New Gaelic football rules resulted in minor increases in player workload – study

New Gaelic football rules resulted in a minor increase in the workload for players, according to data analysis by Dublin City University (DCU).

The rules aimed to create a more free-flowing game, but prompted concerns that they could increase player workload.

They saw the implementation of rules including that three players must remain in each half of the field during a match, and a minimum distance for goalkeepers’ kick outs.

It also saw the introduction of the “solo and go”, which allows a fouled player to immediately play on, in an attempt to reduce the number of rows over frees which holds up play.

The rules were implemented this year after a discussion by the Football Review Committee, chaired by former Dublin football manager and presidential contender Jim Gavin.

Analysis of comparative data between 2024 and 2025 showed only relatively minor increases for three player positions.

Prof Mark Roantree, from the DCU School of Computing – who oversaw the study, said the usage of GPS data provided an objective analysis of the rules.

The figures were gathered from anonymised player GPS data from Division 2, 3, and 4 teams across 32 games in 2024 and compared with 50 games in 2025.

The findings come despite the data analysis also revealing that matches have gone up slightly in length since the rule changes, lasting an average of just over 77 minutes in 2025 compared to 2024.

“We simply took raw GPS data from players, and then depending on player velocity, we computed their relative intensity (speed) by distance,” he said.

“The study is purely data driven.”

The data analysis from DCU showed that of the six positional lines, goalkeepers, half-backs and midfielders covered higher distances in 2025 compared to 2024 – and these