New study outlines stark extent of possession-based approach in Gaelic football

A significant increase in hand-passing, uncontested kick-outs, backward passes and a definite decrease in turnovers and contests for possession are the key trends that a new study into Gaelic football has found.

The Association has published a full statistical analysis report that provides a very revealing insight into how Gaelic football has developed in the past 13 years.

A group led by John Tobin, chairman of the National Coaching and Games Committee, and assisted by Shane Flanagan, the national head of coaching and games, and Jack Cooney, GAA national player development lead, spearheaded the survey.

This data was then processed by Gaelic Stats to develop a comparative analysis of 521 senior inter-county championship matches from 2011 to 2023.

Their report paints a clear picture of how Gaelic football has become a more possession-based, conservative sport.

In total 619 games were analysed; 98 league games (2019-2023) and 521 championship games (2011-2023).

For the purposes of year-over-year comparison and consistency, only the championship games have been included.

The average number of hand passes per game has increased from 251 in 2011 to 421 in this year's championship.

The increase in hand passing does not match the increase in foot passing and despite being on the decrease from 2011 to 2018, it has started to level off at around approximately 130 passes per game.

Some of the increase can be explained by an increase in game time.The ball was in play for an average of 34 minutes in the 2011 season and now stands at 45 minutes, 30 seconds, a 32% increase over 13 seasons.

The report shows that forward kick passes are down 9% in the past number of years. In 2011, for every foot pass there were two hand passes, in 2023 that