The Physical and Physiological Demands of Intercounty Camogie Competitions

Opening Context Despite camogie being a traditional amateur Gaelic sport played by female athletes, it remains significantly under-researched compared to its male counterpart, hurling. This gap is particularly evident in the absence of female-specific guidance to support both performance and player welfare. As an invasion-based field sport involving high-intensity intermittent physical demands, there is a clear need for strength and conditioning recommendations for female camogie athletes, particularly at intercounty level. This includes a greater understanding of camogie-specific injury epidemiology, physiological demands, and practical strength and conditioning (S&C) approaches for implementation. Such insights will empower practitioners to use this knowledge as a blueprint for performance enhancement in female team sports, particularly camogie. Research Overview The overall aim of the research was to quantify the physiological and physical demands of matchplay in inter-county camogie, including differences between competitions and the high-intensity actions involved. It also sought to apply the findings to practical applications for use in real-world settings. To achieve this, the research, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences in 2025, builds on initial findings presented in the Strength and Conditioning Journal in 2020, and examined the physical and physiological demands of inter-county camogie matchplay across the National League and All-Ireland Championship series. Data were collected over a two-year period from 28 players across 18 competitive games, using global positioning systems (10 Hz) and heart rate monitors (2.4 GHz). Key Insights / Findings This research highlights significant decreases in matchplay running performance and heart rates (HRs) between competitions, along with some position-specific variations across key performance metrics. The findings indicate that position-specific training and conditioning are required to support intercounty camogie players transitioning from the National League to the All-Ireland Championship series. This is important to optimise adaptation and reduce the negative effects associated with maladaptation. The development of a holistic and comprehensive sports science support programme with the inclusion of external and internal training load metrics can optimise long term athletic development and physical capabilities at inter-county level. Hopefully, the results provided can enable practitioners to prepare inter-county players better for the unique demands of Camogie competition. Why It MattersThis is the first study to report the unique physical and physiological demands between competitions in inter-county camogie. The findings provide practitioners and coaches with a clearer understanding of matchplay demands, enabling more informed training design. By quantifying between-competition differences, the research supports the development of targeted training prescriptions to better prepare players for the differing demands of both competitions. This research also has important implications for talent identification and the preparation of players transitioning into inter-county camogie, ensuring they are better equipped for elite-level participation. The study establishes key physical and physiological benchmarks within a Gaelic games context, supporting the optimisation of performance at inter-county level. These insights can be used to replicate the specific demands of the game in training environments, as well as to inform position-specific return-to-play and performance protocols. Overall, the findings enable practitioners to apply appropriate external and internal training load stimuli, while providing meaningful feedback to maintain and enhance fitness capacities in preparation for inter-county camogie matchplay. Wider Context / Application / Next Steps This research can support practitioners in designing position-specific sprinting and conditioning programmes, enabling players to better manage the transition from the National League to the All-Ireland Championship. The findings also provide guidance for structuring training blocks across the competitive season. Given the growing popularity of camogie both nationally and internationally, further research is needed to better understand the physiological demands of the inter-county game, including internal and external training loads, the impact of the menstrual cycle on performance, and the effectiveness of biomotor qualities in enhancing performance. To maximise physical preparation for the demands of inter-county matchplay, players must be progressively exposed to the specific physical and physiological stimuli required during training, both on and off the field of play. In particular, this research highlights the need for the ‘middle eight’ positions (half-back line, midfielders, and half-forwards) to receive targeted strength and technical training interventions to ensure they can tolerate the demands of inter-county camogie.