OVER 40% OF the professional rugby players in Ireland have reported symptoms of performance-related anxiety and/or depression, according to a study released this week.
The survey was carried out by the representative body for Ireland’s professional rugby players, Rugby Players Ireland, and was led by an international team led by Dr Vincent Gouttebarge of Fifpro.
The results showed as many as 41.7% of players have reported symptoms of performance-related anxiety and/or depression, while only 3% say they never worry about how they play.
Furthermore, 93% admitted they worry about team selection and 70% are concerned about life after rugby.
“When you’re playing professional rugby, the stakes are always high,” Ireland international Tadhg Furlong said.
“Almost without realising it, players are putting themselves under huge pressure and not dealing with it properly. Over time some of these things can build up.”
In light of the findings, Rugby Players Ireland, in association with Zurich, are increasing the mental health services on offer to players with one-one-one counselling sessions and access to online programmes available to players.
“Everybody is excited for the new season ahead, but there can also be a bit of tension,” Furlong added.
“A lot can change over the summer. The younger lads will have developed, new guys are brought in. In some ways, you have to prove yourself all over again and show the coaches that you’re worth your place. You hope there’ll be plenty of good days ahead, but there will be times when you’re not selected, you pick up an injury or you just have a bad game. Nobody knows how the season will go.”
Commenting on the survey, CEO of Rugby Players Ireland, Simon Keogh, said: “Players find themselves on a stage every week and have their playing performance publicly scrutinised. This in itself can heap a huge amount of pressure on an individual. We have worked with Zurich Ireland to put the best resources in place for our members should they need them.”
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Kilkenny football any thoughts people? I used to feel they should enter in these competitions give them experience but with that result not worth it. What goes on in their team preparations because Gaelic football ain’t that technical. I mean do they play football at all down there??
Football is a joke here! Pick lads up on the side of the road and throw em a jersey. Shouldn’t be that hard to bring an extra man or 2 back into defence and not concede the likes of 7-30.
You are laughed at if u say u play football for kilkenny so the decent ones don’t bother turning up.
Then why bother with it surely young lads would jump at a chance to pull on the Kilkenny jersey.
& the same Kilkenny people who mock football & do nothing to promote it will whinge & complain that other counties aren’t promoting hurling.
Fair play to the small counties like Waterford, Wexford, Clare, Laois & Offaly who put resources into both games.
Nope big difference in pulling on a hurling jersey and a football one. I know lads on the football team who just go for the free gear they get and trips away, can’t even make their club team.
Very unfair and downright rude comment.To say that we don’t put resources into our football is pure tripe considering we send our football team out to Britian each year to play in the Britiah junior championship because of the huge beatings they get at home which makes the team at least try because they believe they can win.Aswell as that…..no matter what people do Kilkenny will never be that interested in football,always was an out and out hurling county and always will be,it runs in the blood(no bragging intended but just look at the history and look at the history of our football….enough said).The interest for football in KK is just isn’t there but they keep on competing and getting trashed.I have lived in Kilkenny for 24yrs but not anymore but in my time living there I have never EVER heard people giving out about the promotion of football and to make sure that county boards spend fairly on their sports the GAA accesses all county accounts at the end of every year.But to be honest I’m not suprised by your comments as I have seen other ones of yours about Kilkenny.I myself have proudly played for Kilkenny in both Camogie and Gaelic Football.We are so bad we shouldn’t be even playing it but we do it because it is part if the ethos of an organisation that we all so dearly love.Do not speak tripe about a county that you do not know any facts on,just clueless accusations!
I agree with some of what your saying but come on, 49 points! That’s just disgraceful and down right embarrassing, clearly their is a need for greater funding which could go to better coaching etc…
That result is a disgrace and a stain on Kilkenny GAA!
Ok you asked for it with a comment like that. I’d rather be from a county that’s successful in one code than be from a county that’s shite in both!
I asked for it? By stating that sending out chaps to receive such an awful beating is disgraceful? Kids sent out to be humiliated?
You reckon the best thing to do is castigate my county? They’d never lose to Offaly in either code by that margin! Kilkenny are only half a GAA county and I reiterate my point this kind of carry on is a stain on Kilkenny GAA. Do the decent thing and withdraw from the competition.
Finally, I’d rather be…. what a stupid comment? Imagine preferring to be from another county although I suspect you’ve engendered that feeling before?
Ah Rory, Waterford ain’t shite at hurling but they’re not far off it judging by their performance in Nowlan Park a month ago!
*That was for Andrew, not Rory
Waterford Wexford and Clare have a far bigger population than KK. KK have a population in total of 87,000 people. Pound for Pound the most sucessful county on all ireland titles and yes they have provicial titles in the big ball as well not like some other Leinster counties.
The way Offaly hurling is going, they will soon be as big a laughing stock as Kilkenny football! Can’t even organise a training session with all the in house fighting and the gates been locked in Tullamore. Get it right in yere own county first before u starting mouthing about another one.
There is no point in bringing in better coaches when there is just no interest
Kilkenny treat Gaelic football with the contempt it deserves.
We’re very lucky in this country to have 2 fantastic sports that we can call our own. I pity anyone who is too blind to appreciate them both.
Offaly showed serious All-Ireland form today.
I would love to see hurling separated into a different association and just promoted by hurling people. Let’s face it the only similarities is that they share the same pitch and have the same scoring methods. Football is just one of many ‘football’ games played around, this one to Irish rules. While hurling is a truly unique sport that we can be proud of.
This hurling v football crap has to end. The two sports fall under the umbrella of the GAA and that’s where the similarity ends. It’s like comparing soccer with rugby!
Kilkenny don’t treat Gaelic with contempt, the County Board also doesn’t spare on funding or trying to promote football so let’s be clear on that. Issue is clubs just don’t support football and the won’t encourage players to play football. If minors can’t make hurling panel their not interested in playing football..It’s very unfair to say on here that the result was disgraceful, it’s disrespectful and bloody rude to players who actually bothered their backside to go and play football in the first place. Let’s be honest hurling is number one game in Kilkenny and nothing will change that…