An astrophysics PhD student from County Armagh in Northern Ireland has combined his passion for science with Gaelic football to help his club achieve a historic promotion.
Eamon McGleenan plays for his local team – O’Connell’s GAC Tullysaran – and is a PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast, where he is a member of the Predictive Sports Analytics (PSA) research team, which was established in 2023.
McGleenan and his PhD supervisor David Jess teamed up with GAC Tullysaran to investigate whether data analysis and statistical techniques could improve their training and results.
Over five months, the Queen’s University researchers took over 550 million individual measurements from the squad, which included information such as player running speed, accelerations and heart rates.
“We applied mathematical models to the big data we obtained from the athletes,” notes McGleenan. “This allowed us to examine how the athletes evolved over time and we then provided key insights for the coaching staff, who then generated bespoke training routines and match tactics.” Big data, big wins: how solar astrophysics can be a ‘game-changer’ in sports analytics
The efforts immediately paid off as in July GAC Tullysaran won their league by two points and were promoted for the first time in 135 years to the top-flight Senior Football League, which they will start in March.
“The statistical insight provided by PSA is of great use and I like how it lets me get the balance of training right, especially in the run-up to match day,” noted Tullysaran manager Pauric McGlone, who adds that it also provided a bit of competition in the squad that ensured the players were “conditioned in a way that allows them to perform at their best”.
For more about the PSA’s activities, see here.
