{"id":1514,"date":"2016-11-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/how-dublin-are-working-to-stay-at-the-summit-of-the-gaa\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:46","slug":"dublin-gaa","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/dublin-gaa\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dublin Are Working to Stay at the Summit of the GAA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Nov 15, 2016 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

How Dublin Are Working to Stay at the Summit of the GAA<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Human Performance<\/a>, Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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How Gaelic sports\u2019 first High Performance Manager is helping Dublin GAA to stay at the top.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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By John Portch<\/h6>\n
Dublin\u2019s recent success in Gaelic football is underpinned by their desire for continual renewal.<\/h6>\n

In 2015, after the men\u2019s team won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Ireland\u2019s most historic and prestigious Gaelic football competition, the Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association (Dublin GAA) appointed their former team captain Bryan Cullen as their first High Performance Manager.<\/p>\n

His January arrival from Leinster Rugby, where he served as Lead Academy Strength & Conditioning Coach, was a further step by Dublin GAA to build on its triumphs in recent seasons and tie together the performance goals of its athletes. He says: \u201cMy priority upon coming in was to develop a team of practitioners to support our players throughout our age grade squads up to senior level, ensuring we are creating the best environment possible for our players to flourish and for Dublin to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cullen\u2019s contribution was particularly tangible at senior level; Dublin retained the All-Ireland Championship in October, their fourth All-Ireland title in six years; and earlier in the year the team won the National Football League for a fourth consecutive season. The Leaders Performance Institute spoke to Cullen about his appointment, which was described by Professor Niall Moyna of Dublin City University (DCU) as a \u201cblueprint for the way forward\u201d in Gaelic sport, and Dublin GAA\u2019s integrated high performance platform.<\/p>\n

Working in a Player-Led Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

Athletes in Gaelic games have amateur status but the All-Ireland Championship is an elite level competition; meticulous preparation, fitness and recovery are essential. The development of Dublin\u2019s high performance platform gives their players the greatest opportunity for success. Cullen, who won the All-Ireland as captain in 2011 when Dublin\u2019s current run of success started, says the players set the tone at senior level: \u201cThe players really create the culture; it\u2019s their actions on and off the field that create the culture. It\u2019s driven by the players and complemented by the support staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

His words echo those of Jim Gavin, Dublin Manager since 2012, who spoke during the season of the importance of collective work as well as having clear processes. He referenced his profession as an airline pilot in explaining his emphasis on the collective at Dublin GAA. \u201cCommercial aviation is a very process-driven industry,\u201d he began. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so safe. When you jump on an Airbus at the front end you\u2019ll see two pilots on the flight deck; but behind them is the baggage handlers, behind them is the engineers, the refuellers, the aircraft security, the air-traffic control, the ground handlers, the fire-service.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all very regimented; but the strength of it is that you have people following that particular process and within it they can express their individuality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating a Blueprint for the Way Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cullen, who takes what he describes as a \u201cglobal view\u201d in heading up Dublin\u2019s high performance platform, has implemented processes of his own while giving experienced practitioners an opportunity to excel in a holistic pursuit of Dublin GAA\u2019s performance objectives.<\/p>\n

He explains: \u201cJob roles are clearly defined according to areas of expertise. Although everyone has the best interests of the player at heart, there are times when we all want a little piece of the player; the medics want to squash in a little bit of rehab; the strength coach wants to do his strength and fitness; the coaches want their contact time; the nutritionist wants his time too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He brings these interests together under Dublin\u2019s high performance umbrella: \u201cWhile it is important for each individual to perform their role, everybody acknowledges that there is a common dependence on one another to maximise each of our players\u2019 potential. It\u2019s a joint approach and it\u2019s important to get everyone on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While it is important for each individual to perform their role, everybody acknowledges that there is a common dependence on one another to maximise each of our players\u2019 potential. It\u2019s a joint approach and it\u2019s important to get everyone on the same page.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Cullen takes a hands-on role with the senior team. \u201cAt the start I sat down with the coaches and we discussed our model for the year in terms of planning and periodisation. Our coaches and support staff will then sit down as a group periodically throughout the year. We\u2019ll set out what we want to achieve with each player; identify what their development priority is; and how can we go about it in the best possible way for that player.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows us to focus on individual priorities within the group and relay clear performance targets to each player so that they are always striving to improve. It\u2019s just making sure we\u2019re going in the right direction; that our players are developing. Within the overall plan, monitoring and managing training loads is key.\u00a0 The challenge is getting the right balance between training, rest and recovery so that we\u2019re prepared for completion while controlling our potential exposure to soft tissue injuries.”<\/p>\n

\u201cMicro meetings are commonplace on a daily basis between the coaching team and various support staff. The nature of amateur sport makes it difficult to have regular face to face contact outside of training hours; so it\u2019s really important to pick up the phone and keep everyone on the same page regarding each and every player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crucially, the high performance processes allow scope for further development throughout the team. \u201cPriorities vary from player to player but there\u2019s an acceptance within the group that everyone can make marginal improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving players flexibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dublin\u2019s panel is drawn from the county\u2019s GAA clubs; and playing inter-county football represents the pinnacle for any Dublin player. The team\u2019s current depth in playing talent \u2013 something Cullen works to maintain at senior level and below \u2013 lends its weight to his work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a couple of playing options in every position,\u201d he says, \u201cand players understand that if they don\u2019t buy into the little things and the outside extras then over the longer term they can fall by the wayside.\u201d<\/p>\n

With pride taken in inter-county status, and access to Cullen and his support staff, Dublin\u2019s players are empowered to take a lead in their own development. \u201cPlayers often come to me looking to do a little extra training here and there, looking for that bit of an edge. It\u2019s never a major problem, I usually tailor their content to ensure it fits in with the overall programme and that they are not putting themselves at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are further considerations given that the players hold down regular jobs or may be studying at college or university. \u201cIt\u2019s really important that players have the right balance between family, work and playing for Dublin,\u201d Cullen emphasises. \u201cThere will always be pressure points throughout the year resulting in a player missing a gym or pitch session, but it\u2019s about being flexible. I can move gym sessions around to suit players or make myself available outside of collective sessions; equally, if a player was unable to make a pitch session I would often prescribe some running content to do away from the group. Alternatively, they could do some extra work post-training the next day they\u2019re out with us in order to minimise any detraining.\u201d<\/p>\n

Understanding your players\u2019 needs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cullen\u2019s efforts to meet the players\u2019 needs have helped him develop the level of trust he enjoys with each team member. \u201cIf they want to do more outside of collective sessions then I\u2019m aware of it and there will be some guidance in terms of what they should be doing. I won\u2019t overload them with science but I do like to broadly outline the training phases to the group so that they have an understanding of what\u2019s coming down the track. We\u2019ll outline the periodisation process as well as the potential negative effect of unstructured activity when they should be resting.<\/p>\n

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You build up that level of trust with each player to encourage them to take your advice on board. Sometimes it\u2019s necessary to compromise and give individuals a little of what they want but I would always tailor an individual\u2019s personal programme to ensure that it does not compromise their performance during collective sessions.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cYou build up that level of trust with each player to encourage them to take your advice on board. Sometimes it\u2019s necessary to compromise and give individuals a little of what they want but I would always tailor an individual\u2019s personal programme to ensure that it does not compromise their performance during collective sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dublin and Cullen have an increasing reliance on wellness measurements; and it was well-received at the start of the year when he introduced GPS tracking for the senior panel. Nonetheless, the trust he has developed with the players, both as a former teammate of many and, most importantly, as High Performance Manager, yields better information. \u201cThe best information you get is from the players\u2019 mouths,\u201d he observes. \u201cJust going around the dressing room having a quick chat with each player before they go out on the pitch will tell you more than training reports or crunching data.\u201d<\/p>\n

The high performance focus is always on the players. \u201cThe GAA is constantly evolving and since I made my Dublin debut in 2003 it\u2019s considerably improved across all aspects of sports science, injury and nutritional support; and it continues to improve. The players, as amateur athletes, give up a huge amount of their personal time across a long season and they expect the best level of support and that\u2019s ultimately my responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not taking our success for granted or expect it to happen every year but we\u2019ll certainly do our best to stay competitive for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n

\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dublin GAA’s High Performance Manager Bryan Cullen – the first in Gaelic Sport – explains how he works with the senior men’s panel to sustain Dublin’s success in Ireland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1515,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[21,20],"pathway":[],"topic":[],"sport":[],"class_list":["post-1514","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-performance","category-leadership-culture-performance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Dublin Are Working to Stay at the Summit of the GAA - Performance Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/dublin-gaa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Dublin Are Working to Stay at the Summit of the GAA - 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