The County to Club Transition

As the new split season the GAA coming to the halfway point, with the All-Ireland series coming to a culmination, the club seasons are gearing up as those away on county duty return to their clubs. This can be seen as an example of a sporting transition and according to Wylleman and Lavallee (2004) these transitions can work across multiple layers, including athletic, psychological and psychosocial layers. So it may be useful to look at this transition and how it can impact these athletes. I will take a quick look three ways returning players can help themselves with the transition from county to club if they find themselves struggling.

1. Know you role

When going from county to club set up there may be a sense of pressure either internally or external to perform outside of your skillset. It can worthwhile to consider your role and your strengths. When we know these, it can be easier to play to these when we return to our club. This can allow you to focus on your strengths and play to these while reducing feelings of anxiety that you may have surrounding heightened expectations. This will be more beneficial for you and for your team.

2. Support

During the county season, it can be difficult to attend club sessions. This can lead to limited relationships with club players during this period of time. It can certainly be worthwhile

strengthening these relationships again if as a player you feel that you are

slightly detached from the club team. Conversely as a club player seeing a county player returning to the club fold and you sense that they may be slightly detached from the squad, get them involved, strike up a conversation and help them feel included again, if you think it is something that may benefit them!

3. Time

As with all transitions, it can take some time to get back in to the swing of things. Consider when going into the county setup, it can take time to transition so likewise going back to the club set can take some time as well. It may take time to get used to the playing style, teammates strengths and weaknesses and even different coaching styles again amongst other things that you have missed whilst being away. Allow yourself some time fit back into the set up and focus on what you can control to get you back into the groove. Likewise for teammates and coaches, there can be an expectation for returning county players to hit the ground running, but being aware that this may take some time can be extremely beneficial.