A Qualitative Study of Elite Ladies Gaelic Football and Camogie Players’ Perspectives on Injury

Objectives: At the elite level of sport, performance is a priority with many athletes training and competing with some degree of injury, such that understanding the impact, and experience, of injury for athletes is of key importance. This study aimed to explore the understanding and experience of injury in elite Ladies Gaelic Football (LGF) and camogie players. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 21 elite ladies Gaelic games players (LGF = 11, camogie = 10). Participants described their understanding and experience of injury in the context of their participation in elite LGF and camogie. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were generated, providing insights into players’ perspectives on injury: (a) physical impact of injury, (b) psychological impact of injury, and (c) costs of injury. Adverse physical and psychological implications of injury included performance deficits, pain and discomfort, frustration, upset, and guilt. Financial consequences due to direct and indirect economic costs and the time dedicated to the short-and long-term management of injury were components of the injury experience. Conclusions: Elite LGF and camogie players’ perspectives on injury is complex, context-dependent, and influenced by socioecological factors. Through experience and exposure to sport injury situations, players self-appraise whether the injury is worthy of reporting. Injury surveillance and management strategies should align with the players’ perspective on injury. Capturing the inability to participate fully and monitoring the physical and far-ranging psychological, financial, and time-related impacts of injury would optimize the provision of supports to the injured player.