Ireland's Gaelic Sport Tech

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This blog focuses on all sports around the world…but in honor of this special day, today’s post will focus on Ireland. A hot topic in the Irish news for the past few months is goal-line technology in Gaelic football. The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) is taking a closer look at the challenges and concerns of a nation-wide implementation of such technology.

From a technical perspective the goal-line technology would be Hawk-Eye. Hawk-Eye has been employed by several different sports, but the technology is similar throughout. Several cameras are strategically placed on the pitch or field. Then, “The images captured by the camera are then turned into a 3D image by a special computer to show how the ball will travel…it's about 99.99% accurate.”

The FIFA debate over goal-line tech predominately was focused on respecting the traditional rules of the sport. However in Ireland the major concern appears to be around cost. Last month, GAA President Christy Cooney was quoted saying, "It won’t be in use in this year but it is something for the future and something we will look very seriously at. It has to be right and to be effective and we have to be able to do it at all of our county games." Separately, GAA Director General Paraic Duffy said that even if it is tested at Croke Park, the GAA will not institute technology at one location alone. Instead, they need to find a solution that is fiscally feasible to be implemented all over the country.

Last December it was decided that a feasibility study of Hawk-Eye would be conducted. Many speculate the test pilot of the technology will be in Round 5 or 6 of the Allianz Football League games at Croke Park. After testing the technology, the GAA will analyze the results and meet in May to further discuss the cost and feasibility of an implantation at all grounds. It is really interesting to see Ireland’s response to the pressure to try out new technologies. Both the GAA and FIFA appear to have in common similar concerns from different perspectives. First and foremost they need to feel confident in whatever technology they choose. However beyond that, the technology must only act as an aid for officiating and not a literal game-changer. Ref: bbc.co.uk, Independent.ie, IrishExaminer.com, IrishTimes.com,