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YO-YOINTERMITTENT RECOVERY TEST PERFORMANCE
IN SUBELITE GAELIC FOOTBALL PLAYERS FROM
UNDER THIRTEEN TO SENIOR AGE GROUPS
MARK ROE
1,2
AND SHANE MALONE
2,3
AU2
1
Health Sciences Centre, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield,
Ireland
AU3 ;
2
Gaelic Sports Research Centre, Department of Science, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Tallaght, Ireland; and
3
Tom
Reilly Building, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Henry Cotton Campus,
Liverpool, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
Roe, M and Malone, S. Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test
performance in subelite Gaelic football players from under
thirteen to senior age groups. J Strength Cond Res XX (X):
000–000, 2016—Gaelic football is indigenous to Ireland and
has similar locomotion profiles to soccer and Australian Foot-
ball. Given the increasing attention on long-term player devel-
opment, investigations on age-related variation in Yo-Yo
intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-YoIR1) performance
may provide useful information in talent identification, program
design, and player monitoring. Therefore, the aim of this study
was to evaluate Yo-YoIR1 performance across Gaelic football
age groups. Male participants (n= 355) were recruited from
division one, Gaelic football teams. Participants were allocated
to one of the 7 groups according to respective age groups
from under 13 (U13), under 14, under 15 (U15), under 16
(U16), minor, under 21 (U21), to senior age groups. Total
Yo-YoIR1 distance (m) increased progressively from U13
(885 6347 m) to U16 (1,595 6380 m) equating to a rate
of change of 180.2%. In comparison to U13, total distance
at minor (1,206 6327 m) increased by 136.4%. Subsequent
increases were observed in U21 (1,585 6445 m) and senior
players (2,365 6489). Minimum (800–880 m) and maximum
(2,240–2,280 m) total distances were comparable for U15,
U16, and U21 players. Differences in total distance (m) for
all age groups were statistically significant when compared
to U13 players (p,0.002). In comparison to U13 players,
the magnitude of differences between age groups for total
distance was deemed to be large (effect size .0.8). Similar
trends were observed for maximum velocity and estimated
V
_
O
2
max. The evolution of Yo-YoIR1 performance in Gaelic
football players from adolescents to adulthood highlights
how maturation may influence sport-related running ability.
Changes in Yo-YoIR1 performance should be closely moni-
tored to optimize interventions for individuals transitioning
across age groups.
KEY WORDS intermittent aerobic capacity, field testing,
maturation AU4
INTRODUCTION
Gaelic football is indigenous to Ireland and is
governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA). The sport has an amateur ethos super-
imposed on a professional work ethic (6). Dur-
ing competitive match-play, 2 opposing teams compete
over a 60-minute period separated by a 15-minute half-
time interval. Each team has 15 players and can make 5
substitutions. Th AU5
e aim is to outscore the opposition as with
H-shaped goal posts, 1 point is awarded for striking or
kicking the ball over a crossbar and 1 goal (3 points) is
awarded for striking or kicking the ball over under the
crossbar past a goalkeeper. Intercounty competition repre-
sents the elite level of Gaelic games, whereas club compet-
itions represented subelite levels.
Activity profiles of Gaelic football match-play follow
an intermittent pattern (12). Reilly et al. (21) reported
that underage players (15 60.7 years) cover a mean dis-
tance of 5,732 61,047 m with 14.8% (851 6297 m)
covered at high speed ($17 km $h
21
). Adult players have
been reported to cover average total distances of 8,815 m
with 10.3% of distance covered at high speed (1,695 6
1,047 m). The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1
(Yo-YoIR1) has significant correlates to total distance
(r= 0.62) and high-intensity distance (r= 0.73) within
underage team sport athletes (9). As underage develop-
ment pathways seek to optimize early detection and
physical development of talented players, assessment of
sport-related running ability across age groups may
improve talent identification and long-term training
interventions (7,14,21).
Address correspondence to Mark Roe, mark.roe@ucd.ie.
00(00)/1–7
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The Yo-YoIR1 has been assessed for validity in intermit-
tent field sport players (3,9) and is considered a valid field
test to assess changes in aerobic fitness within Gaelic football
populations (17). The Yo-YoIR1 evaluates an athlete’s ability
to repeatedly complete short, high-intensity running efforts,
which elicit maximal aerobic responses while significantly
stressing the anaerobic energy system (3). Thus, Yo-YoIR1
induces physiological demands similar to those experienced
during match-play (3,9,20).
Despite the popularity of the test, there is little informa-
tion about the potential role of the Yo-YoIR1 to discriminate
the aerobic performance across age profiles within Gaelic
football. An understanding of how Yo-YoIR1 performance
develops across age groups could be of practical value to
practitioners developing talent identification and profiling
procedures in Gaelic football. Therefore, the aim of this
study was to evaluate Yo-YoIR1 performance differences
across under 13 to senior age groups within a Gaelic football
population.
METHODS
Experimental Approach to Problem
In this cross-sectional study, we applied a between-subjects
design to examine the group differences in the Yo-YoIR1
performance among young and adult Gaelic football players.
All testing took place on a rubber-based third-generation (3
G) synthetic turf pitch (dimensions: 143 386 m; grass
length: 55 mm) with a 50.8-mm shock pad underneath a syn-
thetic grass carpet.
Subjects
Male participants (n= 355) were recruited from division one,
Gaelic football teams. Participants were allocated to one of
the 7 groups according to respective age grades, that is,
either under 13 years (U13) (12–13 years, 48.4 610.2 kg,
145.1 63.4 cm), under 14 years (U14) (13–14 years, 52.4 6
10.2 kg, 155.1 68.4 cm), under 15 years (U15) (14–15 years,
61.9 610.5 kg, 162.5 67.7 cm), under 16 years (U16) (16–17
years, 70.9 69.5 kg, 174.5 68.7 cm), minor age grade (17–19
TABLE 1. Yo-YoIR1 total distance (m) per age group.*†
Sample size Mean 6SD Minimum Maximum 95% CI pCohen’s d
Under 13 63 885.1 6347.3 320 1,920 801.91–974.57
Under 14 41 1,326.0 6494.9 440 2,280 1,213.71–1,444.51 0.000 1.031
Under 15 62 1,470.9 6372.2 880 2,240 1,361.53–1,574.32 0.000 1.627
Under 16 53 1,595.0 6380.7 880 2,240 1,468.75–1,713.72 0.000 1.948
Minor 52 1,206.8 6327.3 600 1,840 1,109.27–1,313.17 0.002 0.953
Under 21 32 1,585.4 6445.3 800 2,480 1,426.15–1,755.31 0.000 1.753
Senior 52 2,365.4 6489.6 1760 3,400 2,178.58–2,551.52 0.000 3.487
*Pairwise comparisons reveal a statistically significant (p#0.05) mean difference between (a) U13 compared with all age groups
except minor, (b) U14 compared with U13 and senior, (c) U15 compared with U13, U21, and senior, (d) U16 compared with U13,
U21, and senior, (e) minor compared with U15, U16, and senior, (f) U21 compared with U13 and senior, and (g) senior compared with
all age groups.
†Age range for players: minor group (17–19 years) and senior group (19–33 years).
TABLE 2. Yo-YoIR1 maximum velocity (m$s
21
) per age group.*†
Sample size Mean 6SD Minimum Maximum 95% CI pCohen’s d
Under 13 63 4.24 60.27 3.89 5.22 4.17–4.30
Under 14 41 4.49 60.39 3.89 5.5 4.40–4.58 0.001 0.745
Under 15 62 4.61 60.34 4.2 5.4 4.52–4.70 0.000 1.205
Under 16 53 4.82 60.38 4.17 5.42 4.69–4.94 0.000 1.759
Minor 52 4.30 60.14 4.03 4.58 4.26–4.35 0.948 0.278
Under 21 32 4.90 60.39 4.19 5.67 4.75–5.10 0.000 1.967
Senior 52 5.54 60.42 5.03 6.44 5.39–5.71 0.000 3.682
*Pairwise comparisons reveal a statistically significant (p#0.05) mean difference between (a) U13 compared with all age groups
except minor, (b) U14 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (c) U15 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (d) U16 compared with
U13, minor, and senior, (e) minor compared with all age groups except U13, (f) U21 compared with U13, minor, and senior, and (g)
senior compared with all age groups.
†Age range for players: minor group (17–19 years) and senior group (19–33 years).
Yo-YoIR1 Performance Across Subelite Gaelic Football Age Grades
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years, 76.3 67.6 kg, 180.1 64.6 m), under 21 years (U21)
(20.5 61.5 years, 72.9 69.5 kg, 179.5 69.7 cm), or senior
age grade (24.5 66.5 years, 78.8 63.6 kg, 180.4 66.2 m).
Inclusion criteria were no injury or illness within the pre-
vious 6 months and playing experience greater than 18
months. Data on goal keepers were excluded for analysis.
Participants were informed of the investigation aims, testing
procedures, and withdrawal process before providing written
consent. Written consent was obtained from parents and
guardians for participants less than 18 years. Ethical approval
was granted by the institutions’ human research committee.
The study conforms to the Code of Ethics of the World
Medical Association (approved by the ethics advisory board
of Swansea University) and required players to provide
informed consent before participatio
AU6 n.
Procedure
This study was performed over a one-month period. All
participants undertook a familiarization test of the Yo-YoIR1
in the 2-week period before testing. Testing was administered
during the 2014–15 season. Participants were instructed to
consume their usual diets before testing. Testing was then
completed in line with the procedures described by Bangsbo
et al. (3). This included participants completing a 15-minutes
dynamic warm-up involving multijoint and running activities
of progressive intensity. The Yo-YoIR1 consists of 2 320 m
shuttle runs at increasing speeds, interspersed with a 10-
second active recovery (controlled by audio signals from
a compact disc player). Failure to complete a shuttle resulted
in a verbal warning with participants being withdrawn on
a second failure. Total distance and corresponding maximum
speed at the final completed shuttle were recorded. Esti-
mated V
_
O
2
max was completed using the following formula
by Bangsbo et al. (3). V
_
O
2
max (ml$min
21
$kg
21
) = Yo-YoIR1
distance (m) 30.0084 + 36.4.
Statistical Analyses
All data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21.0; IBM, Inc.,
Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics were used to report
performance markers per age grade. Data are presented as
mean 6SD with 95% confidence intervals. Minimum and
maximum data per age grade are also presented. Quartiles
TABLE 3. Yo-YoIR1 estimated V
_
O
2
max (ml$min
21
$kg
21
) per age group.*†
Sample size Mean 6SD Minimum Maximum 95% CI pCohen’s d
Under 13 63 44.7 62.6 41.4 49.2 43.97–45.69
Under 14 41 48.5 64.2 41.4 55.6 46.96–50.14 0.000 1.087
Under 15 62 49.8 62.7 45.1 55.2 48.83–50.9 0.000 1.924
Under 16 53 50.8 62.6 46.5 55.2 49.76–51.83 0.000 2.346
Minor 52 46.2 62.9 41.4 51.9 45.11–47.28 0.002 0.544
Under 21 32 49.7 63.7 43.1 57.2 48.38–51.15 0.000 1.563
Senior 52 56.3 64.1 51.2 65.0 54.76–57.94 0.000 3.379
*Pairwise comparisons reveal a statistically significant (p#0.05) mean difference between (a) U13 compared with all age groups
except minor, (b) U14 compared with U13 and senior, (c) U15 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (d) U16 compared with
U13, minor, and senior, (e) minor compared with U15, U16, and senior, (f) U21 compared with U13 and senior, and (g) senior
compared with all age groups.
†Age range for players: minor group (17–19 years) and senior group (19–33 years).
TABLE 4. Yo-YoIR1 total distance, maximum velocity quartiles, andAU11 estimated V
_
O
2
max quartiles.*
Total distance (m) Maximum velocity (m$s
21
) Estimated V
_
O
2
max (ml$min
21
$kg
21
)
Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3
Under 13 600 840 1,120 4.03 4.17 4.31 41.44 43.46 45.81
Under 14 960 1,285 1,660 4.17 4.44 4.72 44.46 47.19 50.34
Under 15 1,180 1,480 1,720 4.31 4.53 4.89 46.31 48.83 50.85
Under 16 1,240 1,660 1,920 4.53 4.91 5.14 46.82 50.34 52.53
Minor 940 1,200 1,460 4.17 4.31 4.44 44.30 46.48 48.66
Under 21 1,190 1,620 1,945 4.53 4.89 5.24 46.40 50.01 52.74
Senior 1,910 2,280 2,720 5.13 5.47 5.86 52.44 55.55 59.25
*Age range for players: minor group (17–19 years) and senior group (19–33 years).
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were used to report 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles for Yo-
YoIR1 metrics. One-way between-groups analysis of vari-
ance with Tukey post hoc was used to investigate mean
differences using U13 performance as the dependent vari-
able. Significance was set at ap#0.05. Effect size (ES)
was assessed according to Cohen. An ES of 0.02, 0.5, 0.8,
or 1.3 was considered small, moderate, large, or very large,
respectively. Significant pairwise differences between age
groups are also reported.
RESULTS
Total distance, maximum velocity (meter per second), and
estimated V
_
O
2
max obtained during the Yo-YoIR1 per age
grade are presented in Tables 1–3, respectively. Quartiles
are presented in Table 4. Rate of change (percent) relative
to U13 players is presented in Table 5.
Total distance (meter) increased by 180.2% from 885.1 6
347 m in U13 players to 1,595 6380 m in U16 players (p,
0.001, ES = 3.49). In comparison to U13, total distance
at minor age group (1,206 6327 m) increased by 136.4%
(p= 0.002, ES = 0.95). Subsequent increases were observed
in U21 (1,585 6445 m) and senior players (2,365 6489 m)
(F1Figure 1). Minimum (800–880 m) and maximum (2,240–
2,280 m) total distances were comparable for U15, U16,
and U21 players. Confidence intervals and quartiles reveal
overlap for total distances between U14 and U21 players
(Table 4).
Differences in total distance (meter) for all age grades
were statistically significant when compared with U13
players (p,0.002). Differences in maximum velocity
(meter per second) for all age groups, except minor
(p=0.948),werestatisticallysignificantwhencompared
with U13 players (p,0.001). In comparison to U13
players, the magnitude of differences between age groups
for total distance was deemed to be large (ES .0.8).
Maximum velocity was largely different (ES .0.8) for
all age groups when compared with U13 players;
however, ES for the minoragegroupwasdeemedto
be small (ES ,0.5).
Estimated V
_
O
2
max progressed from 44.7 62.6
ml$min
21
$kg
21
in under 13 players to 56.3 64.1
ml$min
21
$kg
21
in senior players (p,0.001, ES = 3.4). How-
ever, estimated V
_
O
2
max seemed
to decline in minor players
when compared to under 14–
16 players.
Pairwise comparisons for
Yo-YoIR1 total distance reveal
a statistically significant (p#
0.05) mean difference between
(a) U13 compared with all age
groups except minor, (b) U14
compared with U13 and
senior, (c) U15 compared with
U13, U21, and senior, (d) U16
compared with U13, U21, and
senior, (e) minor compared
with U15, U16, and senior, (f)
U21 compared with U13 and
senior, and (g) senior com-
pared with all age groups.
Figure 1. Yo-YoIR1 total distance (m) across age grades.
TABLE 5. Yo-YoIR1 total distance rate of change relative to under 13 players (%).
Sample size Mean 6SD (%) Minimum (%) Maximum (%) 95% CI lower limit 95% CI upper limit
Under 13 63
Under 14 41 149.81 655.92 50.00 258.00 136.2 163.51
Under 15 62 166.19 642.05 99.00 253.00 154.3 177.45
Under 16 53 180.21 643.01 99.00 253.00 164.0 194.19
Minor 52 136.35 636.98 68.00 208.00 124.8 148.14
Under 21 32 179.12 650.32 90.00 280.00 160.9 196.67
Senior 52 267.25 655.32 199.00 384.00 247.1 288.97
Yo-YoIR1 Performance Across Subelite Gaelic Football Age Grades
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Pairwise comparisons for Yo-YoIR1 maximum velocity
reveal a statistically significant (p#0.05) mean difference
between (a) U13 compared with all age groups
except minor, (b) U14 compared with U13, minor, and
senior, (c) U15 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (d)
U16 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (e) minor com-
pared with all age groups except U13, (f ) U21 compared
with U13, minor, and senior, and (g) senior compared with
all age groups.
Pairwise comparisons for Yo-YoIR1 estimated V
_
O
2
max
reveal a statistically significant (p#0.05) mean difference
between (a) U13 compared with all age groups
except minor, (b) U14 compared with U13 and senior, (c)
U15 compared with U13, minor, and senior, (d) U16 com-
pared with U13, minor, and senior, (e) minor compared with
U15, U16, and senior, (f) U21 compared with U13 and
senior, and (g) senior compared with all age groups.
DISCUSSION
This is the first investigation on the evolution of Yo-YoIR1
performance in male Gaelic football players from adoles-
cents to adulthood. Interestingly, several between-age group
differences were observed. Yo-YoIR1 distance increased by
276 655% between under 13 (885 6347) and senior players
(2,365 6490) (Tables 1 and 5). However, subsequent dec-
rements in total distance were observed in minor (1,207 6
327) and U21 players (1,585 6445) (Figure 1) as evident
by all descriptive statistics used (Tables 1 and 4). Cullen et al.
(13) reported Yo-YoIR1 total distances of 1,446–1,503 m in
16- to 17-year-old elite Gaelic football players. Although
greater scores were observed in this study for such age
groups, differences may relate to decrements specific to sea-
sonal cycles during these years. However, the cohort inves-
tigated by Cullen et al. (13) was participants in school
competitions and not elite per se, given that they did not
entirely consist of intercounty players. Furthermore, inves-
tigations on a single age group fail to challenge the current
finding of Yo-YoIR1 decrements associated with various age
groups. Variations in training load and maturation between
age groups have yet to be described in Gaelic football. Thus,
it is unclear whether such decrements reflect ineffective
training interventions, overtraining by excessive exposure
to training and match-play, or biological maturation.
Results of the current investigation differ from studies on
adolescent soccer (11), rugby league (22), and Australian
football (AFL) cohorts (8) in that aerobic performance dur-
ing late-adolescent declined in this Gaelic football cohort.
Although a novel finding, whether this impacts running per-
formance during training and match-play remains to be
investigated. The current results are at odds with longitudi-
nal investigations of match-play locomotion profiles. For
instance, high-intensity running has increased by 30% (890
6299 vs. 1 ,151 6337 m, p,0.001, ES: 0.82) in English
Premier League soccer match-play between 2006 and 2013.
Similarly, meters per minute (m$min
21
) during under 18
AFL match-play have increased by 5.2% (113.07 617.1 vs.
118.94 614.13 m, p,0.036, ES: 0.37) from 2003 to 2009
(8). Greater increases in match-play demands were observed
among senior AFL players (121.19 614.74 vs. 134.02 6
12.09 m, p,0.001, ES: 0.95) during the same period (8).
Studies have previously shown large correlations between
Yo-Yo performance and match-play activity profiles (3) with
improvements in Yo-Yo performance correlating to
increased match-play running.
Studies have shown that junior AFL players with high
aerobic capacity have greater countermovement jump scores
and lower creatine kinase concentrations after match-play
despite having experienced greater internal and external
loads (16). Additionally, superior Yo-YoIR1 performance
(.1,516 6182 m) was also shown to have a protective effect
on under 19s rugby league players by reducing injury risk
(10). Therefore, the impact of Yo-YoIR1 performance in
altering injury risk in Gaelic football should be further
investigated.
Similar to previous studies conducted in soccer (7), age was
associated with superior aerobic capacity as marked by esti-
mated V
_
O
2
max between under U13 (44.70 62.60
ml$min
21
$kg
21
) and senior level (56.30 64.10
ml$min
21
$kg
21
) in Gaelic football players. The increase in
this study across aerobic profiles was similar to previous stud-
ies (3,24). Interestingly, AFL players with greater estimated
V
_
O
2
max based on 20-m multistage fitness test performance
were reportedly more likely to be selected for competitive
match-play (ES = 0.2) (24). In addition, these players had
more ball possessions during match-play (ES = 0.5) (24).
Therefore, the link between aerobic capacity and match per-
formance needs to be assessed in Gaelic football populations.
In this study, estimated V
_
O
2
max increased linearly
throughout adolescents with a noted decreased at minor
and under 21 age grades. The data highlighted within this
study may be used by coaches to analyze the development of
aerobic capacity among Gaelic football cohorts. Indeed,
among elite senior soccer players, a V
_
O
2
max of 62–64
ml$min
21
$kg
21
seems to suffice senior competition with
no statistically significant differences between international,
division one, or division 2 players (23). Such results suggest
that this threshold of aerobic capacity is highly desirable in
sports similar to Gaelic football, yet that pursuit of gains
beyond this threshold may not advance performance.
This study is the first to report the rate of developmental
change across Gaelic football players for Yo-YoIR1 shuttle
performance (Table 5). The authors propose this as a meth-
odology of highlighting potential performance improve-
ments across developmental cycles. One of the interesting
findings of this study relates to the age group decline in Yo-
YoIR1 performance at the minor and under 21 age groups.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first article high-
lighting a decline in Yo-YoIR1 performance across certain
age groups. Indeed, the current finding is a surprising one
as 4 different team sports report consistent V
_
O
2
max increases
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with advancing pubertal development, suggesting increased
metabolic capacity during adolescents (5). Therefore, future
research should investigate influences of training loads dur-
ing maturation on program responses. For instance, a change
in the threshold or activities required to stimulate physiolog-
ical responses, advantageous to Gaelic football performance,
may differ across various stages of maturation.
Discussions into such decrements are limited as this is the
first investigation highlighting this trend in Gaelic football.
Future research should investigate whether such findings
may impact the transition of players to senior ranks, affect
tolerance to training and match-play demands, impair
execution of technical and tactical skills, and thereby
increase the risk of deselection. Furthermore, investigations
into increased susceptibility to fatigue-induced performance
decrements and injury are warranted. As a result, the authors
advocate multiple testing periods for underage players across
competitive seasons to fully understand the seasonal change
in aerobic capacity. Gathered data may guide programme
design as aerobic power development can be impaired by
motor control and anthropometrical characteristics during
maturation in adolescent soccer players (14).
Several limitations must be considered when reviewing
this study. Participants were grouped by chronological age.
Thus, the biological maturity of the players was not taken
into account. Additionally, the impact of relative age is an
important factor not taken into consideration in this study.
Previous investigations have identified relative age as an
important issue within Gaelic football (18); therefore, its
impact on performance should be investigated in further
studies. In addition, no identification of muscle mass differ-
ences among players impacts the value of this data set as
muscle mass, not whole-body mass, impacts functional
capacity of athletes (1).
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This study describes the cross-sectional evolution of Yo-
YoIR1 performance in Gaelic football players throughout
developmental age groups (U13 to senior). This study
demonstrates that the Yo-YoIR1 is of value at identifying
aerobic differences across age groups. Therefore, practi-
tioners should appreciate the diverse range of abilities within
each cohort as players transition between age groups. In
light of the presented findings, coaches and strength and
conditioning professionals should consider Yo-YoIR1 in
testing batteries. This is because (a) the Yo-YoIR1 test is
a valid, reliable, and easily available measurement tool of
a player’s aerobic capacity and (b) Yo-YoIR1 performance
represents a very important fitness component in Gaelic
football, which may be adversely affected during adolescents.
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