Children’s Officer highlights ‘One Punch’ concerns in Convention report 

Donegal children’s officer Emlyn Hughes has appealed to clubs to push the ‘One Punch Campaign’ more vigorously as it’s something that is becoming increasingly prevalent on our pitches. 

In his report to Convention the Four Masters clubman says more needs to be done to highlight the seriousness and potential life-threatening consequences of the violent act. 

“Unfortunately, there has been a sharp increase in the number of young male players who have been either the victim of, or perpetrator in, One Punch and/or off-the-ball incidents. 

“The severity of injuries which result, have increased over the past 10 years. Medical and legal professionals are reporting an increase in the number of cases that are coming to their attention. 

“They warn of the increased likelihood of someone dying due to injuries they sustain from One Punch on the field of play, if current trends continue. 

“There is evidence of a greater number of cases proceeding to court and resulting in serious criminal convictions; something which might not have been so prevalent 10 or 20 years ago. 

“Law enforcement now regularly benefit from the growing availability of video evidence through match recordings, phone recordings, and what is shared on social media. 

“The likelihood is that as strength and conditioning programmes become the norm for more players, our players are physically stronger and can generate greater force from a single punch. 

“However, the anatomy of our skulls has not changed in that time, resulting in more serious head, facial, and brain injuries. 

“Whether as a club official, player, coach, match official, parent, or supporter – we all have a responsibility to ensure that our actions don’t escalate the risk of violence at our games”.

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Hughes stressed the need for the Code of Behaviour document to be adhered to to make sure young players feel safe and are enjoying their participation. 

In a wide-ranging and comprehensive report, the children’s officer also discusses bullying in the GAA, how to identify it and how to address it.