Sport has the power to change lives. The physical and mental benefits of playing sport from a young age are extensive, with individuals developing personal skills and qualities that are then carried into adulthood.
As a teenager, the transition into adulthood is a time of growth, navigating through many of life’s major milestones such as sitting the Leaving Certificate, learning to drive, and securing your first job. Research commissioned by Electric Ireland, proud sponsor of the GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships, found that playing sport featured amongst these major moments in a teenager’s life.
According to the study, a massive 94 per cent of people in Ireland believe that sport positively impacts on a person’s life. Some 70 per cent of Irish males played sport as a teenager, and have credited it for the lessons learned and friendships made; with 73 per cent indicating that they are still friends with people they played sports with in their teens.
Qualities such as teamwork, commitment, and self-discipline were named as the top skills and values that have transferred from the sports grounds to workplaces and beyond.
Electric Ireland have teamed up with Niall Breslin (Bressie ) to look back on the ‘major moments’ that shape a teenager’s life. The former Westmeath Minor footballer believes the years spent on the GAA pitch had a major influence on his development as a person; “Sport was beyond important to me as a teenager. Playing sport helped me develop qualities like resilience, discipline, and teamwork. I owe a lot to playing GAA at Minor level for the person I am now.”
Bressie joins some familiar faces, including legendary GAA broadcasters Marty Morrissey and Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Olympic boxer Darren O’Neill, to reminisce on their memories of playing at Minor level as teenagers, and the lessons they have learned from sport. You can view the video on www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzByt9IOR8&feature=youtu be or follow the conversation through #GAAThisIsMajor.
