Pictured is the GAA Smart Sliotar at Croke Park in Dublin.
By John Harrington
Official GAA sliotar manufacturers will have to reapply for licensing to satisfy the defined dimensions of the sliotar in terms of diameter, mass, rim height and width, and thickness of leather that were passed at GAA Congress 2022.
When the GAA undertook extensive testing of sliotars supplied by 11 official manufacturers in 2021, the majority of them failed the Coefficient of Restitution test, which basically tests the ‘liveliness’ of the ball and goes a long way to determining how far it can be struck.
In the majority of these cases the Coefficient of Restitution of these sliotars was too high.
Regular testing of sliotars will now take place to ensure they satisfy the defined dimensions of an official GAA sliotar, which were changed slightly by that motion passed at Annual Congress.
The biggest change relates to the weight of the sliotar. Previously official sliotars had to weigh between 110 and 120 grammes, but now it must weigh between 110 and 116 grammes.
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a slightly lighter sliotar will mean the ball will travel slightly less far.
“In general, if you produce a ball that's slightly heavier, it will travel further,” says Kieran Moran, Professor of Biomechanics in Dublin City University and a member of the GAA’s Sliotar Workgroup.
“People have a perception that if you produce a lighter ball it will travel further, but it's the opposite. If it's a heavier ball it travels further because it'll knock the air molecules out of the way if you want to get into the science of it.
“In the recent tests to re-examine the consistency of sliotars being produced we found we’re still in a situation where there is some level of inconsistency.
“The GAA are putting a process in place whereby manufacturers will now be tested on a regular basis and there will be outcomes if they don’t achieve the regulations that they initially passed on.
“That’s being looked at the moment to see what process will be put in to address that.”
Today the GAA launched the new GAA Smart Sliotar, which will be used in this years Under 20 hurling championship. The aim of the smart sliotar is to ensure consistency in performance, compliance with specifications, and to ensure it meets ethical standards of manufacture. In attendance at the launch are, from left, former Galway hurler Eoin McDonagh, Camogie Association Technical Development and Participation Manager Louise Conlon, Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy, former Tipperary hurler Brendan Cummins and Chairman of the Smart Sliotar Work Group Ned Quinn at Croke Park in Dublin.
A tag or chip is embedded in the core of the Smart Sliotar which can be read by an app on a mobile phone and can be verified as being an official match ball.
If the trial is successful, the plan is to exclusively use smart sliotars for inter-county hurling.
All official GAA sliotar manufacturers were invited to produce Smart Sliotars with the embedded chip, but so far only two have done so, O’Neills and Greenfields (PDMR).
Chairperson of the Sliotar Working Group, Ned Quinn, hopes other manufacturers will in the future.
“There's a level of interest (from companies). We can't say yet until they put their hand in their pocket and produce the tag themselves and get going but I would expect there would be (interest).
“Certainly, the GAA, we don't do exclusivity, we want more people being involved, more manufacturers.
“The chipped balls will be only be compulsory at inter-county level and we do hope to have it in for 2023 in all inter-county championships.”
To ensure that only Smart Sliotars are used in this year’s inter-county U-20 hurling championship, there will be a bins of sliotars located beside both goal-posts and at other areas around the pitch and match officials will check the sliotars before each match.