This post explains the core findings and methods from a PLOS One qualitative analysis of playing up, targeted at researchers, coach-educators, and qualitative teams who must turn interview transcripts into safe, actionable guidance. According to the PLOS One article by O’Keeffe and Lane (published August 11, 2026), the study used semi-structured interviews to surface players’ lived experiences and practical recommendations. According to the PLOS One article, the payoff for readers is twofold: immediate evidence-based takeaways for coaching practice, and a reproducible, AI-assisted workflow that speeds thematic synthesis without sacrificing rigor.
Key Takeaways
According to the PLOS One article by O’Keeffe and Lane (published August 11, 2026), a qualitative analysis of playing up found that adolescent Camogie players report net developmental benefits when playing up, provided coaches and clubs offer social inclusion and autonomy support. PLOS One
- Sample and timing: O’Keeffe and Lane interviewed n = 15 players (mean age 14.4 ± 1.1 years) in interviews conducted between May 1 and August 31, 2024, as reported in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
- Reported uptake and context: O’Keeffe and Lane found 80% (12 of 15) of participants were playing up solely at club level and 67% (10 of 15) had prior experience of playing up, according to PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
- Balance of effects: O’Keeffe and Lane reported that 80% of participants expressed favourable perceptions of playing up but also raised measurable concerns about injury risk and motivation, as described in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
- Practical recommendation: O’Keeffe and Lane concluded, “When supported effectively, positive playing up experiences can foster competence and confidence, contributing to improved player retention, ” in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
What happened and how the study measured perceptions
O’Keeffe and Lane ran a qualitative phenomenological study to capture athlete voice using semi-structured interviews, as described in the PLOS One paper published August 11, 2026.
O’Keeffe and Lane collected audio-recorded online interviews via Zoom between May 1 and August 31, 2024, and used automatic transcription reviewed against recordings for accuracy, as reported in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
O’Keeffe and Lane analysed transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis with a six-step approach and researcher reflexivity to generate themes about reasons for playing up, perceived benefits, negatives, and player recommendations, as described in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
Participant voice examples reported in PLOS One include direct player remarks such as “you get used to all that stuff quick enough” (Participant 11) and “you’re there to help [the coaches] out if they’re struggling for players” (Participant 1), illustrating both adaptation and pressure, as quoted in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
Findings snapshot
| Date / Source | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 11, 2026 (PLOS One) | Study sample | n = 15 adolescent Camogie players (14.4 ± 1.1 years) | Small, information-power sample suited to in-depth thematic analysis |
| Interviews May–Aug 2024 (PLOS One) | Interview method | Online Zoom interviews, ≥40 minutes, auto-transcribed and checked | Suitable for rich, reflexive thematic coding and participant quotes |
| August 11, 2026 (PLOS One) | Club-level playing up | 80% (12 of 15) played up only at club level | Playing-up is common at club level and shapes social dynamics |
| August 11, 2026 (PLOS One) | Prior playing-up experience | 67% (10 of 15) had previously played up | Many players have repeat exposure, which may influence adaptation |
Implications for coaches and qualitative researchers
Coaches should prioritise player readiness and psychosocial integration, because O’Keeffe and Lane found that supported transitions increase competence while unsupportive environments amplify pressure (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Researchers should collect full transcripts and timestamped audio, because O’Keeffe and Lane used Zoom recordings and verified transcriptions to preserve participant voice for reflexive thematic analysis (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Policy makers should avoid one-size-fits-all rules, because O’Keeffe and Lane recommend individualised decisions that consider maturation, autonomy and injury risk to balance development with welfare (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
How Evidano helps translate player interviews into safe, actionable insights
What problem do qualitative teams face when studying playing up?
Problem: manual transcription, fragmented coding, and difficulty linking quotes to participant metadata slows synthesis and risks losing nuance, as reflected by the PLOS One authors who verified auto-transcripts against recordings (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
How Evidano speeds rigorous thematic synthesis
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Solution: Evidano’s secure transcription with custom dictionaries and PII redaction replicates and extends the PLOS One workflow by producing accurate, timestamped transcripts and linking them to participant metadata for thematic coding.
Evidence: Teams can import Zoom audio and apply thematic, frequency, and cross-segment analyses to the same transcripts that O’Keeffe and Lane used, reducing synthesis time while preserving quotes for reporting.
Product link: Learn more about these capabilities on the Evidano features page.
How Evidano helps keep player voice central and defensible
Feature: Evidano preserves verbatim quotes and supports hierarchical codes and co-occurrence networks so researchers can show which themes co-occur with metrics such as age or prior playing-up experience, mirroring the reflexive, evidence-based approach used by O’Keeffe and Lane (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Feature link: For transcription specifics see Evidano Speech-to-Text.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of playing up
What did the PLOS One study find about the benefits of playing up?
Answer: The PLOS One study found that players perceived enhanced skill development, psychosocial competence, and resilience when playing up, provided they received inclusion and coach support (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Supporting detail: O’Keeffe and Lane reported that playing up accelerated technical and decision-making skills and that players described greater confidence when returning to their own age group (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
What risks did players report when playing up?
Answer: Players reported increased pressure, injury risk, and potential reductions in intrinsic motivation when social integration and autonomy were lacking, as described in PLOS One (August 11, 2026).
Supporting detail: O’Keeffe and Lane quote players saying mistakes felt magnified and that schedule clashes and heavier loads interfered with school and recovery (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
How were interviews collected and analysed in the study?
Answer: O’Keeffe and Lane conducted online Zoom interviews between May 1 and August 31, 2024, auto-transcribed and verified recordings, then used reflexive thematic analysis to build themes (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Supporting detail: The authors describe a six-step reflexive thematic process with iterative coding by two researchers to support trustworthiness (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
How can AI tools speed and preserve rigor in similar qualitative studies?
Answer: AI tools standardise transcription, enable rapid thematic coding, and surface co-occurrence patterns, reducing manual bottlenecks while keeping quotes auditable, as demonstrated by platforms like Evidano in practice.
Supporting detail: Using AI transcription plus human verification mirrors the PLOS One method and lets teams focus researcher time on reflexive interpretation rather than mechanical tasks.
Conclusion & Next Steps
O’Keeffe and Lane’s August 11, 2026 PLOS One qualitative analysis shows that playing up can accelerate skill and psychosocial development when clubs provide social inclusion, coach support, and player autonomy (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
Researchers and coaches should combine rigorous transcript practices and reflexive thematic methods with individualised readiness checks to balance development and welfare, as recommended by O’Keeffe and Lane (PLOS One, August 11, 2026).
If your team needs to replicate or scale this kind of interview-based research while preserving participant voice, try AI-enabled workflows that pair automated transcription with human-led thematic interpretation.
Get started and Try Evidano for free.
Topics
- qualitative analysis of playing up
- playing up qualitative research
- youth Camogie playing up
- AI qualitative research
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