Not far ahead of hurling, Gaelic soccer is the most popular sport in Ireland. Each major team plays nationally, representing its county, not its city. The players are amateurs. Gaelic soccer is played by both men and women at no fewer than 2,800 clubs in Ireland.
The first official Gaelic soccer match dates back to 1712: it pitted the counties of Louth and Meath against each other in the town of Slane (a home match for County Meath).
The first Gaelic soccer rules were written by Maurice Davin (founder of the GAA in 1884) and published in the “United Ireland” magazine on February 7th 1887.
Since then, the sport has become a staple of Irish sport, and most counties in Ireland have their own clubs, as well as regional teams.
Gaelic Football players play around a spherical ball slightly smaller than a soccer ball. The official ball is made by the Irish brand “O’Neill’s”, approximately 25 cm in diameter and 68 to 73 in circumference. When dry (yes, it rains a lot in Ireland!), it weighs between 370 and 425 grams.
A Gaelic soccer match consists of 2 halves of 30 minutes for league matches or 2 halves of 35 minutes for championship matches. Gaelic soccer is not as violent as hurling, rugby or soccer, with tackling and tackling prohibited. Shoulder-to-shoulder contact is permitted
A player may not take more than 4 consecutive steps with the ball in his hands. If he has free rein and wants to progress towards the opposing goal, he can :
This allows him to take 4 new steps and so on. Although the player may carry the ball in his hands, he may not pick it up from the ground with them: only with any part of the body except the hands. To pick up the ball from the ground, the player must perform a “pick-up”, i.e. kick the ball off the ground. If a player wants to get rid of the ball, he can propel the ball but not throw it:
To make a pass, the player must keep the ball in contact with both hands. It is therefore obvious that returning the ball with a cuff (as in volleyball) is forbidden and penalized. It is also forbidden:
The pitch used to play Gaelic Football is the same as that used for Hurling, i.e. 137 metres long and 82 metres wide. The goalposts are the same as in hurling, and the score is calculated in the same way: 1 point if the ball passes over the crossbar and between the 2 goalposts; 3 points (a goal) if the ball passes under the crossbar into the net.
Another similarity with hurling: the Gaelic soccer team is made up of 15 players, including a goalkeeper, 6 defenders, 2 midfielders and 6 forwards. 3 substitutions are allowed during the game.
The rules are enforced with :
As mentioned above, there are two main competitions, just like in hurling:
Since the championship began in 1887, the team with the most trophies has been Kerry. Since her first victory in 1903, she has scored a total of 33 victories. A record crowd for a league final was set in 1961: 90,556 at Croke Park during the final between County Down and County Offaly.
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