Come for the football, stay for the craic!
What is Gaelic football?
Gaelic football is a popular Irish team sport that is played between two teams of 13 or 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking or punching the ball into the other team's goals (3 points) or between two upright posts above the goals and over a crossbar 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) above the ground (1 point). Matches last for 60 minutes that are divided into two halves of 30 minutes.
GAA in North America
The North American County Board (NACB) of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) promotes the sports of Hurling, Gaelic Football and Camogie. It is the governing body of these games for men and women, in all 50 states of the US, excluding the New York City metropolitan area. Currently, there are 112 adult clubs and 15 youth clubs playing Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie in NACB area.
Clubs participate in Divisional Championship competitions to qualify for the North American Finals in their respective sport and grade of competition. Presently, Gaelic Games are being organized and played in 40 cities across the US, including in Akron, Albany, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Burlingame, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Kansas City, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Oakland, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland-ME, Rochester, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Syracuse, and Washington DC.
For more information about the GAA, to receive help in locating the nearest GAA club in your area, or for help with establishing a new GAA club contact us at: secretary.usa@gaa.ie or pro.usa@gaa.ie