Ladies' Gaelic football

Ladies' Gaelic football
Highest governing body Ladies' Gaelic Football Association (LGFA)
Nicknames Ladies' Football
Ladies' Gaelic
First played 1926
Clubs More than 1,000
Characteristics
Contact No
Team members 15 on each team
Mixed gender Single
Type Outdoor
Equipment Gaelic football
Presence
Olympic No
Paralympic No

Ladies' Gaelic football (Irish: Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a team sport for women, very similar to Gaelic football, and co-ordinated by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. The sport originated in Ireland and is most popular there, although it is played in other countries, often by members of the Irish diaspora.

Play

There are two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a round ball towards goals at either end of a grass pitch. There are two main competitions in this sport; the National League which is staged during the winter-spring months and is used as a warm-up to the All-Ireland Championship which is played during the summer. The All-Ireland Final is played on the last Sunday in September or the first Sunday in October in Croke Park, Dublin, where the winners receive the Brendan Martin Cup. The National League and Championship are organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association.

Differences from men's football

Most of the rules of ladies' gaelic football are the same as those for men's game. The main differences are -

  • A player may pick the ball up directly from the ground, so long as she is standing
  • Most matches last 60 minutes; in men's senior inter-county football, games last 70 minutes
  • Kickouts may be taken from the hand
  • Changing hands: Throwing the ball from your right hand to left or vice versa.
  • A countdown clock with siren is used if available; in the men's game, the referee decides the end of the game
  • All deliberate bodily contact is forbidden except when "shadowing" an opponent, competing to catch the ball, or blocking the delivery of the ball
  • A smaller size 4 gaelic ball is used compared to the size 5 ball used in the men's game.

Ladies' Gaelic football outside Ireland

North America

Canada

Toronto Division
Brampton Roger Casements

The Casements are a young women's team working on the development of the game in the Toronto region

Western Canada Division
Calgary Chieftains

The Chieftainettes have competed in the west and are currently supporting the development of Celtic games.

Vancouver Harps

In 2007 they became the first team other than the Edmonton ladies to win the Championship.

United States

Midwest Division Pittsburgh Banshees

Southwest Division
Austin Celtic Cowboys
Dallas Fionn MacCumhaills
Denver Gaels
Houston Gaels
San Diego Na Fianna
Northwest Division
Seattle Gaels

Winners of the 2007 Junior B North American Gaelic Football Championship

New York
Manhattan Gaels

New York's newest GAA club

Australasia

  • Australia
  • New Zealand

Asia

  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • Thailand
  • South Korea
  • Singapore
  • UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)

Africa

  • South Africa

Women’s gaelic football is played by many teams, although Padraig Sairseil CLG is by far the best team in Belfast and in Ireland

References

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