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Irishroversgfc.com
- The Modern Game |
(see
player/pitch layout...)
In August 1884 Micheal
Cusack and Maurice Davin met a group of nationalists
in Loughrea, County Galway, and outlined their
plans to establish a national organization, the
Gaelic Athletic Association, for Irish athletes
and to revive hurling. Dr. T. W. Croke, (Archbishop
of Cashel) became the first patron of the Association,
and Croke Park in Dublin (the Association Headquarters)
is named in his honor.
The Gaelic Athletic Association is more than
a sporting organization. Although it is dedicated
to promoting the games of hurling, football,
handball, rounders, and camogie, the Association
also supports activities which enrich the culture
of the nation and further Gaelic ideals, including
the Irish language and Irish music and dance.
The GAA endeavors to strengthen pride in the
communities it serves.
The GAA is the largest sporting organization
in Ireland, boasting 2,800 clubs comprising
of approximately 182,000 footballers and 97,000
hurlers. Membership of the GAA exceeds 800,000
at home and abroad ensuring its role as a powerful
national movement with an important social and
cultural influence in Irish life.
The players are all amateurs, and so are playing
for "the glory of the parish pump".
Games are organized along age group levels.
Players are classed as juvenile up to 16, minor
up till 18, and Senior from there on up. Additionally
under 21 games are organized at an inter-county
level, in order to give younger players regular
games throughout the season. There are two other
groupings, junior and intermediate but these
are based on skill rather than age. As well
as this, the games are played at schools and
colleges levels at varying standards, which
at college level, oft times rival inter county
under 21 standards.
During the summer months, the All-Ireland championships
takes place. It is the dream of every player
in the country to win an All-Ireland medal for
his county. This is seen by all as the ultimate
goal. The championships are first played province
by province. Each of the four provincial champions
then play in All-Ireland semi-finals, and the
subsequent winners in the All-Ireland final.
Gaelic Football is played on a pitch approximately
137m long and 82m wide. The goalposts are the
same shape as on a rugby pitch, with the crossbar
lower than a rugby one and slightly higher than
a soccer one. The ball used in Gaelic Football
is round, slightly smaller than a soccer ball.
It can be carried in the hand for a distance
of four steps and can be kicked or "hand-passed",
a striking motion with the hand or fist. After
every four steps the ball must be either bounced
or "solo-ed", an action of dropping
the ball onto the foot and kicking it back into
the hand. When played by men, the ball may not
be picked directly from the ground. You may
not bounce the ball twice in a row. To score,
you put the ball over the crossbar by foot or
handfist for one point or under the crossbar
and into the net by foot or the handfist in
certain circumstances for a goal, the latter
being the equivalent of three points. Physical
contact is allowed, shoulder to shoulder.
Each team consists
of fifteen players, lining out as follows: One
goalkeeper, three full-backs, three half-backs,
two midfielders, three half-forwards and three
full-forwards. The actual line out on the playing
field is as follows
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1 =
Goalkeeper
2 =
Right-corner-back
3 =
Full-back
4 =
Left-corner-back
5 =
Right-half-back
6 =
Centre-half-back
7 =
Left-half-back
8 =
Midfielder
9 =
Midfielder |
10 = Right-half-forward
11 = Centre-half-forward
12 = Left-half-forward
13 = Right-corner-forward
14 = Full-forward
15 =
Left-corner-forward
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