The Federation

History of the Federation

More than twenty years of growth, from a handful of Breton and Parisian clubs to a national network of 35 clubs.

Licensed members

Steady growth

From 160 licensed members in 2007–2008 to 1,577 in 2025–2026: participation has grown almost tenfold.

In 2025–2026 the Federation has 1,577 licensed members (+19%). Among adults: 410 women (+20%) and 1,161 men (+22%).

Source: number of licensed members declared to the Federation, by season.

Timeline

Key dates

  1. 1995Founding of Paris Gaels, the oldest Gaelic sports club in France.
  2. 1998The Rennes club is born: men’s Gaelic football takes root in Brittany.
  3. 2000The Brest club is founded: the first club made up entirely of non-Irish players.
  4. 2004The Federation is founded in October, then known as the Association Française des Sports Gaéliques. The Breton clubs of Liffré, Bains-sur-Oust and Merdrignac join the movement.
  5. 2006 – 2009Nantes (2006), INSA Rennes (2007), Vannes, Lyon and Saint-Quay (2008), then Clermont-Ferrand, Guérande, Saint-Brieuc, Nice and Paris Lutetia (2009) all found clubs.
  6. 2008The Breton league is created, organising championships and the Brittany Cup.
  7. 2010 – 2013Toulouse, Saint-Malo, Niort, Quimper, Lorient, Coutances, Bordeaux, Marseille and Lille join the Federation. A refereeing commission is set up in 2011; the men’s French Championship has been played over a single day since 2012.
  8. 2014 – 2018Naives, Angers, Azur, Fougères, Arthon and Mondeville: the network keeps growing. The South-West league is created in 2018.
  9. 2021Two new leagues are born: Centre-West and South-East.
  10. 2025A new Steering Committee is elected for four years, as part of a drive to meet the expectations of the Ministry of Sport.
  11. 2026The French ladies team are crowned world champions at the GAA World Games in Waterford.

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Clubs, volunteers, partners: everyone helps shape the story of Gaelic sports in France.

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