Gaelic sports
Men’s Gaelic football
The flagship sport of the Gaelic Athletic Association: a fast, physical and skilful game, somewhere between football, rugby and basketball.
140 × 90 mRegulation pitch
15 players11 in continental Europe
60 minutes2 halves of 30 min
The pitch
The pitch is rectangular, with regulation dimensions of 140 x 90 m for 15 players per team. In continental Europe, where no suitable pitch is available, a football or rugby pitch is used and each team fields only 11 players.
The goalposts are H-shaped, with the lower part closed off by a net. Lines are marked on the ground at 13 m, 20 m and 45 m from the end line of the pitch.
Smaller pitches, both in width and in length, are used for under-14s and for friendly tournaments.
Match length:
Men’s Gaelic football matches last 60 minutes, in two halves of 30 minutes each. In tournaments, however, matches last 2 x 15 minutes. As a match cannot end in a draw, there are two solutions depending on the competition: the match is replayed, or two extra halves are played.
The teams
In continental Europe, teams are made up of 11 players, positioned as follows:
- 1 goalkeeper
- 2 full-backs
- 2 half-backs
- 2 midfielders
- 2 half-forwards
- 2 full-forwards
These eleven are joined by 5 substitutes, who may come onto the pitch at any point during the match. Each player is numbered from 1 to 16. The goalkeeper wears a different colour of shirt from all the other players.
The ball
The ball is round, similar to a football but heavier. Its casing is made up of rectangular panels, which gives it the look of a volleyball. It can be struck with the foot or the hand.
Gaelic footballs are not sold in France, so they are a rare and precious resource for clubs!
Scoring
There are two ways to score in men’s Gaelic football:
- If the ball passes between the posts and over the crossbar, the team scores 1 point
- If the ball goes into the goal under the crossbar, the team scores a goal, worth 3 points.
Scores are written, for example, like this:
- Team A: 0-15
- Team B: 1-11
This means:
- Team A: 0 goals and 15 points
- Team B: 1 goal and 11 points, i.e. 14 points
- Team A therefore wins
The game
A player carrying the ball may not take more than four steps while holding it. To keep moving up the pitch, the player can bounce the ball (as in basketball), or follow up with a “solo” (or toe-tap), that is, drop the ball onto the foot and kick it back up into the hands. The player may then take another four steps. A player may string together as many solos as he or she likes, but may not bounce the ball twice in a row. A sequence of play can therefore be summarised like this:
- 4 steps + 1 bounce + 4 steps + a solo, and so on
A player may not pick the ball up from the ground with the hands. It has to be lifted with the foot, with a small juggle to bring it into the hands (a “pick-up”).
Passing by hand is allowed, but throwing the ball is not. A hand pass is made by striking the ball: it must be propelled so that both hands are in contact with it at the moment of striking. Volleying the ball (that is, lifting it out of the hand holding it before striking) is therefore forbidden.
Physical contact is tightly regulated. Shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed, but tackles like those in rugby are forbidden. Every foul is penalised: the player restarts play by kicking the ball from the spot where the foul happened.
Refereeing and the rules
In men’s Gaelic football there can be up to eight officials running a match:
- The referee (the main official): responsible for the smooth running of the game. He or she judges fouls, counts the scores, and issues sanctions when necessary
- Two linesmen: they judge the throw-ins after the ball has gone out of play.
- Four umpires (two at each goal): their role is to confirm scores. Dressed in white coats, they raise a white flag to confirm a point and a green flag for a goal. To signal that a point has not been scored, they cross their arms without taking up the flags.
- A second official, stationed on the sideline, who manages substitutions and timekeeping, and a substitute linesman (in the All-Ireland championship only)
All the officials can signal a foul to the referee and help with decision-making. The referee always has the final say and can overrule a decision made by any of his or her assistants.
Here are the 2 official guides of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), in English, setting out all the rules:
A French translation of the rules of men’s Gaelic football, hurling and ladies Gaelic football was produced in 2009 and last updated in 2021. Here are the links to these very useful documents:
Calendar
Upcoming dates
The season’s next dates, updated whenever the Federation’s calendar is imported.
- Pan Euros, LyonSaturday 17 October 2026Add to my calendar
- To be confirmed for matchday 2, MondevilleSaturday 31 October 2026Centre-West LeagueDate to be confirmedAdd to my calendar
- To be confirmed for matchday 2, MondevilleSaturday 7 November 2026Centre-West LeagueDate to be confirmedAdd to my calendar
- To be confirmed for round 2, AgenSaturday 7 November 2026South-West LeagueDate to be confirmedAdd to my calendar
Fancy giving it a go?
A club near you will welcome you to a first session, with no equipment or experience needed.