The first mention of Irish Football is 1308. Some would say it is the original "beautiful game." Gaelic Football is played with a round ball, slightly smaller and heavier than a soccer ball and played against Rugby style H shaped goal posts. It is played between two teams of 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). Players advance the football, a spherical leather ball resembling a volleyball, up the field with a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing, and soloing (dropping the ball and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands). The action of the game makes it comparable to Australian Rules Football, and players of Gaelic Football are often recruited by the Australian leagues. Chief difference would be, of course, the shape of the ball, and that Aussie Rules is played on a cricket pitch, which is round. In Irish Football, two types of scores are possible: points and goals. A point is awarded for kicking or hand-passing the ball over the crossbar, signalled by the umpire raising a white flag. A goal is awarded for kicking the ball under the crossbar into the net, signalled by the umpire raising a green flag. Like other games of football, players comprise a goalkeeper, six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards, with a variable number of substitutes. | | | Conor Murray, actually Rugby, sorry | Gaelic football is one of four sports (collectively referred to as the "Gaelic games") controlled by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the largest sporting organisation in Ireland. Along with hurling and camogie, Gaelic football is one of the few remaining strictly amateur sports in the world, with players, coaches, and managers prohibited from receiving any form of payment. Gaelic football is mainly played on the island of Ireland, although leagues of the Association exist in Great Britain, North America and Australia. The final of the All-Ireland Senior Championship, held annually at Croke Park, Dublin, draws crowds of more than 80,000 people. Gaelic Park in New York City is the largest purpose-built Gaelic sports venue outside Ireland. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "omnisport" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/omnisport/929638999.3279107.1593281677197%40mail.yahoo.com.
