Ladies' Gaelic football

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. It is increasing in popularity in other countries around the world, often by members of the Irish diaspora.^{[citation needed]}

Play

The game is very similar to the male form of Gaelic football, where two teams of 15 players kick or punch 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

Although most of the rules of the game are parallel to those for men's Gaelic football, there are some differences. The main ones are:

• A player may pick the ball up directly from the ground, so long as she is standing
• All matches last 60 minutes; in the men's game, senior inter-county games last 70
• Kickouts may be taken from the hand
• A countdown clock with siren is used if available; in the men's game, the referee decides the end of the game
• It is permitted to change the ball from one hand to the other
• 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.

Notable players

• Cora Staunton, Irish Gaelic football player

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.

Edmonton Wolfe Tones

The team of the decade thus far in Western Canada, having won the Western Canadian Championships 3 times out of the 4 played.

Vancouver Harps

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

United States

Seattle Gaels

Winners of the 2007 Junior B North American Gaelic Football Championship

Europe

• Austria
• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Holland
• Hungary
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Portugal
• Spain

Australasia

• Australia
  • [Melbourne gaavictoria.org.au]

• New Zealand

Asia

• China
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Thailand
• South Korea

Africa

• South Africa

External links

• Cumann Peil na mBan homepage
• TG4 Reality TV Show looking for contestants who play Ladies GAA
• Ladies Gaelic Football News Fixtures and Results from Sports.ie
• WFN International Rules Ladies Ireland to play Australia in 2006
• Ladies Football GAA Allstars