Is gaelic football as big as English football in Ireland? and is it as widely played??...?

Question

I love the sport, find it fascinating, but its not shown on any British TV stations... Just curious to know how big the sport actually is... Is it only played in Eire? What is it like going to see a game??

Answer 1

Well I can see you have already been told why GAA is better then English soccer so I won't waste filling up your answers by repeating others but basically the main difference between Gaelic football and English soccer is that Gaelic isn't a professional sport.

Unlike English soccer players the Irish players don't really get paid at all. They have other jobs and couldn't rely just on playing it to support them financially.

Anywho glad to here you enjoy such a wonderful sport!!Peace!

Answer 2

I did not realise england had its own form of football, do they

drink half pints of shandy then do a morris dance prior to kick

off.

Answer 3

Im Irish and yes it is pretty big in some counties of Ireland, not so much in others. Overall I think Hurling is more widely played and watched. The two games are played in other countries like America and even S. America and Asia, by Irish communities etc. in those places.

Answer 4

Gaelic football is bigger then soccer.

It sounds like you get that.

There is a passion in Gaelic football that no soccer player has ever experienced.

The official capacity of Croke Park is 82,212 always sold out and is one of the most modern stadiums in the world-not bad for an amateur organisation

I play, and watch football and love it

I'm just guessing but I presume your American and if so there are G.A.A. clubs in the major U.S. cities

There are also gaa clubs in England,Australia,France and Germany

However, Ireland is the only country that you could say "gaa" and everyone would know what you're talking about

Answer 5

its mega big in Ireland go see a match in Dublin great crack biggest stadium in Ireland 70 thousand people in it,bigger then rugby and football by far.

Answer 6

Gaelic football is the most popular sport of Ireland in both participation and spectator numbers. It is the other parent game along with Aussie Rules to the International Rules played between Ireland and the Australian AFL national teams. Even better than International Rules, Gaelic football is a fast free flowing open field game.

Teams line out in similar positions to Aussie Rules – full forward, half forward, midfield, halfback and fullback lines, but with the addition of a goalkeeper similar to soccer and no ruck division. Goalposts resemble those of Rugby but with a net under the cross bar. A goal into the net is worth 3 points; a shot over the bar and between the posts is worth 1 point.

There is no body tackling though the men's version permits shoulder bumping of the ball carrier. The ball must be passed by foot or hand-pass similar to Aussie Rules. In men's football the ball also must be taken by hands in the air, on the full or on the bounce or flicked into the hands by foot from the ground, thus soccer skills are particularly useful.

Answer 7

No.1 sport played in Ireland,followed by hurling.I myself prefer hurling,incredible skillful sport.Played by 15 players,and is one of the fastest field sports in the world.I know rugby players who think hurling is crazy.In September the all Ireland finals in both sports take place in croke park,on separate days.You must realise all Gaelic games are amateur sports,but the finals are always played in front of 80000 to 85000 people.English football as a supported sport is huge in Ireland,and a lot of people travel to games across the water most weekends.Having said that support switches to the Gaelic games as soon as they start,what helps is that soccer is played in the winter and galic games are a summer sport.

Answer 8

I'm English and no it's not big at all... never seen a game.

Answer 9

25 reasons GAA is better than Soccer !!

1) The GAA player who played in front of 80,000 at the weekend will be teaching your children, selling you meat or fixing your drains on Monday morning. The soccer player who plays in front of 80,000 will be moaning about playing too many games and will be trying to sell you his personalised brand of leisure wear

2) GAA nicknames are better (The Bull, The Bomber, etc.) . Soccer players just add a Y to their surnames

3) Dublin vs Meath is a real derby. What does Utd. Vs City mean to Ronaldo or Sibierski

4) How many soccer players does it take to s***w in a light bulb? Answer eleven. One to stick it in and ten to surround and kiss him after he does it

5) Soccer players go to the papers after a game. GAA players go to the pub

6) John Terry would run a mile if he came up against Francie Bellew

7) GAA teams are numbered 1-15. A soccer team reads like the lottery results

8) All soccer players wear shin pads. Some hurlers wear helmets

9) Television runs soccer. Schoolteachers run the GAA

10) The GAA is about where you're from. Soccer is about who you like

11) No segregation at GAA games

12) No soccer team has a nickname quite as lovely as the Fighting c***s of Carlow

13) Bubble perms never made it to Croke Park

14) A scoreless draw in the GAA would be quite a novelty

15) The GAA may not appreciate its women as much as it should but at least we all know who Cora Stanunton is. The most famous woman in English soccer is Posh Spice

16) Under age players get to be part of the biggest days in hurling and football at half-time in the All-Ireland.

17) Micheal O'Murchearaigh.

18)If a GAA player ever jumped at a spectator like Eric Cantona did the rest of his team would join in. So would the rest of the crowd.

19)Vinnie Jones grabbed Gascoignes testicles. Paudie O'Se decked Joe McNally during the National Anthem. McNally learnt his lesson. Gascoigne just got worse.

20) The GAA season always leaves you wanting more. The soccer season leaves soccer people demanding less. "Fewer games please"

21) Old soccer players get testimonials, Old GAA players just slip down to junior.

22) Rural villages = A Church, A Post-office, a Pub and a GAA pitch.

23) Pints after the match with the lad you knocked seven lumps of shite out of in the game.

24)Croke park on a Summer's Day.

25)Roman Abramovich can buy the League. You can't buy Sam!!

Answer 10

im half irish and english, my mother and grandparents always watched GAA, years ago it used to be shown on channel four but you can get it on sky or even ntl in england if you sign up for sentanta sports package, i think its 12 pounds a month for 7 channels, including the north american sports network (if you like yank sports).

i used to play hurling as a kid when i went to ireland as my cousins always had the gear, then one day my cousin got his ankle completely shattered by some idiot playing hurling, so I have no interest in the sport anymore, overly violent if not controlled by good refereeing, gaelic football is less violent but confusing.

it will never, ever be bigger then soccer or football.

Answer 11

Gaelic football is pretty big in Ireland as well as Hurling. Every County has teams and schools play the sport. You can play it in other countries too if there is a big Irish community - I live in London and you can play it here.

If you want to watch it on television, you need to sign up to Setanta sport on Sky TV to see it.

The atmosphere at a live game is even more electric than at a soccer match as it is more interesting to watch and is much more fast paced.