Gaelic football and hurling are a religion in Ireland, but you’d be surprised with the amount of people that still ask what does the GAA stand for?

There is a lot of global interest in the organisation at the moment so many people outside of Ireland are beginning to become interested in our native sport and its governing body.

Here it is.

The GAA stands for the Gaelic Athletic Association of Ireland and it is Ireland’s largest sporting organisation. It remains and is widely celebrated as one of the great amateur sporting associations in the world.

It plays a huge and influential role in the Irish society and its impact extends way beyond the promotion of Gaelic games.

Below, we will explain more.

When was the GAA founded?

It was established on November 1, 1884, at a gathering in Thurles, County Tipperary, by a group of intrepid Irishmen who had the wisdom to recognise the significance of creating a national organisation to make sports more accessible to the general public and to revive and nurture traditional, indigenous sports and pastimes.

Only the wealthy and aristocracy were primarily permitted to engage in real athletic participation at that period.

Up until that point, emigration, extreme poverty, and foreign influences had progressively eaten away at everything that made Ireland unique.

After that illustrious first gathering, GAA clubs sprang up all throughout Ireland within six months, and people started playing hurling and Gaelic football before competing against each other in tournaments and with pride.

You might find out Starterss Guide to Gaelic Football Positions Blog interesting?

Are GAA players paid?

Since its inception, the GAA has remained an amateur organisation.

Even at the highest level, players are not paid for their participation, and the GAA’s voluntary ethos continues to be one of its most crucial components.

The organisation is based on Ireland’s customary parishes and counties.

Since the GAA is a community-based organisation, it is frequently claimed that it is challenging to distinguish between the community and the club because they frequently overlap and are connected.

There are more than 2,200 GAA clubs spread across Ireland’s 32 counties.

Why not check out this blog on our Best GAA Players of all Time?

What sports are in the GAA?

The Association GAA now collaborates with sister organisations, such as the LGFA and Camoige, to develop Ladies Football and Camogie in addition to Gaelic sports including Hurling, Football, Handball, and Rounders.

The Association also promotes Irish music, song and dance and the Irish language as an integral part of its objectives.

Check out the breakdown of the size of a GAA pitch in this blog. 

Conclusion

We absolutely love our GAA at Intersport Elverys and we know you do too.

As proud sponsors of Mayo GAA, as well as being Official Retail sponsors of Dublin GAA and Tipperary GAA, we have heritage and experience in the game.

So check out county-wide list of products and services below.

We’ve got all the new jerseys, training gear and accessories.