Ladies' Gaelic Football (Irish: Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a team sport for women, very similar to Gaelic football, and coordinated by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. It is the most prominent amateur team sport for women in Ireland[citation needed]. It is also increasing in popularity in other countries around the world, often by members of the Irish diaspora.
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.
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
- The game is less physical: all deliberate bodily contact is forbidden except when "shadowing" an opponent, competing to catch the ball, or blocking the delivery of the ball.
National League Roll of Honour
| County |
Winners |
Runners-up |
Winning Years |
| Kerry |
11 |
2 |
1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 |
| Waterford |
5 |
6 |
1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002 |
| Cork |
4 |
2 |
2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Mayo |
3 |
4 |
2000, 2004, 2007 |
| Monaghan |
3 |
1 |
1994, 1996, 1999 |
| Laois |
2 |
4 |
1993, 2003 |
| Clare |
1 |
2 |
2001 |
| Tipperary |
1 |
2 |
1979 |
| Wexford |
1 |
0 |
1986 |
Ladies Gaelic football outside Ireland
North America
Canada
- Toronto Division
- 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
Asia
- China
- Japan
- Thailand
- South Korea
Africa
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
