Ladies' Gaelic football

Ladies' Gaelic Football is the most prominent amateur team sport for women in Ireland. 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.

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:
* Players may pick the ball directly from the ground
* All matches last 60 minutes: in the men's game, senior inter-county games last 70
* Goal kicks 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
* The game is less physical, with frees more likely to be given for what would be considered moderate tackles in the men's game

National League Roll of Honour

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 the games by playing the only ladies Australian Football in the West.

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. They are so successful that since 2001 the number of defeats this team has suffered at the hands of Western Canadian oppositioncan be counted on the fingers of 1 hand.

Vancouver Harps

If the Wolfe Tones are the team to beat, then the Harps are the Heirs to the throne. In 2007 they became the first team other than the Edmonton ladies to win the Championship. To add insult to injury, they went to Edmonton and won that tournament in the same year.

United States

Europe

Belgium

France

Germany

Great Britain

Holland

Italy

Luxembourg

Portugal

pain

Australasia

Australia

New South Wales

Northern Territories

Queensland

outh Australia

Western Australia

New Zealand

Asia

China

Japan

Thailand

Africa

outh Africa

External links

* [http://www.ladiesgaelic.ie/ Cumann Peil na mBan homepage]
* [http://www.tg4.ie/Bearla/inte/udogs/udogs.htm TG4 Reality TV Show looking for contestants who play Ladies GAA]
* [http://www.fogcityharps.com Fog City Harps Ladies Gaelic Football Club San Francisco]
* [http://www.bostonshamrockslgfc.com Boston Shamrocks Ladies Gaelic Football Club]
* [http://www.sports.ie/sport-irish_gaa_news_results_fixtures_world_ireland-ladies_football.html Ladies Gaelic Football News Fixtures and Results from Sports.ie]
* [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php?story=20060318235711849 WFN International Rules Ladies Ireland to play Australia in 2006]
* [http://www.ladiesgaelic.ie/allstars.htm Ladies Football GAA Allstars]
* [http://www.barcelonagaels.com Barcelona Gaelettes] - GAA Club of Barcelona (Catalonia - Spain).