64-633: The Donegal Intermediate Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal IFC ) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA . CLG An Tearmainn are the title holders (2024) defeating CLG Naomh Columba in the Final. The competition has been won by 27 clubs, 13 of which have won it more than once. Declan Bonner was player-manager of the 1989 winning team. He won the Ulster Senior Football Championship with his county in 1990, followed by another in 1992 and
128-406: A centre half-back are strength, height, speed and a good catching game. The role of the midfield who wears the number 8 or 9 jersey is to catch kick outs / puck outs from either team's goalkeeper, and to act as the main link between the defending and attacking sections of the team. Midfield is often described as the most important role on the pitch. If the opposing goalkeeper is kicking the ball to
192-632: A crowd of 70,000 spectators. By 1958, Wembley Stadium hosted annual exhibition games of Gaelic football in England, before tens of thousands of spectators. Gaelic football, hurling and camogie positions The following are the positions in the Gaelic sports of Gaelic football , hurling and camogie . Each team consists of one goalkeeper (who wears a different colour jersey), six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards: 15 players in all. Some under-age games are played 13-a-side (in which case
256-581: A dozen clubs had been established in the US by 1893. The first clubs appeared in England in 1896. Around 1900 the game began to resemble more closely to the running game of today, players were able to lift the ball off the ground and run and carry it if they bounced it every 4 yards. The first match played in Australia was in 1902 finding a niche in Queensland during a period when Australian football there
320-443: A larger ground. 2. There shall not be less than 14 or more than 21 players a side in regular matches. 3. There shall be two umpires and a referee. Where the umpires disagree the referee's decision shall be final. There shall also be a goal umpire at each end of the ground to watch for goals and points. The referee shall keep the time, and throw up the ball at the commencement of each goal. 4. The goalposts shall stand at each end in
384-404: A player from throwing the ball a little in front to allow himself more freedom in kicking it. 11. Where the rules are broken the referee may allow a free kick if he thinks fit. In such a free kick the ball must be kicked from the ground. No player on the opposite side is to approach nearer than 14 yards until the ball is kicked; but if the free kick is allowed nearer than 14 yards of the goal line,
448-578: A variable number of substitutes. Gaelic football is one of four sports (collectively referred to as the " Gaelic games ") controlled by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the largest sporting organisation in Ireland . Along with hurling and camogie , Gaelic football is one of the few remaining strictly amateur sports in the world, with players, coaches, and managers prohibited from receiving any form of payment. Gaelic football
512-762: Is France, where it has been growing lately, not least in the Celtic region of Brittany . Gaelic Park in New York City is the largest purpose-built Gaelic sports venue outside Ireland. Three major football competitions operate throughout the year: the National Football League and the All-Ireland Senior Championship operate on an inter-county basis, while the All-Ireland Club Championship
576-474: Is a common tactic. The centre forward also helps win breaking ball in the midfield, helping to win the possession to bring the ball forward. The centre forward operates from the midfield to the opposition's 45-metre line. Sometimes referred to as half forward . The role of the left and right corner-forwards, who wear the number 13 and 15 jerseys respectively, is to watch the full-forward's breaks and to score points and goals. The full-forward line operates around
640-435: Is awarded for kicking or hand-passing the ball over the crossbar, signalled by the umpire raising a white flag. A goal is awarded for kicking the ball under the crossbar into the net (the ball cannot be hand-passed into the goal), signalled by the umpire raising a green flag. Positions in Gaelic football are similar to those in other football codes and comprise one goalkeeper , six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards, with
704-503: Is contested by individual clubs. The All-Ireland Senior Championship is considered the most prestigious event in Gaelic football. Under the auspices of the GAA, Gaelic football is a male-only sport; however, the related sport of ladies' Gaelic football is governed by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association . Similarities between Gaelic football and Australian rules football have allowed
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#1732800973266768-439: Is driven over the goal line, and not through the goal, the goalkeeper shall have a free kick from the goal, and no player on the opposite side to approach nearer than the 21-yard line until the ball is kicked. If the ball is driven over the goal line by a player whose goal line it is, it shall count one point for the opposite side; if driven over the goal line within 21 feet of either goal post, it shall count three points; if through
832-454: Is important for the midfield to have a good understanding of their goalkeeper. They must anticipate where their goalkeeper will place the ball and therefore take advantage and bring the ball forward. Note that there is rarely a "left midfielder" and "right midfielder" – both play 'off' each other as a combined unit. If one midfielder is attacking, the other always goes up the field with him in support. Both midfielders always attack or defend at
896-405: Is less defensive than that of the corner-backs. The half-backs operate most often in between the 45-metre line and the midfield. The half-backs are expected to defend against the opposition's half-forward line but also has a responsibility to make runs from the 45-metre line to advance the play to the half-forward and full-forward lines. Sometimes referred to as right/left wing-back . The role of
960-574: Is mainly played on the island of Ireland, although units of the Association exist in Great Britain , mainland Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The final of the All-Ireland Senior Championship , held every year at Croke Park , Dublin , draws crowds of more than 80,000 people. Outside Ireland, football is mainly played among members of the Irish diaspora . A notable exception
1024-720: Is most likely the "football kicking under the Irish rules" that Thomas Croke later recalled in County Cork . Irish football is a great game and worth going a long way to see when played on a fairly laid out ground and under proper rules. Many old people say just hurling exceeded it as a trial of men. I would not care to see either game now as the rules stand at present. I may say there are no rules and therefore those games are often dangerous. Maurice Davin , 1884 Irish historian Garnham, citing R.M. Peter's Irish Football Annual of 1880, argued that Gaelic football did not exist before
1088-407: Is required. The role of full-back who wears the number 3 jersey is one of the most important in Gaelic football or hurling. As well as defending against attackers, the full-back is responsible for organising the defence and is the key defender in front of goals, and is usually one of the tallest and strongest players on the team. The full back plays most often around the 20-metre line. The position of
1152-571: The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship of 1992 as well. The most successful team to have emerged from the Donegal IFC in the 21st-century is Glenswilly . They went on to claim several SFC honours for the first time in club history (2011, 2013, 2016). Neil Gallagher , the future National Football League -winning captain and All Star of the 2012 and 2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, won
1216-487: The United Ireland magazine on 7 February 1887. The original rules bear many similarities to modern football with the requirement to kick, handpass, and the basic scoring system, however, the original rules also included many Australian features including additional scoring posts (removed later in 1910 ). The code had already begun to diverge, with the mark being deprecated, the soccer ball being adopted, and carrying
1280-578: The Victorian Rules (first codified in 1859 and then played extensively in the Colony of Victoria and Colony of Queensland and to a lesser extent in the colonies of New South Wales and New Zealand ). This kicking variety of football was even played with an oval ball which became customary in Australia in the 1870s and that scoring was achieved only by kicking goals. A major difference between
1344-420: The "field game" in which the object was to put the ball through arch-like goals, formed from the boughs of two trees, and; the epic "cross-country game", which lasted the whole of a Sunday (after mass ) and was won by taking the ball across a parish boundary. "Wrestling", "holding" opposing players, and carrying the ball were all allowed. Some accounts of traditional Irish football come not from Ireland, but from
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#17328009732661408-412: The 1840s in the Colony of Victoria including Melbourne at Batman's Hill and the goldfields in the Colony of Victoria . The account of H C A Harrison , one of the seminal in the history of Victorian football, of Irish rules was that it gave players "the full ability to kick anybody that came within reach". Shin-kicking (or hacking ) was a major feature of traditional Irish football and also one of
1472-559: The 1858 Cambridge Rules ) and Blackheath (1862 club rules). County Limerick was a stronghold of the game in the 1880s, and the Commercials Club in Limerick , founded by employees of Cannock's Drapery Store, was one of the first to impose a set of rules, which was adapted by other clubs in the city. These rules are believed to be the basis for the rules that were later adopted by the GAA and appear to have contained some of
1536-494: The 1880s and curious about the origin of the distinctive features believed that clubs from England in 1868 most likely introduced elements of their codes including the " mark " (a free kick to players who cleanly catch the ball, which was a feature of the matches played in the 1880s), lack of offside and scoring by kicking between the upright posts. Unable to identify the source of these peculiar traits he concluded that they must have been introduced by Trinity, Cambridge (those known as
1600-493: The 1880s are scant. USGAA makes the unsourced claim that matches were played at Hyde Park, San Francisco in the 1850s. During the 1860s and 1870s, rugby football started to become popular in Ireland. Trinity College Dublin was an early stronghold of rugby, and the rules of the (English) Football Association were codified in 1863 and distributed widely. By this time, according to Gaelic football historian Jack Mahon, even in
1664-705: The Cathal McLaughlin Memorial Cup. The winning club is promoted to the Donegal Senior Football Championship for the following season. The Donegal IFC winner qualifies for the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship. It is the only team from County Donegal to qualify for this competition. The Donegal IFC winner may enter the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship at either the preliminary round or
1728-966: The Donegal IFC in 2005. The 2006 final required two replays before Cloich Cheann Fhaola defeated Gaeil Fhánada . Initially a straight knock-out competition, a round-robin group stage was introduced in 2013. With its 2023 title win, Na Dúnaibh became the first club to win the competition on four occasions, having previously done so in 1981, 1988 and 1993. They were joined by CLG An Tearmainn after their defeat of CLG Naomh Columba in 2024. Men to have won this competition and to have played at senior level for their county include Paddy McConigley (2009), Michael Boyle (2012), Kevin Mulhern (2014), Jamie and Paul Brennan (2015), Frank McGlynn (2018), Stephen Griffin (2019) and Peter Boyle (2020). Others to have played in this competition and played at senior level for their county include Michael Lynch , Niall McCready and Brian Roper . The winning club receives
1792-596: The Irish countryside, caid had begun to give way to a "rough-and-tumble game", which even allowed tripping. The first account of what the founders of modern Gaelic football referred to as Irish football dates to 1873. Paddy Begley notes that in County Kerry in 1870 only soccer and rugby were played, although historian Paddy Foley notes that by 1874 a third, very different form of football began to emerge and spread across South-West Ireland . At Killarney , these highly popular matches were virtually indistinguishable from
1856-579: The Irish diaspora, often in celebrating traditional events such as St Patrick's Day. The largest such communities existed in Britain, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Many of the earliest football matches in Australia date back to the 1840s amongst Irish immigrants. In the Colony of South Australia , there are several accounts of Irish football being played at Thebarton in 1843 and again in 1853. There were similar accounts of football in
1920-540: The Lyons or Newcastle), was charged with accidentally stabbing a player named William Bernard. A field near Newcastle, South Dublin is still known as the football field. The Statute of Galway of 1527 allowed the playing of "foot balle" and archery but banned " ' hokie'—the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves" as well as other sports. By the 17th century, the situation had changed considerably. The games had grown in popularity and were widely played. This
1984-484: The Victorian Rules of 1866. It is not known how or when these Victorian Rules reached Ireland, though many of the goldrush Irish immigrants returned to Ireland during the 1870s and 1880s as the colonial fortunes faded. At a similar point in time, the same football rules were proposed as an alternative to those of soccer and rugby in northern England but did not take root there. Playing the code under its own rules
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2048-461: The ball not allowed, as such there was no requirement to bounce or solo the ball carrying the ball remained illegal until the turn of the 20th century. The game was intended to promote peace and harmony, rejecting the violence of other football codes, and Davin even included a requirement for players to hold hands with their opponents though this practice fell out of favour. The first game of Gaelic football under GAA rules (developed by Maurice Davin)
2112-472: The ball were permitted. However even "foot-ball" was banned by the severe Sunday Observance Act of 1695 , which imposed a fine of one shilling (a substantial amount at the time) for those caught playing sports. It proved difficult, if not impossible, for the authorities to enforce the Act and the earliest recorded inter-county match in Ireland was one between Louth and Meath , at Slane , in 1712, about which
2176-406: The centre half-back who wears the number 6 jersey, is less defensive than that of the full-back. The centre backs operates from the 45-metre line and forward to the midfield. The centre back will help win the breaking ball in the midfield and can be used as a third midfielder. The centre half-back generally marks the centre half-forward. Sometimes referred to as centre back . The required agilities of
2240-431: The centre of the goal line. They shall be 21 feet apart, with a crossbar 8 feet from the ground. Besides the goal posts, there shall be two upright posts standing in each goal line 21 feet from the goal posts. A goal is won when the ball is driven between the goalposts and under the crossbar. A point is counted when the ball is driven over the crossbar, or the goal line, within 21 feet of either goal post. 5. The captains of
2304-834: The club (representing County Limerick) later won the inaugural 1887 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final . English (Association) football started to take hold, especially in Ulster , in the 1880s. By the mid-1880s it had become so popular that it was feared by many to completely displace Irish football. Ball-playing, hurling, football kicking, according to Irish rules, 'casting', leaping in various ways, wrestling, handy-grips, top-pegging, leap-frog, rounders, tip-in-the-hat, and all such favourite exercises and amusements amongst men and boys, may now be said to be not only dead and buried, but in several localities to be entirely forgotten and unknown. Thomas Croke , 1884 letter to Michael Cusack Irish football, however, continued its grip on
2368-505: The development of international rules football , a hybrid sport , and a series of Test matches has been held regularly since 1998. While Gaelic football as it is known today dates back to the late 19th century, various kinds of football were played in Ireland before this time. The first legal reference to football in Ireland was in 1308, when John McCrocan, a spectator at a football game at Novum Castrum de Leuan (the New Castle of
2432-404: The final, losing out to Ilen Rovers of Cork. Gaelic football Gaelic football ( Irish : Peil Ghaelach ; short name Peil ) , commonly known as simply Gaelic , GAA or football , is an Irish team sport . A form of football , it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking or punching the ball into
2496-407: The full-back and full-forward positions are removed) or 11-a-side (in which case the full-back, centre back, centre forward and full-forward positions are removed). The positions are listed below, with the jersey number usually worn by players in that position given. The role of a goalkeeper, who wears the number 1 jersey in Gaelic games, is similar to other codes: to prevent the ball from entering
2560-414: The full-back requires that the player have decent speed over short bursts, strength, and good hand eye co-ordination. In playing either corner-back or full-back positions a well-developed aerobic system is required although, unlike the corner-backs, the full-back is needed to make short burst sprints both away from and into the goal area. The role of the half backs who wear the 5 (right) and 7 (left) jerseys
2624-432: The goal it shall count a goal. 9. The match shall be decided by the greater number of goals. When no goal is made, or when the goals are even, it shall be decided by the greater number of points. 10. The ball must be struck with the hand. It may be caught when off the ground, and the player catching it may kick it any way he pleases, but must not carry it or throw it forward. Note. — There is nothing in this rule to prevent
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2688-425: The goal. The goalkeeper in Gaelic football and hurling also usually has the role of kicking or pucking the ball out to the outfield players. A good goalkeeper most often has great agility and bravery as well as strength and height. In Gaelic football a keeper's shot stopping ability is of great importance alongside blocking. There is no limit to where on the field the goalkeeper can travel, although once they are outside
2752-684: The main reasons why it failed to be widely adopted in Australia. Irish football was also played in the Colony of New Zealand in the 1860s and 1870s in Auckland during Thomas Croke 's term as Archbishop there. An 1882 theatrical performance in New York portrays a controversial Irish football match on Saint Nicholas Day 6 December 1790 at the school of Champs de Mars in Paris. Despite a large Irish population references to it being played in America before
2816-467: The match, full power to disqualify any player or order him to stand aside and discontinue play, for any act he may consider unfair, as set out in Rule 6, or for vicious play. No nails or iron tips are allowed on the boots. Strips of leather fastened on the soles will prevent slipping. The dress for hurling and football is to be knee breeches and stockings and shoes or boots. Gaelic football spread throughout
2880-455: The middle of the field, the midfielder has the responsibility to retrieve the ball and therefore prevent the opposing team from taking advantage and bringing the ball forward. This then gives a new responsibility to the midfielder to get the ball moving forward to the half forward and full forward lines. The position requires the player to have strength, height, speed, good catching ability, a good kicking game and, most importantly, endurance. It
2944-524: The midfield to the opposition's 45 metre line. The right wing-forward's main opposing player is the left wing-back and vice versa. Sometimes referred to as right/left half forward. The role of the centre -forward who wears the number 11 jersey, is to build up attacks and feed the ball to the full-forward line. The centre -forward is responsible for taking shots on goal and points when opportunities present themselves. The centre forward will cover much ground and utilising speedy half forwards to run at defences
3008-440: The number 16 jersey and the third choice goalkeeper usually wears the number 31. The role of the right and left corner-back who, respectively, wear the number 2 and number 4 jerseys, is to defend against opposing attackers – in particular the left and right corner-forwards. They will play most around the 20-metre line. The positions require the players having decent speed over short bursts and good hand eye co-ordination, and agility
3072-436: The opposite players need not stand behind that line. 12. If the ball strikes a bystander near the sideline, except the referee or umpire, it shall be considered out of play and must be thrown in as directed in Rule 8. If it occurs near the goal line it shall be considered out of play and must be kicked from the goal. In the latter case, the referee may allow one point or more if he thinks fit. 13. The referee shall have, during
3136-414: The opposition's 21-metre line. The corner-forwards are generally marked by the corner-backs. The role of the full-forward who wears the number 14 jersey is to score goals in particular although points are usually the outcome of their attempts on goal. The full-forward line operates around the opposition's 21-metre line. The full-forward is generally marked by the full back. It is common for teams to employ
3200-422: The other team's goal (3 points) or between two upright posts above the goal and over a crossbar 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) above the ground (1 point). Players advance the ball up the field with a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing, and soloing (dropping the ball and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands). In the game, two types of scores are possible: points and goals. A point
3264-438: The penalty area, they are subject to the same rules as all other players. A goalkeeper in men's football may touch the ball on the ground within his own small parallelogram, and is the only player permitted to do so. It is not permitted to physically challenge a goalkeeper while inside his own small parallelogram, but players may harass him into playing a bad pass, or block an attempted pass. The substitute goalkeeper usually wears
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#17328009732663328-632: The poet Séamas Dall Mac Cuarta wrote a poem of 88 verses beginning "Ba haigeanta". A six-a-side version was played in Dublin in the early 18th century, and 100 years later, there were accounts of games played between County sides (Prior, 1997). By the early 19th century, various football games, referred to collectively as caid , were popular in County Kerry , especially the Dingle Peninsula . Father W. Ferris described two forms of caid :
3392-583: The quarter-final stage. The Donegal IFC winner — by winning the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship — may qualify for the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship, at which it would enter at the semi-final stage, providing it hasn't been drawn to face the British champions in the quarter-finals. The last team from County Donegal to do this was St Michael's in 2004 who went on to reach
3456-405: The referee may think fit, and his side cannot substitute another man. Wrestling shall not be allowed. 7. The time of actual play shall be one hour, and sides are to be changed only at half-time. 8. When a player drives the ball over the sideline, it shall be thrown back from the point where it first crossed the line by a player on the opposite side. It may be thrown in any direction. When the ball
3520-513: The rules widely distributed in 1887. The GAA sought to promote traditional Irish sports, such as hurling, and to reject "foreign" (particularly English) imports. The first Gaelic football rules, showing the influence of hurling (and incorporating some of the Victorian Rules of 1866 and 1877 ) represented the strong desire to differentiate from association football (and rugby)—for example in their lack of an offside rule . The rules were first drawn up by Maurice Davin in 1884 and later published in
3584-406: The same time. The role of the right and left wing-forward who wear, respectively, numbers 10 and number 12 jerseys, is to build up attacks and to feed the ball to the full-forward line and also taking shots on goal or above the bar when opportunities present themselves. The wing-forwards will cover much ground and utilising speedy wing-forwards to run at defences is a common tactic. They operate from
3648-402: The southern counties. Accounts from 1889 state that the variety of football that was becoming popular in Ireland in 1884 bore little resemblance at all to the old mob football and was received by the public as more a hybrid of English and Scotch football. Irish forms of football were not formally arranged into an organised playing code by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) until 1884 with
3712-430: The teams shall toss for choice of sides before commencing play, and the players shall stand in two ranks opposite each other in the centre of the field until the ball is thrown up, each holding the hand of one of the other side. 6. Pushing or tripping behind, holding from behind, catching below knees, or butting with the head, shall be deemed foul, and the player so offending shall be ordered to stand aside for such time as
3776-470: The two styles is that the Irish variety featured high kicking " up and under " whereas in colonial Victoria, the little marks or foot passes were much more common. While the founders of the game were all familiar with or played rugby, including Cusack and Davin, few had played Irish football as it was so rare outside of the South-West, though the influence of this football on the founders was obvious, this
3840-533: The world in the late 19th century. Despite a huge Irish American population there was limited awareness of the game in America, though there was limited knowledge of its rules, apart from that the ball cannot be lifted from the ground by hand, and throttling is banned. It was first played in North America in the 1890s with games being played in both Canada and the United States in 1892. More than
3904-628: Was attacked by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), including its Auxiliary Division . 14 people were killed and 65 were injured. Among the dead was Tipperary footballer Michael Hogan , for whom the Hogan Stand at Croke Park (completed in 1924) was named. In 1930 the GAA banned children found playing rugby instead of Gaelic football. In 1939, at Yankee Stadium in New York City , Kerry played Galway in front of
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#17328009732663968-517: Was due to the patronage of the gentry. Now instead of opposing the games it was the gentry and the ruling class who were serving as patrons of the games. Games were organised between landlords with each team comprising 20 or more tenants. Wagers were commonplace with purses of up to 100 guineas (Prior, 1997). The earliest record of a recognised precursor to the modern game dates from a match in County Meath in 1670, in which catching and kicking
4032-518: Was in recess. Some Gaelic Athletic Associations began to impose strict nationalistic policies during this time. For example, in Connacht free kicks began to be introduced into some leagues penalising speaking of any language but Irish, and imposing a rule that the referee may speak only in Irish. On Bloody Sunday in 1920 , during the Irish War of Independence , a football match at Croke Park
4096-464: Was played near Callan, Co Kilkenny in February 1885. From 1886 the GAA banned tackling. The widely published GAA rules were as follows: 1. The ground for full teams (21 aside) shall be 140 yards long by 84 yards broad, or as near that size as can be got. The ground must be properly marked by boundary lines. Boundary lines are to be at least five yards from the fences. Note— There is no objection to
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