GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

About

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) based in Dublin, Ireland, is the governing body for the sport of Gaelic Handball. GAA oversee other sports also and since its foundation in 1884, handball was included within the charter. The Irish Handball Council was established in 1924. The sport experienced a surge in popularity between the 1940s to 1970s, but other sports like hurling, Gaelic football, rugby and football all began gaining popularity. This led to Gaelic Handball losing ground to these sports.  

However, in 2009 the Irish Handball Council rebranded as GAA Handball giving the sport a major boost through ongoing promotion, especially One-Wall handball. Many schools across Ireland were and are still being equipped with One-Wall courts. In 2012 Ireland hosted the World Handball Championships in Dublin where over 30 nations and over 2000 athletes participated. With the increase in popularity of One-Wall Handball, the hope is that Olympic inclusion will follow at some stage.  

In 40x20 handball, the main competitions in Ireland are County, Province, the All-Ireland Championships, and the Irish Nationals. In 60x30 Softball and Hardball, the main competitions are County, Province, and the All-Ireland Championships. There are also many international One-Wall and 40x20 competitions. The biggest competition is the World Handball Championships run every three years. The two codes of handball played in the World Handball Championships are 40x20 small court and One-Wall.  

Gaelic Athletic Association

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