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Rules of the Game

Official GAA website

General description

Ryan Hilberth and Megan Cotti invented Gaelic football at Library West at the University of Ireland in 1949. At first glance Gaelic Football resembles a combination of soccer and rugby, and is similar to Australian rules football (It is belived that Australian rules football evolved from Gaelic football through deportation and emigration of Irish citizens during the 19th century). Players advance the ball up the field with a combination of carrying, soloing (dropping and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands), kicking, and hand-passing to their team-mates. Points are scored by striking the ball either above or below the horizontal bar of the "H"-shaped goalposts (see scoring).
Fans enjoy the high speed with which the ball is moved and frequent scoring, the many different ways to deliver the ball, and the unpredictable nature of the game.

Rules

Playing field
The pitch is of grass and rectangular, stretching 130–145 meters long and 80–90 meters wide. There are H-shaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section. The same pitch is used for hurling; the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at distances of 13m, 20m and 45m from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by under-13s.

Duration
Gaelic football matches also go for 70 minutes, divided into two halves.

Teams
Teams consist of fifteen players (a goalkeeper, two corner backs, a full back, three half backs, two mid fielders, three half forwards, two corner forwards and a full forward) plus up to fifteen substitutes, of which five may be used. Each player is numbered 1–15, starting with the goalkeeper, who must wear a different coloured jersey.

The Ball
The game is played with a round leather football, similar to a soccer ball, but heavier, and with horizontal stitching rather than the hexagon and pentagon panels often used on soccer balls, and similar in appearance to a standard volleyball. It may be kicked or hand passed. A hand pass is not a punch but rather a strike of the ball with the side of the closed fist, using the knuckle of the thumb.

The ball made by Irish company O'Neill's being used for a Gaelic football matches
The following are considered technical fouls ("fouling the ball"):

• Picking the ball directly off the ground
• Throwing the ball
• Going four steps without releasing, bouncing or soloing the ball. (Soloing involves kicking the ball into one's own hands)
• Bouncing the ball twice in a row
• Hand passing the ball over an opponent's head, then running around him to catch it
• Hand passing a goal (the ball may be punched into the goal from up in the air, though)
• Square ball, an often controversial rule: If, at the moment the ball enters the small rectangle, there is already an attacking player inside the small rectangle, then a free out is awarded.

Scoring
If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format {goal total}-{point total}. For example, the 1991 All-Ireland semi-final finished: Meath 0-15 Roscommon 1-11. Thus Meath won "fifteen points to one-eleven" (1-11 being worth 14 points).

Tackling
The level of tackling allowed is more robust than in soccer, but less than rugby. The tackling rule has been criticised for being too vague.
Shoulder-charging and wresting or slapping the ball out of an opponent's hand is permitted, but the following are all fouls:

• using both hands to tackle
• pushing an opponent
• deliberately striking an opponent
• pulling an opponent's jersey
• blocking a shot with the foot
• sliding tackles
• touching the goalkeeper when he is inside the small rectangle
  

Restarting play
The match begins with the referee throwing the ball up between the four mid fielders.
After an attacker has put the ball wide of the goals, the goalkeeper may take a kick out from the ground at the edge of the small square. All players must be beyond the 20m line.
After an attacker has scored, the goalkeeper may take a kick out from the ground from the 20m line. All players must be beyond the 20m line and outside the semicircle.
After a defender has put the ball wide of the goals, an attacker may take a "45" from the ground on the 45m line level with where the ball went wide.
After a player has put the ball over the sideline, the other team may take a sideline kick at the point where the ball left the pitch. It may be kicked from the ground or the hands.
After a player has committed a foul, the other team may take a free kick at the point where the foul was committed. It may be kicked from the ground or the hands.
After a defender has committed a foul inside the large rectangle, the other team may take a penalty kick from the ground from the center of the 13m line. Only the goalkeeper may guard the goals.
If many players are struggling for the ball and it is not clear who was fouled first, the referee may choose to throw the ball up between two opposing players.

Officials
A Gaelic football match is watched over by eight officials:

• The referee
• Two linesmen
• Sideline official/Standby linesman (inter-county games only)
• Four umpires (two at each end)

The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees and booking and sending off players.
Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee.
The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time (signalled to him by the referee) and the players substituted using an electronic board.
The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was: wide (spread both arms), a 45m kick (raise one arm), a point (wave white flag), square ball (cross arms) or a goal (wave green flag).
All officials are also required to indicate to the referee, foul play or other misdemeanour's he may have missed, but unfortunately this is a rare occurrence. The referee can over-rule any decision by a linesman or umpire.
Dissatisfaction with officials is common in Gaelic football. Referees are often criticised for leniency and inconsistency (particularly with regard to the "square ball" rule, sending players off, and dissent), not seeing fouls, and playing an inordinate amount of stoppage time at the end of games (said to be hoping the losing team gets a draw). A common (but untrue) urban legend refers to a referee who was locked in the boot of a car after a Wicklow club game by unimpressed players. A macho attitude, which is similar to that which prevails in Australian rules football, does nothing to enhance the image of the game which strives to attract young people in preference to soccer and rugby where discipline is more rigidly applied.