Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association
Cumann Lúthchleas Gael
Formation1 November 1884 (1884-11-01) in Thurles, Tipperary, Ireland
TypeSports association
PurposeThe management and promotion of Gaelic games, and promotion of Irish culture and language
HeadquartersCroke Park, Dublin, Ireland
Region served
Worldwide
Membership (2014)
500,000+[1][needs update]
Official language
Irish
Jarlath Burns
Staff
Limited full-time staff
Websitegaa.ie

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael [ˈkʊmˠən̪ˠ ˈl̪ˠuːˌçlʲasˠ ˈɡeːlˠ]; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes,[2] which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, Gaelic handball and rounders. The association also promotes Irish music and dance, as well as the Irish language and it also promotes environmental stewardship through its Green Clubs initiative.

As of 2014, the organisation had over 500,000 members worldwide,[1] and declared total revenues of €96.1 million in 2022.[3] The Competitions Control Committee (CCC) of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) governing bodies organise the fixture list of Gaelic games within a GAA county or provincial councils.

Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular activities promoted by the organisation, and the most popular sports in the Republic of Ireland in terms of attendance.[4] Gaelic football is also the second most popular participation sport in Northern Ireland.[5] The women's version of these games, ladies' Gaelic football and camogie, are organised by the independent but closely linked Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association of Ireland, respectively. GAA Handball is the governing body for the sport of handball, while the other Gaelic sport, rounders, is managed by the GAA Rounders National Council (Irish: Comhairle Cluiche Corr na hÉireann).

Since its foundation in 1884, the association has grown to become a major influence in Irish sporting and cultural life, with considerable reach into communities throughout Ireland and among the Irish diaspora.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Membership". Gaelic Athletic Association. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015. Over 500,000 people were registered on the [membership] system in 2014
  2. ^ "About the GAA". www.gaa.ie.
  3. ^ Keys, Colm (2 February 2023). "GAA earn record revenue of €96.1m as gate receipts return to normal". independent.ie (Newspaper). Dublin, Ireland: Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. ^ "The Social Significance of Sport" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  5. ^ "Attendance at Live Sports Events by Adults in Northern Ireland: Findings from the Continuous Household Survey 2011/12" (PDF). Belfast: DCAL, [n.d.] DCAL. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. ^ "ESRI Report: Social and Economic Value of Sport in Ireland". Archived from the original on 16 September 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2006.

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