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

'County'	'Winners'	'Runners-up'	'Winning Years'
Kerry	11	1	1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
Waterford	5	6	1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002
Mayo	3	3	2000, 2004, 2007
Monaghan	3	1	1994, 1996, 1999
Laois	2	4	1993, 2003
Cork	2	2	2005, 2006
Clare	1	2	2001
Tipperary	1	2	1979
Wexford	1	0	1986