Gaelic Football: What you need to know
Like any sport, Gaelic Football is as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.
Here you will get a run down of the key things you need to know to watch a game on television or get involved at a club near you.
The sport's ruling body, the GAA, has full rules available on its website.
The Game:
Games at inter-county level are 70 minutes long, 35 minutes per half. At club and under-age level this is reduced to 60 minutes in total. Games begin when four midfielders challenge for the ball thrown in by the referee.
Players:
There are 15 players on each team and teams are allowed a maximum of six substitutions during a game. Outfield players are traditionally split into five rows with three full-backs, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards. Each team also has a goalkeeper.
The Ball:
The ball is round, like a football. Players can pass it to each other through kicking or a fist/hand pass. Players cannot throw the ball to each other. A player travelling with the ball must bounce or kick the ball to themselves every four steps. It must not be bounced twice in a row, but can be kicked as many times as necessary. The referee will award a free kick to the opposing team for over carrying.
Scoring:
Gaelic football posts are like a cross between rugby and football posts. The lower section with the net is the goal and is worth three points. Putting the ball between the posts in the higher section above the crossbar is worth one point. A points tally of three goals and eight points is displayed as 3-08 and is worth 17 points. Whoever scores most points wins the game.
Fouling:
Fouls are committed through aggressive play, cynical fouls similar to those in football, or through breaking rules like over carrying the ball. Yellow and red cards are issued for serious fouls and repeat offending. Two yellow cards will result in a red card and the player being sent off. Black cards were introduced in 2014 for cynical fouls such as deliberately tripping an opponent or using threatening or abusive language. A black card is an enforced substitution, removing the offending player from the game without forcing his team to play on with 14 players.
Structure:
Gaelic Football can be split into two strands: club and county.
Club teams, similar to those in football, play against rivals in their county for a county championship or league. Winners of the county championship will play against winners of other county championships to find a provincial champion. Provincial champions from Ulster, Munster, Connaught and Leinster will then play to become All-Ireland club champions.
County teams play in a similar structure - competing in a National League and in the Championship. The National League is split into four tiers of eight teams, but the most prestigious title is the All-Ireland. Teams compete for the All-Ireland by playing against provincial rivals to become champions of either Ulster, Munster, Connaught or Leinster. Champions automatically qualify and play against teams who were knocked out of their provincial championship but entered the national competition through qualifiers.
Honours:
The big prize in Gaelic football is the All Ireland Championship. Kerry have won it the most times, with 37 titles since the competition began in 1887. Dublin are next with 24 and Galway third with 9. Some counties, notably Kilkenny, no longer compete in the football championship and focus attention on the hurling championship which runs alongside.