I play Gaelic Football. Yes, Gaelic. Auto correct wants to call if garlic Football, my friends call it rugby and my family is pretty sure I joined a cult.
The sport originates in Ireland and is a combination of soccer, volleyball and rugby. I once tried to explain the rules to a friend and she said it sounded like a drunken Irishman made it up. Perhaps, he did. Nevertheless here are the basics.
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The ball is the same shape as a soccer ball but with the webbing of a volleyball.
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You can run up and down the field for no more than 4 consecutive steps without doing one of the following:
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Bouncing the ball
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Soloing—which is basically dropping the ball on your foot and kicking it back to yourself
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Hand passing—which is a lot like bumping a volleyball
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Kicking the ball away
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To score points you can either kick the ball into the goal for 3 points or over the attached uprights (think of a football field goal) for 1 point.
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Ladies don’t tackle. However, collisions are inevitable.
If you have ever seen the clip above, then I am sure you are a football/futball fan. At the end of the clip Coach Ted asks if there is a 3rd type of football he could coach—well there sure is and we would love to have him. Actually, we would love to have everyone give the sport a crack (Irish slang for try). Teams are in almost every major city; DC Gaels, Baltimore Bohemians, San Diego Na Fianna, NYC Cavan, Aisling Gaels Chicago, Boston Shamrock and so many more.
Even if you don’t want to play competitively most teams have a co-ed season that is just for fun. Drinks are always involved and who knows, maybe you will pick up a wee bit of luck from the Irish.
By Faith Albert
