Scoring in Gaelic games

Goalposts and scoring system used in hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, ladies' Gaelic football and shinty-hurling. Gaelic Football Inter-County Championship Scoring 1910 to 2015 Graph of hurling and Gaelic football ratio of points to goals from 1910 to 2015

This page discusses scoring in the Gaelic games of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, ladies' Gaelic football, international rules football and shinty-hurling.

Note that although rounders and Gaelic handball are considered "Gaelic games", they are not listed under this page. Rounders using a scoring system similar to baseball and handball scoring is similar to squash.

## Scoring

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Scoreboard at a GAA match. Spectators are expected to calculate the total score themselves: Harps have scored 5 goals and 7 points (total 22), while Port have 3 goals and 11 points (total 20). Umpire with white flag. The umpire with a green flag stands on the other side of the goals.

In hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, ladies' Gaelic football and shinty-hurling, the goalposts are placed 6.5 m (21 ft) apart and are at least 7 m (23 ft) tall,[1] with a crossbar at a height of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Playing the ball (a sliotar or Gaelic ball, depending on the game) between the posts and below the crossbar scores a goal (Irish: cúl), while playing the ball between the posts and above the crossbar scores a point (cúilín). A goal is worth 3 points. The umpire signifies a goal by waving a green flag, and a point by waving a white flag. Signal flags have been used since the 1900s; one game in the United States in 1907 used a US flag to signify points, and an Irish flag (presumably the tricolour) for a goal.[2] The tradition of green flag for goal and white flag for point appears to date from the 1920s.[3][4][5]

Scoring in international rules football.

In international rules football there are further posts 6.5 m (21 ft) either side of the goalposts. Playing the ball between the goalposts and these side posts scores a behind. Playing the ball between the centre posts and below the crossbar scores a goal, while playing the ball between the posts and above the crossbar scores an over. A goal is worth 6 points, an over 3, and a behind 1.

### Terminology

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The Irish term for goal is cúl, cognate with Latin cūlus, "rear."[6] "Point" is cúilín, a diminutive form.[7]

## History

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### First GAA rules

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The first Gaelic football and hurling rules were published by the fledgling Gaelic Athletic Association in 1885. These specified goalposts similar to soccer goals: for football 15 ft (4.6 m) wide and a crossbar 8 ft (2.4 m) high, while for hurling they were 20 ft (6.1 m) wide and a crossbar 10 ft (3.0 m) high. Goals were the only score possible; this led to a high number of scoreless draws.[8]

In 1886, two poles were placed 21 ft (6.4 m) either side of the goals.[9] A goal was scored when the ball was played into the goal; a point was scored when the ball was played above the crossbar, or wide of the goals between the two outer posts. When the ball was played wide of the outer posts, no score was recorded, unless it was played by a defender, in which case a forfeit point was awarded.[10][11]

Whichever team scored more goals won the game; if teams were tied on goals, points were counted, and forfeit points were worth 1⁄5 of a point. The score was written in the format goals–points (forfeit points), e.g. Tipperary's score of 1-1 (1) in the 1887 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. Forfeit points rarely made any difference, although one game in 1887 ended North Tipperary 0-0 (1), Holycross 0-0 (0).[12]

### Changes

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Value of scores  Period  | Goal  | Point  | Forfeit point

|
|
|

1885  | 1 | n/a
1886–87  | ∞ | 1 | 1⁄5
1888–91  |  n/a
1892–95  | 5
1896–present  | 3

In 1888 the forfeit point was abolished, replaced by a 70 yd (64 m) puck in hurling and a 50 yd (46 m) kick in football. Hurling and Gaelic football goals were made the same size: 21 ft (6.4 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m).[13] When the game converted to the metric system these were adjusted slightly to 65 and 45 metres respectively.

In 1892 the goal was changed to be worth five points.[14]

In 1896 the goal was reduced to three points, and has held that value ever since.[15]

In 1910 the side posts were removed, and the H-shaped goalposts introduced. Now, a point had to go over the crossbar.[16]

Since 2012, a sideline cut has been worth two points in camogie.[17]

Since 2020, a "45" has been worth two points in ladies' Gaelic Football if it goes straight over without a deflection; otherwise it is worth one point.[18]

### Modern experiments

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In the 2005 National Hurling League two points were awarded for a point scored from a sideline cut in hurling, in recognition of the difficulty of this skill (typically only about one-fifth of such efforts are successful).[19][20]

The idea of increasing the value of the goal to 4 points has come up repeatedly in recent years.[21][22]

The 2024 Interprovincial Football Championship saw several experimental rules, including a goal being worth 4 points and 2 points being awarded for kicking the ball over the crossbar from outside a 40 m (44 yd) arc. Umpires waved a red flag to indicate the 2-pointer, similar to international rules football.[23][24] Scores were written in the format "Connacht 4-5-11 (37), Leinster 1-2-7 (15)."[25][26]

## Frequency

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Scoreboard at a camogie game. The Garda Síochana team lead the Defence Forces by 3-8 to 2-8 (i.e., 17 to 14).

An oft-repeated aphorism, especially with regard to Gaelic football, is "points win games" or "take your points and the goals will come."[27][28] This has become especially true in recent decades: in the mid-1970s, games in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship averaged 3.5 goals, but in the 2000s this had fallen to 1 goal per game. Martin Breheny observed "Improved fitness levels, more mobile defenders, and better defensive techniques have combined to seal off attackers' approach routes, making the goal an endangered species." Raising the value to 4 or even 5 points has been suggested.[29]

In hurling, goals per game has decreased from a peak of 4.18 per game in 1983, in part because of a rule change that banned handpassed goals.[30][31]

## Notation

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Scoreboard in Semple Stadium

A particular notation has been developed over the years by journalists and statisticians to record scoring in Gaelic games.

### Score by team

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A team's score is given in the form goals-points, separated by either a hyphen ( - ) or en dash ( – ), for example Cork 1-14 Kerry 2-10. The total points score may be given in brackets afterward for clarity: Cork 1-14 (17) Kerry 2-10 (16), but goals are never converted into points. Unlike other sports, where the home team's name is given before the away team, in Gaelic games the winning team's name is almost always given first.

Scores are spoken aloud thus:

* 0-20: "twenty points"
* 1-6: "one six"
* 3-17: "three seventeen"
* 2-0: "two goals"
* 0-0: "no score"

In international rules football, the score is given in the format goals.overs.points (total), for example the 2014 International Rules Series ended Australia 0.17.5 (56), Ireland 2.9.7 (46).

### Score by player

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In newspaper and other written accounts of games, the score of each individual player is given in abbreviated format. First the total is given, and then it is broken down by dead ball scores.

* f or fs: free kicks / free pucks
* pen: penalty kicks / penalty pucks
* '45' or ‘45: 45-metre kick (awarded in Gaelic football and ladies Gaelic football when a defender plays the ball over his/her own end line, like a corner kick in soccer); a 45-metre puck is awarded in camogie
* '65' or ‘65: 65-metre puck (awarded in hurling when a defender plays the ball over his own end line)
* s/l or sl: sideline kicks / sideline pucks
* m or mk: scores from marks.[32][33]
* Scores from open play are not indicated; any scores not accounted for by dead ball are from open play by default.

So if a report says James Kelly 2-5 (1-1f, 1-0pen, 0-2 '45'), it means that he scored 2 goals and 5 points, of which a goal and a point were from frees, a goal from a penalty, two points from 45-metre kicks, and the other two points were from open play. If no goals are scored, the 0- will be omitted, e.g. Michael O'Shea 0-9 (5f, 1 '65', 1 sideline). If all scores were of one type, the brackets may be omitted, reading: Síle Harrington 0-5f (indicating five points, all of which were frees) or J. J. Maguire 1-0pen (one goal, a penalty) or sometimes Sarah Moore 0-4(fs).[34]

## References

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1. ^ Orejan, Jaime (2006). "The History of Gaelic Football and the Gaelic Athletic Association" (PDF). The Sport Management and Related Topics Journal. 2 (2).
2. ^ Wejnert, Barbara; Parigi, Paolo (21 December 2016). On the Cross Road of Polity, Political Elites and Mobilization. Emerald Group Publishing. ISBN 9781786354792 - via Google Books.
3. ^ "The Irish Digest". Irish Digest. 22 December 1945 - via Google Books.
4. ^ The Irish Times (Monday, August 20, 1923)
5. ^ The Irish Times (Monday, December 4, 1922), page 9.
6. ^ Three Irish Glossaries: Cormac's Glossary Codex A. O'Davoren's Glossary and a Glossary to the Calendar of Oingus the Culdee. (1862). United Kingdom: Williams & Norgate.
7. ^ "Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): cúilín". www.teanglann.ie.
8. ^ "LEAVING CERTIFICATE HISTORY CASE STUDY". www.nli.ie.
9. ^ "Conservation". National Museum of Ireland.
10. ^ "Up Tipp: Hurling & Nationalism". 1 February 2017.
11. ^ O'Regan, Selina; Campbell, John. "The Gaelic Athletic Association through History and Documents 1870–1920" (PDF). Education Department, GAA Museum, Croke Park.
12. ^ Rouse, Paul (6 September 2018). The Hurlers: The First All-Ireland Championship and the Making of Modern Hurling. Penguin UK. ISBN 9781844884407 - via Google Books.
13. ^ Chadwick, H. (7 November 1893). The reliable book of outdoor games. Рипол Классик. ISBN 9785872410195 - via Google Books.
14. ^ O’Connor, Colm (6 December 2021). "Should the value of a goal be increased to four points?". Irish Examiner.
15. ^ "With long-range point scoring now commonplace in hurling, is there a case for raising the green flag value to four?". www.independent.ie. 6 February 2022.
16. ^ Stafford, Mikey (15 July 2018). "The Game - 7 Ages of Hurling". RTÉ.ie.
17. ^ Ryan, Eimear (11 November 2020). "Eimear Ryan: Sideline specialists closing gap further between camogie and hurling". Irish Examiner.
18. ^ "LGFA delegates pass new two-point rule for '45s". RTE. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
19. ^ "Ladies sticking with skirts as O'Flynn backs rules makeover - Independent.ie". 30 March 2012.
20. ^ "Cutting edge: Line art still a major draw - Independent.ie". 8 April 2018.
21. ^ Neville, Conor (15 January 2016). "Every Known Solution To Improve The GAA In The Past 20 Years".
22. ^ "Hurling Review Committee". www.gaa.ie.
23. ^ Fogarty, John (18 October 2024). "10 things you need to know about new-look football interpros". Irish Examiner.
24. ^ "5 things to watch for with the new Gaelic football scoring rules". 18 October 2024 - via www.rte.ie. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
25. ^ "Aidan O'Shea hits first four-point goal to spark Connacht blitz". Irish Independent. 18 October 2024.
26. ^ McMahon, James (17 October 2024). "Football Interprovincial Series: All you need to know" - via www.rte.ie. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
27. ^ "Cork GAA Official Website". gaacork.ie. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
28. ^ "Take the points and the goals..." 6 June 2015.
29. ^ "Time for the GAA to re-assess its football goals - Independent.ie". 19 June 2001.
30. ^ O'Connor, Christy (6 August 2018). "The art of the 'assassin' & the lust for green flags". RTÉ.ie.
31. ^ "Is point scoring really increasing in Championship Hurling?". 6 July 2011.
32. ^ "2024 McGrath Cup Football – Kerry 6-18 Limerick 0-11 - Munster GAA". 19 December 2023.
33. ^ "Tailteann Cup: Limerick impress against Carlow". www.gaa.ie. 20 May 2023.
34. ^ "FL2: Rossies rally stuns Premier - HoganStand". www.hoganstand.com.

## External links

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* "Case in points - hurling's high-score head-scratcher", RTÉ, 27 October 2020

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