GAA continues to experience global growth

Growing numbers of young people leaving these shores and the emergence of non-Irish players is contributing to the increasing surge of GAA abroad in the past number of years.

Over the last 10 years, there has been an almost 100% rise in the number of GAA clubs operating outside of Ireland, with more than 500 now in existence across the international units.

With around 64,000 people, many of them aged between 25 and 30, having left the country by April this year alone, such is the rate of growth in global GAA participation that the association recently unveiled its first-ever World GAA strategic plan, led by former All Star and GAA international manager Charlie Harrisson.

A key part of this plan centres around four pillars; coaching and games, health and wellbeing, PR and communications, and officer training. It also signals the expectation that the GAA will increase developing emerging and dormant clubs

Currently, USGAA, New York GAA and Europe GAA provide the bulk of global clubs, with Australasia GAA (60), Asia GAA (28) and Canada GAA (27) also reporting good numbers.

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Interestingly, at the World Games in Derry last summer, 75% of the actual participants were non-Irish born.

The next landmark event for World GAA is the O’Neills Continental Youth Championships at the end of July.

A staggering 2,000 underage players from over 200 teams across 18 cities in the US and Canada will take part in the CYC in Canton, south of Boston.

The CYC is the largest youth Gaelic Games tournament outside of Ireland.

It was founded in 2004 and hosts teams across the three county boards; USGAA, Canadian GAA, and New York.

The tournament is in its 20th year and rotates around various cities from year to year, providing games for U-8 to U-18 Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie teams.

“A key thing this season is that USGAA and New York will enter a team in the 2024 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship in Ireland and many of the players have graduated from the tournament,” said CYC chair Bernie Connaughton.

“This is a true testament to the quality of the CYC.”

Presently, Gaelic Games are being played in 50 cities across the US, with close relationships between other GAA units in the neighbouring regions of Canada, New York and the Caribbean.

Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-finals, Dublin v Cork (1.15pm) and Clare v Wexford (3.15pm), on Saturday from 12.45pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

Watch the Tailteann Cup semi-finals, Antrim v Laois (2pm) and Down v Sligo (4pm), on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1