GAA has been in the United States as long as Irish people have, but today the sport offers a welcoming community for any and everyone.
The earliest Gaelic football games were played in San Francisco in the 1850s with the GAA itself only founded in 1884.
In 2024, football is played in around 50 cities across the US, with 130 adult and youth clubs registered with US GAA.However, while it was brought by Irish immigrants, in recent years, recent figures show more than 51% of registered adult players were born in the United States.Sean O’Regan spoke to Ronan Kelly, a Kildare native and chairperson of GAA team Washington DC Gaels.
Mr Kelly noted that Washington DC is a “transient community”, and communities like GAA can bring people of all backgrounds together.“We want to make sure that we're welcoming as many new players as possible you can see... that excitement in them and you can see that kind of joy.”The Gaels chairperson also noted many new players have never picked up a hurley or kicked a football before, making their first GAA season a “developmental” one.
“They’re just getting a grasp and playing the first game, just enjoying themselves more than anything else,” he said.“You get that connection going,” he said. “We've seen it time and again, there's many friendships that are made here. “When I was on the job hunt myself last year, a lot of clubmates would let me know what was available in their own companies.”
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