If you live in the Indianapolis or Central Indiana area and are looking for a recreational sports league to join, hurling could be just the thing for you. The Indianapolis Gaelic Athletic Association (Indy GAA) is always looking for people who are interested in trying a new kind of sport and having a good time.

It’s not played on ice and it doesn’t involve getting sick. We’ll explain what hurling is, how to play, and how to join the Indy GAA.

What is Hurling?

If you’ve never seen a hurling match before, you may be amazed at how fast the game moves, how intense it can get, and the coordination of the people who play. If you’ve ever played lacrosse, baseball, or hockey, you’ve got a decent start at some great hurling skills.

Hurling is often referred to as the “fastest game on grass” and it’s easy to see why.

Hurling is an Irish sport that has been played for almost 3000 years.

Every player wears a helmet and carries a short stick with a wide base called a “Hurley.” Players move the ball, called a sliotar, down the field in a number of ways. The easiest way is to hit at it on the ground like in hockey. However, hurling is mostly played like lacrosse, with the ball in the air most of the time.

But unlike lacrosse, the hurley does not have a pocket. It is a flat stick, similar to a paddle. When the ball is on the ground, players scoop up the ball with their hurley and transfer it into their hands. From there, they can do 1 of three things:

1. Pass the ball to another player by using a hand pass
2. Toss the ball to themselves and then strike it with their hurley like a baseball where another player will catch it with their bare hands
3. Keep the ball in their hand for 4 steps, then they must get rid of it in one of the previous ways

Hurling is played on a 145-meter-long field, twice as long as a regulation soccer field, with a goal on each end. The goal is like a soccer goal with a field goal above it. The objective of the game is to move the ball down the field where a player can score in 2 ways: either in the soccer goal for 3 points or over the goal within the uprights for 1 point.

What is Camogie?

Camogie is women’s hurling. The Indy GAA is proud to have both nationally recognized hurling and camogie teams. Camogie follows the same rules as Hurling with a few minor differences, the biggest being that in Camogie, the sliotar is smaller. In camogie, players can score by hand passing and may drop their hurley to do so, which is not allowed in Hurling. Overall, Camogie is less physical than hurling, but women can still pack a hard hip check occasionally.

What Are The Rules of Hurling?

Each team is made up of 15 players. The ball can only be played with the hurley on the ground. The ball cannot be picked up with your hands. The ball must be passed with the hurley or the handpass, it cannot be tossed.

Hurling is a fairly physical sport. Contact is permitted, provided it is to gain possession of the ball. With your hurley, you can stop another player from using their stick to strike the sliotar from behind this is called “hooking.” However, you cannot chop or check another player’s stick like you would in lacrosse.

Scoring is kept separate in hurling. If one team scores 3 goals below the bar and 5 points above the bar, and the other team scores two 2 goals below the bar, and 6 over the bar, the score is 3-5 to 2-6. Players and spectators must do the math themselves to figure out who is winning.

How Can I Play Hurling in Indianapolis?

Seeing all these rules written out may sound confusing, but playing and reading are two different things. If you’re looking for a way to make friends and participate in athletic activity, the Indy GAA would be happy to introduce you to hurling.

No experience is necessary to join, we’ll happily teach you how to play, and once you get a hurley in your hands, you won’t be able to put it down.

Check out our events calendar to see when our practices, games, and other events are. As a club, we also hang out together and support our local sponsors.

Premiere Nights

Premiere nights are occasional Friday nights in the summer, often at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis. These games are open to the public to watch in stadium seating. This is a great time to see how the game moves and to learn the rules.

Pub League

The best way to gain experience playing hurling is to play with each other. Our co-ed pub league is a great way to get experience, learn the rules, and meet other members. Pub league is played on Sunday mornings from April – August at Eugene Burns Park in Indianapolis.

Although there is no seating at Eugene Burns Park, anyone is welcome to watch the games in their own chair.

Tournaments

But we don’t just play against each other, there are big stakes at hand. The Indy GAA plays in tournaments all over the country throughout the year. We are part of the Heartland Division of the USGAA. The USGAA is the governing body of the Gaelic Athletic Association in America that oversees over 130 adult and youth clubs spanning approximately 50 cities in the United States. The USGAA puts on a national tournament every year which the Indy team often participates in.

No one is a professional hurler in the Indy GAA. We all have jobs and families that come first. But if you can’t get enough hurling, there is an opportunity for you to travel around with your teammates and play in matches against teams in other cities. We often play teams in Nashville, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, and Cincinnati, to name a few. The Indy GAA also hosts a tournament every year in June at the Indianapolis World Sports Park.

Did We Mention, Free Beer?

Every sports team needs a uniform, and the Indy GAA’s stand out as some of the coolest. When you join pub league, you’ll get a team jersey that is sponsored by a local Indianapolis business. Many of these businesses are breweries. To support our sponsors, we buy their beer and then we drink it following our games. It’s a great way to stay hydrated, support the local community, and get a great workout all in one Sunday morning.

If you’re interested in joining the IndyGAA, stop by one of our practices or games. You can also reach out to registration@indygaa.com to start playing.