The Gaelic Athletic Association of Australia was founded in Sydney on 15 June 1974 by representatives from New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
Queensland and Tasmania since joined, as well as New Zealand affiliates in Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury, expanding the association from Australia to Australasia. As you’ll read in the various state histories, the playing of Gaelic games in this part of the world far predates our association. The first accounts of our games being played in the antipodes go back to 19th century when the arrival of Irish immigrants en masse to Australia and New Zealand saw the proliferation of Irish games and culture.
Over 50 years on from our foundation, our association, now named Australasia Gaelic Games, comprises affiliates in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, and Darwin in Australia, and Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in New Zealand, with teams also playing in regional areas in both countries.
We have more than 120 teams playing weekly in men’s and women’s football, hurling and camogie. Almost 5,000 registered players made up of 60 percent men and 40 percent women participate across Austraslasia, and our underage games developing rapidly.
Australasia Championships
The first records of interstate games go back to 1951 where Victoria and New South Wales competed in annual games. These interstate games expanded to three teams in 1971 with the addition of South Australia, and the first ‘tri-state carnival’ was played in Melbourne.
June 1974 saw the first official national interstate championships take place on the weekend that our association was formed. In torrential conditions, New South Wales defeated Victoria to win the hurling while Victoria beat South Australia in the football final. Remarkably, the competition has been played most years since, which is quite the feat given the distances states travel and the logistics involved.
The first women’s football competition at the championships was played in 1995, with New South Wales winning the inaugural title. Success continued for the sky blues, while Auckland, Western Australia and Queensland also laid claim to national silverware in subsequent years. Camogie was introduced to the championships in 2011, and Queensland won the first title, followed by Western Australia and New South Wales.
The competition has developed further in recent years with the popular inclusion of intermediate men’s and women’s football tournaments.
On the world stage
Australasia has a storied history on the international stage. We have had our fair share of overseas visitors over the years, including the Meath footballers in 1968, the great Kerry team of 1981, and several visits from New York to name but a few. Trips from these shores, too, abound. In 1978, an Australian hurling and men’s football team went on a world tour, travelling to New York, London, and Ireland, competing against local teams. But a highlight of the tour was playing Aer Lingus selections in Croke Park. In 1984, hurling and men’s football teams travelled back to Ireland for the GAA’s centenary celebrations, and 1996 saw a similar tour of Ireland.
With the growth of our games among non-Irish players in Australasia in the 1990s, we sent men’s and women’s football teams, made up of Australian players, to compete at the GAA World Cups in the early 2000s. Up against fellow international affiliates, our women’s team dominated these tournaments. The 2000 decider saw them defeat North America after extra-time, and they defended their world title with a win over London in 2002, and again in 2005.
In 2015, we entered a women’s football team to the World Games in Abu Dhabi – the first edition in its current format. Unfortunately, they were pipped in a thrilling final against the Middle East. 2016 saw the World Games take place at UCD, Dublin where Australasia teams competed in men’s and women’s football, hurling and camogie. We won the camogie competition, and unfortunately, were losing finalists in women’s football and hurling. The men’s footballers took home the shield trophy.
We entered the 2019 tournament with six teams, including international-born men’s and women’s football teams. Seven states were represented with players from Perth to New Zealand playing. Being crowned World Games champions in camogie again, along with women’s football was a great achievement.
2023’s World Games in Derry were our most successful. We again entered six teams, with our Irish-born women’s footballers, Irish-born men’s footballers and our camogie team claiming world titles.
Youth Gaelic games
Youth Gaelic games in Australasia are thriving, with a vibrant community of young players across Australia and New Zealand. Youth development has been a feature of the Gaelic games landscape for decades. From 1978 to 2018, the boys’ minor (under-18) Australasia Championships showcased our up-and-coming talent, with teams from Victoria, South Australia, Auckland, Queensland, and Western Australia competing regularly.
The past two decades have seen significant growth in youth games, especially for the younger age groups. In 2012, the Gaelic Games Junior Academy of Western Australia was established, marking an important development for the region. This academy, for children aged four to 12, became a model for other states and clubs, including Na Fianna Catalpa Youths in WA. South Australia, New South Wales, Geelong Gaels, Peninsula Harps, Naarm Gaels, Young Melbourne in Victoria, Brisbane Youths in Queensland, and teams across New Zealand each now have popular youth programmes of their own.
In 2019, the WA junior academy made history as the first Australasian team to compete at Féile Peile na nÓg in Ireland, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. This achievement highlighted the growth of youth Gaelic games in Australasia and inspired a new generation of players.
Following a delay due to COVID, 2023 saw the inaugural Australasia Féile held in Adelaide, featuring teams from South Australia, WA, and Victoria. Many participants went on to form the Australasia team that competed at the 2024 Féile in Mayo, marking the first Australasia-wide team represented in Ireland.
In 2024, Tom Murphy of WA was appointed as Youth Officer of Australasia Gaelic Games, and the region also trained 15 new coach developers to further enhance youth development. With numbers increasing year on year, and new pathways and tournaments being developed, the future bodes well for youth Gaelic games in Australasia.
