The European Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Gaelic Games Europe is one of the international units (outside of Ireland) of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), and is responsible for organising Gaelic games in continental Europe. Gaelic Games Europe is also responsible for the European Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies' Gaelic football teams which compete every three years at the GAA World Gaelic Games.
While sporadic attempts were made to form clubs and organise competitions, the first five clubs (Brussels, C.L.G. Den Haag, Luxembourg, Paris Gaels, and Guernsey Gaels) were organised into a 'County' Board at a meeting on 22 November 1999 organised by Joe McDonagh, the then president of the GAA. Since then, growth has resulted in over 100 clubs spread across 24 countries, catering for over 5,000 players who play camogie, hurling, men's and ladies football and handball competitions.
The European County Board (ECB) changed its name to Gaelic Games Europe at the Annual Convention in Leuven (Belgium) in November 2016.
Structure
Gaelic Games Europe governance structures are based on a volunteer culture. Any member can submit a motion to their club's annual general meeting suggesting new policies, amendments to an existing policy or propose changes to the playing rules. If approved, the motion is discussed at the Gaelic Games Europe Annual Convention.
Each club can send delegates to the annual convention which is the main decision making body for Gaelic games in Europe. At the convention, delegates discuss issues, decide on motions and elect people to serve on committees.
Two members of European clubs have been recognised for their long service and dedication to developing Gaelic games. Mary Gavin, who founded Den Haag GAA club in 1979 and was involved in the establishment of the European Board in 1999, received a GAA Presidents Award in 2013. The Camogie Association also named their World Gaelic Games trophy in her honour in 2019. Tony Bass, a GAA administrator and referee, was secretary of Cuala GAA club and served on various Dublin GAA county and Leinster Council committees before moving to the Netherlands and establishing the Maastricht Gaels club in 2004 was recognised with a GAA President's Award in 2021. Bass has been GGE chairperson, secretary, development officer and represented Europe on the GAA Central Council and at multiple GAA, LGFA and Camogie congresses.
Regions Clubs across Europe are assigned to a "region". Each region elects a "Regional Committee" which is responsible for organising competitions and developing Gaelic games in their area. The GGE Management (MC) or European (EC) Committees may delegate other tasks. Regions elect one EC representative each and are also represented on many sub-committees. There are five regions, Benelux, East and Central, Iberia, North West and Nordics, two of which are divided into "sub-regions".
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Minister for Sport in Ireland Jack Chambers signed a statement that Russian based athletes and administrators should be banned from participation and representation internationally. Almost all sporting organisations within Europe have adhered to this policy. Support for this policy was reaffirmed in February 2023 by the new Irish Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne, who stated "Pending an improved situation in Ukraine, I urge the sports movement to stay the course and continue to exclude those that are not respecting such important instruments in the international sporting landscape as the Olympic Truce.” Despite this, Russian based teams and administrators enjoy full membership of Gaelic Games Europe. In the aftermath of controversial comments regarding war crimes in Ukraine by a Russian based administrator of Gaelic Games Europe, the GAA issued a statement that the comments were made “in a personal capacity and do not reflect the views of the GAA”. The administrator however remained a member of management committee of Gaelic Games Europe.
As of 2023, the regions were:
Regions Sub-regions Counties in regionBenelux—Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany (western lander)Central-East—Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany (eastern & southern lander), Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, UkraineIberia Andalucía Gibraltar, Andalusia, Portugal Galicia Galicia Central rest of SpainNordic—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, SwedenNorth-West Bretagne Brittany Federal Channel Islands, rest of France
Competitions Competitions formats
In GAA terms, 'Europe' comprises all of continental Europe (excluding Ireland & Great Britain) with great distances between each team – so Gaelic Games Europe has various competition formats.
Since 2006, men's and ladies football competitions have been played on a regional basis. Teams play in regional competitions and may also enter European Football Championships. Some regions also have their own competitions (e.g. Brittany, Galicia).
A number of the regional competitions use a system of 'rounds' (also called 'tournaments') spread over a number of months. Each round is completed in a single day with teams playing a single round-robin group or multiple groups followed by knock-out style play-offs (e.g. quarter & semi-finals) and a final to determine the ranking of every team present on the day. Teams are awarded points (25 points for the winner, 20 points for the runner-up, etc.) which are added to those accrued in other rounds to determine the competition winners for that season.
All men's (11-a-side) and ladies (9-a-side) teams may enter the European Football Championships which is a one-day event, usually in October. Teams are seeded into different grades (Senior, Intermediate and Junior). Each team plays 3-4 group games before progressing to the play-off stages of a Championship, Shield & Plate competition depending on their results.
The 'Premier' championships are for 15-a-side teams in men's and ladies' football and are organised on a 'knock-out' basis - as is usual in GAA championships with 60 minute games - played over a number of weekends or a tournament format at a suitable 15-a-side GAA pitch. Winners then represent Europe in the All Ireland Club Championships.
The European camogie and hurling championships are played by teams (9-a-side) from across Europe who compete together over five 'rounds' in various cities between May and October annually.
Other matches such as internationals (which have featured France, Italy, Germany, Galicia and Brittany) are also played, along with national 'cup' competitions confined to teams in a single country (e.g. Finland, Germany).
Gaelic football (men)
Source: European Football Championships (11s) aka "Pan Euros"
Year Winner Runner-up 2001 Paris Gaels 2002 Den Haag 2003 Paris Gaels 2004München Colmcilles 2005 Paris Gaels 2006 Den Haag 2007 GSC Luxembourg 2008 Belgium GAA Paris Gaels 2009 Den Haag Paris Gaels 2010 Den Haag Paris Gaels 2011 Guernsey Gaels Den Haag 2012 Belgium GAA 2013 Guernsey Gaels Belgium GAA "A" 2014 Belgium GAA 2015 Paris Gaels 2016 GSC Luxembourg Jersey Irish 2017 Cumann Warsaw GSC Luxembourg 2018 Amsterdam GAC Cumann Warsaw 2019 Madrid Harps Cumann Warsaw 2020not played due to pandemic 2021 2022 Madrid Harps Cumann Warsaw 2023 Cumann Warsaw Nantes Don Bosco 2024 Cumann Warsaw Hillerød Wolfe Tones 2025 GSC Luxembourg Nantes Don Bosco
European Premier Football Championship (15-a-side) The European Premier Football Championships are the most prestigious football competitions that GGE organises, as it offers the opportunity for clubs with sufficient capacity and ambition to play the games in the same format in which they are organised in Ireland, i.e. 15-a-side, full rules and on full size GAA pitches. The winners of the Men's and Ladies' competitions advance to represent Europe in the first round of the GAA's Leinster Junior Club Football Championship and the preliminary round of the LGFA's All-Ireland Junior Club Championship respectively. In November 2024, Barcelona Gaels became the first GGE affiliated club to win a championship match in Ireland when they beat Conahy Shamrocks of Kilkenny by 3-11 to 1-05 in the first round of the Leinster Junior Club Football Championship, before losing by a point to Kilcavan of Laois in the quarter-final the following week.
+Premier (Men) Football Championship Year Winner Runner-up Venue2013 Guernsey GaelsZürich InneoinMaastricht2014Amsterdam GACMaastricht2015Amsterdam GACMaastricht2016Amsterdam GACMaastricht2017GSC LuxembourgAmsterdam GACMaastricht2018Amsterdam GACEindhoven ShamrocksMaastricht2019 Berlin GAA Claim European TitleBerlin GAABelgium GAAMaastricht2020not played due to pandemic2021Amsterdam GACMadrid HarpsMaastricht2022Amsterdam GACBarcelona GaelsRennes2023Amsterdam GACBarcelona GaelsRennes2024Barcelona GaelsBerlin GAAMaastricht2025Barcelona GaelsAmsterdam GACRennes2026Barcelona GaelsAmsterdam GACRennes
Euro Gaelic Football Cup +YearHost cityWinnerRunner-upThird placeFourth placeRef2017 Düsseldorf Brittany Germany Netherlands2018 Lorient France Galicia Brittany Gascony2022 Pontevedra Luxembourg France
Ladies' Football Source:
European Ladies Football Championship Year Winner Runner-up 2001 Belgium GAA 2002 GSC Luxembourg 2003 GSC Luxembourg 2004 GSC Luxembourg 2005 Holland Ladies 2006 GSC Luxembourg 2007 Paris Gaels 2008 Belgium GAA 2009 Belgium GAA Paris Gaels 2010 Belgium GAA 2011 Belgium GAA Munich 2012 Belgium GAA 2013 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies 2014 Belgium GAA 2015 Belgium GAA 2016 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies2017 Belgium GAA A Coruna2018 Cumann Warsaw Belgium GAA2019 Belgium GAA Cumann Warsaw2020not played due to pandemic20212022Belgium GAACumann Warsaw2023Belgium GAACumann Warsaw
European Premier Ladies Football Championship (15-a-side)
Year Winner Runner-up Venue 2014Belgium GAAHolland Ladies 2015Belgium GAAHolland Ladies 2016Belgium GAA / Munich Collmcilles (combined team)Holland Ladies / Luxembourg (combined team)2017Belgium GAA / Munich Collmcilles (combined team)Holland Ladies2018Belgium GAA/Holland Ladies (combined team)2019Belgium GAA/Holland Ladies (combined team)2020not played due to pandemic20212022Belgium GAAAr Gwazi Gouez (Rennes)Rennes 2023Belgium GAAAr Gwazi Gouez (Rennes)Rennes2024Paris/BordeauxBelgium GAA/GroningenMaastricht 2025Paris/BordeauxRennes2026Craobh Rua, BrusselsBarcelona GaelsRennes
Hurling
European Hurling (9s) Championship Year Winner Runner-upShieldPlate2002 C.L.G. Den Haag Zürich Inneoin2003 C.L.G. Den Haag Zürich Inneoin2004 Zürich Inneoin Munich Colmcilles2005 Zürich Inneoin Munich Colmcilles2006 Zürich InneoinBelgium GAA2007C.L.G. Den Haag GSC Luxembourg2008 GSC LuxembourgBelgium GAA2009Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg2010Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg2011 Zürich Inneoin C.L.G. Den Haag2012C.L.G. Den Haag2013Belgium GAAC.L.G. Den Haag2014Belgium GAAC.L.G. Den Haag2015Belgium GAAViking Gaels2016Belgium GAAGSC Luxembourg2017 GSC LuxembourgBelgium GAA2018Belgium GAADresden GAA ClubDarmstadt GAA2019Belgium GAAGSC LuxembourgHamburg GAADarmstadt GAA2020not played due to pandemic20212022GSC LuxembourgBelgium GAAHamburg GAABelgium GAA2023GSC LuxembourgBelgium GAAHamburg GAADarmstadt GAA2024GSC LuxembourgViking GaelsC.L.G. Den HaagHamburg GAA2025Brussels Craobh RuaViking GaelsHamburg GAADarmstadt GAA2026GSC LuxembourgViking GaelsHamburg GAADarmstadt GAA
European Premier Hurling Championship (15s)
Year Winner Runner-up2022Amsterdam GACGSC Luxembourg2023Amsterdam GACGSC Luxembourg2024Amsterdam GACGSC Luxembourg2025Amsterdam GACViking Gaels
Camogie
European Camogie Championship