What is Camogie?

Camogie is a female sport which is very similar to the game of hurling. The game of

camogie has a long history stretching back over 100 years.  The official rules of the

game can be found in An Treoraí Oifigiúil.

The Field of Play

  The game of camogie takes

  place on the same size

  pitch/field as Hurling and Gaelic

  football.

  The pitch dimensions are

  shown on the diagram (left)

  with the pitch width being

  between 80m and 90m.

Player positions, team line out

Each team consists of 15 players, numbered   from No.1 (Goalkeeper) to No. 15

(Left Corner Forward).  The players line out across the whole of the field although

each player starts in a particular position they are not restricted to any particular

part of the pitch.

Match duration, match officials

The match consists of two halves each of 30 minutes duration. The Match Officials

consist of 1 Referee, two Line umpires and 4 Goal Umpires. 

The game commences when the referee throws in the ball between both sets of

midfield players in the middle of the pitch.  During the course of the game when

there is a break in play, a team may substitute players.  Each team is allowed a

maximum of 5 substitutes during the course of the game.  It is possible for a

player to be substituted and then be put back during the course of the game,

but this would count as two substitutions (i.e. 1 substitution when the player

was taken off and 1 substitution when the player was put back on to replace

another player). 

The Sliotar (ball)

The Sliotar (ball) is approximately the size of a tennis ball although it is hard,

being made of a rubber inside and leather coating on the outside.   The sliotar

must weigh between 90-110 grams and it is 21 cm in circumference.  The surface

of the sliotar/ball has a ridge which often causes the ball to bounce unevenly

or to "hop" as it is called.

The Sliotar may be moved by hitting it on the ground (pulling), raising the ball from

the ground with the hurl and either hand passing the ball, striking the ball with the

hurl or soloing. Soloing is where the player runs down the field while balancing the

sliotar on the bas of her hurl.

Each player has a hurl, the length of which depends on the player’s height and

personal preference. It is held with both hands with the dominant hand at the top.

The wider thicker end called the Bas (Boss) is used to strike the ball and should be

no wider than 13cm.

Players may not lift the ball from the ground with their hands. Throw the ball or take more

than four steps without touching the ball off their hurl. A player may only take the ball into

her hand twice before the ball must be passed or played.  If she catches the ball a third

time then this is an illegal action and the referee will give a free to the opposition.

In camogie helmets were made compulsory (at the 2010 annual congress) and from

January 2011 must be worn by players during games and training.  The helmet must

have a facial guard to protect the player from potential facial injury.

.

Scoring

The purpose of the game is to outscore your opponents. The goalposts are like a cross

between a soccer goal and rugby post.  In order to score the ball most be struck over the

cross bar and between the upright posts. This is 1 point, if the ball goes higher than

the upright posts but is still between them it is still a point.

If the ball is struck below the crossbar and between the posts into the net it is a goal

and worth 3 points. A score can be struck from any part of the field.

A score board at a match will show scores in the following format 0-0. The first digit

indicates the number of goals and the second the number of points. Thus a score of

1-5 is read as one goal and five points. In order to work out the total you multiply the

number of goals by three and add the points. So a score of 1-5 would be the same

as 8 points (0-8).  The team with the highest score at full time shall be deemed to be the

winner.