Section 1: Introduction
Gaelic football is one of the Gaelic games administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the amateur sporting and cultural organisation founded in Thurles in 1884. The sport is played by 15-a-side teams who advance a round football toward an opponent's goal by a combination of kicking, hand-passing, and carrying, scoring by sending the ball either over the crossbar for a point or under it into the net for a goal. The definitive rules of the game are set out in the GAA's Official Guide - Part 2, which contains the Playing Rules of Football alongside the Playing Rules of Hurling.
The rules referenced in this document reflect the Official Guide Part 2 (15.04.2026 edition), which incorporates the most significant overhaul of the playing rules in the game's modern history. Following a two-year review by the GAA's Football Review Committee (FRC), a package of rule enhancements was trialled on a temporary basis throughout the 2025 club and inter-county season. At Special Congress on 4 October 2025, delegates voted to ratify the enhancements - with some modifications arising from the FRC's Final Report - as permanent rule, effective from 1 January 2026. The 2026 Allianz Football League was the first full competition played under the permanent rule set. Headline changes include the introduction of a two-point score from an arc 40 metres from goal, a mandatory minimum of three outfield players in each team's own half of the field, restructured kickout and throw-in procedures, an expanded black-card sanction, and the use of a centralised game clock and hooter to signal the end of each half.
This rulebook covers the senior adult grade of Gaelic football as governed by the GAA. Distinct rule variations exist for underage grades (e.g. reduced pitch sizes, shortened playing time) and for Ladies Gaelic Football, which is governed separately by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) under its own rulebook; those variations are outside the scope of this document.
Section 2: Equipment
The football. Per the Official Guide Part 2 specification for the football (the same ball code is shared with other Gaelic-games specifications for round-ball ball weight and circumference), the match ball must weigh not less than 480 grams and not more than 500 grams (Rule 4.4(ii), Equipment), and must have a circumference of not less than 68 centimetres and not more than 70 centimetres. It is a round, valve-inflated leather or synthetic-leather ball (commonly a size 5 match ball in adult competition) designed to be kicked, hand-passed, and carried in the manner set out in the Playing Rules.
Playing gear. Each player is required to wear the jersey of their registered club or county, bearing an identifying number on the back, along with shorts and socks in the team's registered colours, as specified under the Playing Gear provisions of the Official Guide (Rule 4.1, Equipment). Players must wear footwear suitable for the playing surface; boots with studs are standard for grass pitches. Referees have the authority to prohibit any player from taking part if their attire or any item worn is considered dangerous to themselves or to other players.
Unlike hurling, in which a helmet with facial guard is mandatory for every player (Rule 4.2, Equipment), Gaelic football carries no equivalent helmet or headgear requirement. A mouthguard, however, is mandatory: Rule 4.3 (Equipment) makes it mandatory for, and the responsibility of, each individual player to use a mouth guard in all Football Games and Football Practice Sessions.
Section 3: Playing Area
Field of play. The pitch is rectangular, with a length of not less than 130 metres and not more than 145 metres, and a width of not less than 80 metres and not more than 90 metres, as set out in Rule 1.1 (The Field of Play). The field is bounded by sidelines along the length and end lines (goal lines) along the width, with a halfway line marked across the pitch equidistant between the two end lines.
Goals. At the centre of each end line stands a set of goalposts consisting of two upright posts joined by a crossbar. The posts are 6.5 metres apart, and the crossbar is fixed 2.5 metres above ground level; the posts themselves extend to a minimum height of 7 metres above the ground. A ball played over the crossbar and between the posts scores a point (or two points, where applicable); a ball played under the crossbar, between the posts, and fully over the goal line scores a goal (Rule 1.3, The Field of Play).
Pitch markings. Lines are marked parallel to each end line at distances of 13 metres, 20 metres, and 45 metres, used to regulate kickouts, frees, and the advanced mark (Rule 1.2, The Field of Play). The goal area (the "small rectangle") is formed by two lines 4.5 metres in length, set at right angles to the end line and positioned 3.75 metres from the inside of each goalpost, giving an overall goal area 14 metres wide by 4.5 metres deep (Rule 1.3, The Field of Play), within which only the goalkeeper (or, where the goalkeeper is not the kickout taker, the nominated free-kick taker) may stand to take a kickout.
The 40-metre arc. As part of the permanent 2026 rule set, a semi-circular arc with a 40-metre radius, centred on the middle of each goal line, is marked on all official pitches (Rule 1.4, The Field of Play). This arc governs the boundary for two-point scores from play or frees (Rule 3.1), and the distance a kick-out must travel before another player of the defending team may play it (Rule 2.7(a)).
Section 4: Players & Officials
Team composition. A team consists of fifteen players: a goalkeeper and fourteen outfield players (Rule 2.1, The Players). The maximum number of substitutes permitted during Normal Time is five (Rule 2.3(i), The Players), with a maximum of three further substitutions during Extra Time where it is played (Rule 2.3(ii), The Players). A player who has been substituted may not return to the field of play for the remainder of the game.
The "3-up / 3-back" rule. Under the permanent 2026 rules, a team must during play have at least four players — which may include the goalkeeper — in its own half of the field, and at least three outfield players in the opposition half (Rule 2.14). A breach is penalised by a free kick from the centre point of the offending team's 20m line (Rule 4.36).
Match officials. Games are controlled by a referee, who has sole authority to enforce the Playing Rules, keep the time, and impose sanctions. The referee is assisted by two linesmen, who monitor the sidelines and assist with foul identification, and by four umpires, positioned two at each end, who signal scores and wides to the referee (Rules of Control, Rule 1.2 and Rule 2.2). At inter-county level, games are further supported by a standby/additional match official and, in competitions using it, a Hawk-Eye or equivalent score-detection system to adjudicate marginal scores.
Team officials. Each team nominates a captain, who is the sole point of contact with the referee on behalf of the team, along with team management (manager, coaches) and medical personnel, who are permitted within the technical area but may not enter the field of play without the referee's permission (Rules of Control, Rule 1.4). The captain, or a nominated deputy where the captain is the goalkeeper or is no longer on the field, is the only player who may speak to the referee to seek clarification of a decision, and only during a break in play (Rule 1.11).
Section 5: Rules of Play
Duration. A senior inter-county adult game lasts 70 minutes, played in two halves of 35 minutes. The majority of adult club competitions are played over 60 minutes, in two halves of 30 minutes — the default under Rule 3.2 (Time), with the 70-minute form its stated exception for Inter-County Senior Championship, National League and Tournament games. Games at inter-county level are managed under a centralised game clock and hooter system introduced under the 2026 permanent rules, under which the referee stops the official clock whenever the ball goes dead, and the hooter sounds to signal the end of each half once the allotted playing time has elapsed and the ball is next dead.
Playing the ball. A player may kick the ball, or strike it with a clenched fist or the open hand (a "hand-pass"), but may not throw it. The ball may be carried in the hand(s) for a maximum of four consecutive steps, after which it must be released by a kick, a hand-pass, a bounce off the ground back into the hand(s), or a "solo," in which the ball is dropped or tapped onto the foot and kicked back up into the hand(s). A player may not bounce the ball twice in succession without an intervening solo, kick, or hand-pass (Rule 1.4; throwing the ball and an illegal handpass are fouls under Rule 4.2).
The tackle. A player in possession may be fairly challenged by a shoulder-to-shoulder charge directed at the area of the body between shoulder and hip, provided both players are moving toward the ball or are in a position to play it. Pulling or holding an opponent's jersey or body, tripping, and the "third-man tackle" (two or more players tackling simultaneously in a manner that denies the player in possession a fair opportunity to play the ball) are prohibited and penalised as fouls (Rule 1.9 permits only the shoulder-to-shoulder charge; behaviour dangerous to an opponent is a foul under Rule 5.19).
The mark. A Mark is awarded in two circumstances (Rule 2.12). A Kick Out Mark is awarded when a player catches the ball cleanly from a kick-out, without it touching the ground, on or past the 45m line nearest the kick-out point (Rule 2.12(i)). An Advanced Mark is awarded when a player catches the ball cleanly on or inside the 20m line, without it touching the ground, from a kick in play or from a kick-out mark delivered by an attacking player on or beyond the opposing team's 45m line (Rule 2.12(ii)). A player availing of the free kick signifies it by immediately raising an arm upright and then kicks from the hands, with up to fifteen seconds to take it while opponents retreat 13m (Rule 2.12(a)).
Kickouts. When the ball is played over the end line by the team attacking that end, or after a score, play restarts with a kick-out off the ground from the centre point of the 20m line, kicked forward (Rule 2.7(a)). If the goalkeeper is not taking it, the goalkeeper stays in the small rectangle. Other players may remain inside the 20m line and the 40m arc but must be at least 13m from the ball until it is kicked, and the ball must travel outside both the 40m arc and the 20m line before another player of the defending team may play it (Rule 2.7(a)). A player in direct receipt of the kick-out may not pass it back to their goalkeeper or to the kick-taker without another player playing the ball (Rule 2.7(c)).
The "solo-and-go." Where a free is awarded outside the opposition's 20-metre line, the fouled player (or a nearby teammate) may take the free immediately by soloing the ball and playing on, without waiting for the referee's whistle, provided the foul was not accompanied by a card. Opponents must retreat at least 4 metres from the mark of the free; challenging a player taking a Solo and Go within four metres of where it is taken is a foul, penalised by advancing the free 50m (Rule 2.5(c), Rule 2.6(ii) and Rule 4.37).
Throw-in. Play begins at the start of each half with a throw-in contested between one nominated player from each team at the centre of the pitch; no other player may enter the contest for the ball until it has been played by one of the two contesting players; a second player from each team stands on opposite sidelines at the halfway line (Rule 2.1).
Section 6: Scoring
Goal. A goal, scored when the ball passes over the goal line, under the crossbar, and between the goalposts, is worth three points (Rule 3.1).
Point. A point, scored when the ball passes over the crossbar and between the goalposts, is worth one point, when played over the crossbar between the posts inside the 40m arc or inside the 20m line (Rule 3.1).
Two-point score. Under the permanent 2026 rule, a point scored from play or from a free kick is worth two points if, at the moment the ball is struck, the kicker has at least one foot on or outside the 40-metre arc. The rule applies whether the kick comes from general play, a free kick or a Solo and Go, and requires that no other player from the kicker's team has touched the ball; a ball played over the crossbar from a '45' is worth one point (Rule 3.1).
Hand-passed goals. A player in possession may not score a goal with the hands; a point, however, may be scored with the open hand(s) or fist (Rule 3.1, Exceptions). A score may also be made by striking the ball in flight with the hand(s) (Rule 3.2).
Wide. A ball played over the end line and outside the goalposts by the team attacking that end is a wide, and play restarts with a kick-out (Rule 2.7(a)). Where the ball is played over the end line outside the posts by the team defending that end, it is not a wide but a '45': a free kick off the ground to the opposing team on the 45m line opposite where the ball crossed (Rule 2.8).
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Technical fouls. Minor infractions of the playing rules - such as an over-carry (exceeding the permitted four steps), a double bounce, an unfair pick-up of the ball from the ground, or a "square ball" offense in the small rectangle - are penalised with a free kick to the opposing team from the place of the infringement, without further sanction. The technical fouls and their penalties are set out at Rule 4 (Technical Fouls).
Aggressive fouls. More serious physical infractions - including striking, tripping, pulling down an opponent, jersey-pulling, and the third-man tackle - result in a free kick to the fouled team and may additionally be sanctioned with a yellow, black, or red card at the referee's discretion, depending on severity. The aggressive fouls and their penalties are set out at Rule 5 (Aggressive Fouls); the "third-man tackle" is not a term used in the rules, and such challenges are dealt with under Rule 5.19, behaving in any way dangerous to an opponent.
Yellow card. A yellow card is a formal caution for cynical or reckless conduct. A player receiving a second yellow card in the same game is dismissed and shown a red card, and the offending team plays the remainder of the game with one fewer player, without replacement. A Cautionable Infraction is punished by a caution and a Yellow Card, and a second Cautionable Infraction by a second Yellow Card followed by a Red Card (Rules of Control, Rule 1.2(ix)(a)-(b)).
Black card. A black card is issued for specified cynical fouls - including but not limited to deliberately tripping or pulling down an opponent who has a goal-scoring opportunity or clear advantage, deliberately body-colliding with an opponent off the ball, and interfering with a "solo-and-go" - and results in the player being withdrawn from play for a 10-minute sin-bin period, during which the player may be replaced by a substitute. A player black-carded a second time in the same game is dismissed with a red card and is not replaced, leaving the team to finish with a numerical disadvantage. A Black Card orders the player off for ten minutes in the Sin Bin, for a Cynical Behaviour Infraction or a breach of Rule 5.41, provided the player has not already been cautioned in the game; the ten minutes runs irrespective of delays and traverses normal and extra time (Rules of Control, Rule 1.2(ix)(d)).
Red card. A red card is shown for the most serious infractions (such as violent conduct, deliberate striking, or a second cautionable/black-card offense) and results in the immediate and permanent dismissal of the player, who may not be replaced. Any sequence or combination of two infractions drawing a Yellow or Black Card is punished by that card followed by a Red Card (Rules of Control, Rule 1.2(ix)(e)).
Dissent. Dissent shown toward a match official, or interference with a fouled player's solo-and-go restart within the protected 4-metre zone, results in the referee advancing the free 50 metres toward the offending team's goal, and may additionally be sanctioned with a card. Showing dissent with the referee's decision to award a free to the opposing team advances that free to a place 50m more advantageous, up to the opponents' 13m line (Rule 6.4).
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Legal contact. The only form of body contact permitted between opponents is the shoulder-to-shoulder charge, directed at the torso of a player who is playing, or is in a position to play, the ball. Charges directed at an opponent's back, head, or neck, charges delivered with excessive force, and challenges made when an opponent is not in a position to play the ball are prohibited as dangerous play and are penalised as aggressive fouls, typically with a card. A player may make a shoulder-to-shoulder charge on an opponent who is in possession, is playing the ball, or when both are moving toward the ball to play it, provided the player has at least one foot on the ground (Rule 1.9).
Dangerous tackling. The third-man tackle, the "chop" tackle around an opponent's legs, and any challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent are not named as such in the Playing Rules; they fall under Rule 5.19, behaving in any way which is dangerous to an opponent, and are subject to sanction, up to and including dismissal for reckless or deliberate endangerment.
Head injury protocols. Inter-county competitions operate a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol, under which a player suspected of having sustained a head injury is removed from the field for assessment by team medical personnel, with a temporary substitute permitted while the assessment is carried out. A player who fails the assessment or shows signs of concussion may not return to play in that game. Temporary substitution for blood or a suspected head injury is provided for at Rules of Control, Rule 1.5(b), and such a substitution does not count against the substitution limits (Rule 2.3(iii), The Players).
Playing surface and equipment safety. The referee has authority under the Official Guide to inspect the playing surface and goalposts before a game and to prohibit play, or require remedial action, where conditions are considered unsafe. The referee may likewise prohibit any player from taking the field while wearing jewellery, casts, or other rigid items considered a danger to any player.
Qualified medical cover. Organising county boards are required to ensure that appropriately qualified first-aid or medical personnel, along with the necessary emergency equipment, are present at the venue for the duration of the game.
