Hurling facts for kids

A club hurling match in play, before the helmet regulation

Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an Irish outdoor team sport similar to hockey, played by two teams of 15 people.

The object of the game is for players to use a wooden axe-shaped stick called a hurley (in Irish a "camán", pronounced kam-awn), or a hurl, to hit a small ball called a sliotar (pronounced slith-er) between the opponents' goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points.

The ball can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the stick. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps has to bounce or balance the ball on the end of the stick, and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.

Statistics

Hurling stick (Hurley) and ball (sliotar) (Irish Camán agus sliotar)

• In a team there are 15 players, or "hurlers."
• The hurley or hurl (hurl), or camán, is generally 70–100 cm (32–36 inches) in length
• The goalkeeper's hurley usually has a bás (the flattened, curved end) twice the size of other players' hurleys to provide some advantage against the fast moving sliotar.
• The ball, known as a sliotar has a cork center and a leather cover; it is between 23 and 25 cm in circumference, and weighs between 100 and 130 g
• A good strike with a hurley can propel the ball up to 150 km/h (93 mph) in speed and 100 m (305 ft) in distance.
• A ball hit over the bar is worth one point. A ball that is hit under the bar is worth 3 points which is called a goal.

Playing field

A standard hurling pitch

Hurling is played on a pitch approximately 137m long and 82m wide The goals at each end of the field are formed by two posts, which are usually 6 m high, set 6.4 m apart, and connected 2.44 m above the ground by a crossbar. A net extending in back of the goal is attached to the crossbar and lower goal posts.

Other pages

• Shinty

Images for kids

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  Irish Lissarulla hurling sliotar

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  A club hurling match in play

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  Standard hurling positions

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  A standard hurling helmet

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  Goalposts and scoring system used in hurling

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  An example of a typical GAA scoreboard

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  Player taking a penalty puck from the 20-metre line.

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  A hurling stick and ball feature on this gallowglasses gravestone, circa 15–16th century.

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  Hurling scoring to 2020

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  Graph of hurling and Gaelic football ratio of points to goals from 1910 to 2015

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  U.S. president Barack Obama accepting a hurley from Taoiseach Enda Kenny

See also

In Spanish: Hurling para niños