My first hurling game

Today we are going to see our first Hurling game in Portlaoise.

We've seen two games.

First of all, Helen's youngest son had a final with his school team.

Then we saw a professional match, it was the first time I saw a Hurling match, it was very interesting and especially very physical.

I will now explain to you what hurling is. Because before I arrived in Ireland, I didn't know this sport either.

Hurling is an Irish sport invented centuries ago. It is one of the oldest sports in Ireland. It is very well known for its complexity, it is also known to be one of the most violent sports. Many people think of it as rugby. Most Irish people, whether adults or children, practice hurling, whether in clubs or simply for fun. It is a very popular sport in Ireland, as much as rugby.

HURLING EQUIPMENT

The hurling team has 15 players including a goalkeeper, 6 defenders, 2 midfielders and 6 strikers.

Each player has a stick called "camán" or "hurley" made of ash wood that is 75 to 90 centimetres long. The game is played around a leather ball called "sliotar" weighing just under 100 grams. Hurling is a potentially violent sport, so players often wear helmets that are not mandatory.

MARK, USING A STICK OR ITS FEET

The objective of hurling is simple and consists in scoring points by placing the ball in the opponent's goal. The period of a game is 2 times 35 minutes. It is not easy to score since the ball cannot be picked up by hand. The player can only use the stick or toes. Once picked up the ball can be distributed by hand, cleared with the stick, played with the foot and cannot be kept more than 4 steps in hand or on the stick.

Due to the use of lacrosse and feet, hurling is a sport qualified as brutal and violent. But in order to limit the damage, it was forbidden and punished to give an elbow, hip, foot and fist.

A hurling match is officiated by a main referee, 2 touch referees and 4 goal referees. In short, there are a large number of referees, but quite justified: hurling is played quickly, and the ball sometimes reaches dizzying speeds, which make it difficult to referee...

In general, it must be understood that the interest of this sport lies in the non-existence of offside. Therefore, it is very advantageous to release the sliotar for an interception of a player from his team.

THE FIELD

The field is 140 metres long and 80 metres wide, which is longer than a football field but a little less wide. Hurling goals are similar to those of rugby mixed with those of football. It is therefore possible to mark between the two posts, or in the cage. However, the score changes. If the ball passes between the 2 posts, above the horizontal bar, the scoring team gets 1 point. And if a player scores a goal in the goalkeeper's defended cage, it is equivalent to 3 points.

A team that has scored 3 goals and 11 points, the score is scored this way: 3-11 and is equivalent to 3×3 +11 = 20 points.