GROWING POPULATION OF THE GAA

GAA is continually growing and is now the biggest sporting organisation in Ireland. It has grown more popular over the years and has played a big role in Irish life and culture.
When Irish people emigrate, they can often form small Irish communities abroad. These communities can set up GAA clubs to give the emigrants a 'home away from home'. As the number of Irish emigrants abroad grew, so have their clubs. Also, non-Irish locals and expats have began to join GAA clubs in their area because they are interested and fascinated by these sports. An example of this is the annual Asian Gaelic Games tournament which is a tournament of GAA clubs held every year in Asia. It first began in 1996 in Manilla, where only 72 players participated. It has developed to become the largest gathering of the Irish community in Asia with 800 players taking part in the 2014 tournament. Similarly, GAA competitions like this have been operated in other countries too which include the Australian Championship and the European GAA Championship. When Irish emigrants left for Britain and the United States in the nineteenth century, they took GAA with them and were able to use it as a social network for the Irish community abroad. There are now approximately 440 GAA clubs outside of Ireland and this number is continuing to increase.




Image from: https://www.oneills.com/asia-gaa-mens-jersey-team-3.html