50 years since GAA scrapped its ban on ‘foreign games’
On April 11, 1971, the GAA voted to lift its ban on members participating in ‘foreign games’ such as soccer. DIARMUID O’DONOVAN traces the life span of the controversial rule
On April 11, 1971, the GAA voted to lift its ban on members participating in ‘foreign games’ such as soccer. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Diarmuid O Donovan
BETWEEN 1905 and 1971, members of the GAA, both players and non-players, were barred, under threat of suspension, from attending or participating in games that were seen as being of British origin.
These games included soccer, rugby, cricket and hockey and were sometimes known as “the Garrison Games” because they were strongest in the towns that had British army barracks.