Munster GAA Competitors

The Gaelic Athletic Association / Cumann Lúthchleas Gael is an Irish sporting and cultural organisation that has a presence on all five continents. It is a volunteer led, community based organisation that administers Gaelic games (Irish indigenous sports) of hurling and Gaelic football and promotes Irish language and culture worldwide along with related Gaelic games of ladies football, camogie, handball and rounders. The Association has its headquarters at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, where it has been based on a full time basis since 1908. The stadium, which was redeveloped between 1993 and 2003, has a capacity of 82,300 and hosts some of the highest profile events in the Irish sporting calendar. The GAA is underpinned by a democratic elective structure that sees members at various different levels elect officers to serving positions on a variety of tiers up to and including the position of Uachtarán (President). The GAA’s internal management structure is multi-layered with the vast majority of all serving officers beginning their administrative involvement at club level. All administrators, regardless of rank or their level of involvement, are members of one of the Association’s 2,300 plus clubs spread across 60+ countries.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the governing body of football in the Republic of Ireland. Today, over 450,000 people are involved in Irish football either playing with clubs and schools or being involved as coaches, officials and volunteers. The role of the Association is to promote, foster and develop this activity. The FAI controls the activities of all Ireland's international football teams and is affiliated to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Through its own affiliated bodies the FAI also organises all domestic competitions. The FAI is also active in the training and education of players, coaches and officials and aims to develop better facilities and support services for all those involved in the game.

The Irish Hockey Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of field hockey in Ireland. Governing the 32 counties of Ireland, the Association is responsible for the management and overall development of all areas of the sport. The Association was formed in 2000, as a result of the merger of the two pre-existing Unions which governed men's and women's hockey separately. Both pre-existing Unions' origins date back to the late 19th Century, when they were formed within a year of each other. The IHA has a total of eight affiliated Branches that govern the sport at regional and local level. Separate Branches administer men's and women's hockey, although plans are being put in place to merge the sport at Branch level also, as is the case at national level. Five women's hockey Branches exist – Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Ulster and South East, with three men's hockey Branches existing in the form of Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The sport's approximate 168 clubs and 280 schools are affiliated to the IHA through its Branch network. The Irish Hockey Umpires Association, which manages the sport's umpire base, and the Irish Universities Hockey Association, which governs the sport in Ireland's university system, are also affiliated to the IHA.