Gaelic Hurling Betting and Odds at NetBet Sport

Gaelic Hurling is one of the oldest games in the world. If you’re looking to do some Gaelic Hurling betting, NetBet is the best place to be! If you’re interested in enjoying a spot of Gaelic Hurling betting, take a look at the sports section on our website for the latest odds. There’s no better place to go when you feel like some Gaelic Hurling betting!

What is Gaelic Hurling and who plays the game?

Gaelic Hurling is one of the oldest games in the world and is in fact older than the history of Ireland itself. It’s thought that the Celtic people brought the game with them, and used the game to train their warriors to be as strong and fierce as they could possibly be. The oldest legend about the game concerns the legendary Ulster hero Sétanta, later known by the title Cú Chullainn (meaning The Hound of Cullen), a proficient hurling player who killed a fierce guard dog by shoving his hurling ball into its throat. Predictably, many killjoys and busybodies – the English, mostly, but also the Normans – attempted to outlaw the game over the centuries, with little success. Today, hurling is the second most popular sport in Ireland – in fact, over 350,000 hurling sticks are made each year in Ireland, creating hundreds of jobs. It’s quite the booming industry. It’s even played overseas – the Milwaukee Hurling Club is one of the largest hurling communities outside of Ireland, and is well known for hosting Halloween games known as “Hurloween”, in which everyone plays the game in full costume. Even the US Marine Corps are big hurling enthusiasts, with two official teams known as “The Wild Geese” and “the Barley House Wolves”. Despite the game’s impressive historic credentials, it has never been an official sport in the Olympics, though it’s thought that this could change eventually.

What are the rules of the game?

The game is played using a wooden stick shaped similarly to an axe, known as a hurl or a hurley (or a camán if you’re speaking Irish), which is used to hit a small ball called a sliotar into the goal at the opponent’s end of the team. While the sliotar is supposed to be hit with the hurl, players are permitted to carry it in their hand for just four steps. Any more than that and they need to balance it on the end of their stick. Provided that a player has at least one foot on the ground, a player may make a shoulder to shoulder charge on an opponent who is either in possession of the ball or is playing the ball.

Hurling is well-known to be a highly aggressive game, and it’s certain to raise some bruises. Despite all players being required to wear a protective plastic face guard, they do not wear protective padding. You need to be tough to play this game! Though men and women can play hurling equally, there also exists a female version of the game – it’s known as Camogie and is almost the same except for a few small differences – and also a Scottish version known as shinty, which differs in that the hurling stick is shaped differently and also that players are not allowed to handle the ball.

Gaelic Hurling Betting – stats and figures of the game

Hitting the ball over the crossbar will net the team who score a single point, while hitting it under the crossbar into a net is worth three points; every team has 15 players, typically known as hurlers, with one member of the team being the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper’s hurley typically has a larger flattened endpiece (known as a bás) to help them deflect the oncoming sliotar. And they definitely need it – a well-struck sliotar can reach speeds of up to 93 miles per hour. Luckily, they’re not too heavy – a sliotar is generally made using cork and leather. Luckily, injuries in hurling aren’t that much more common than any other sport such as football. A goal is typically marked by the raising of a green flag on the left-hand side of the goal, while a point is celebrated by raising a white flag on the goal’s right-hand side. The most successful team ever are Kilkenny, who have won the All-Ireland Championship more than twenty times since 1904, including a four-year record streak from 2006-2009. The largest win ever was won by Tipperary, who beat the Dublin hurling team with a 34-point lead in 1896.

Where to watch Gaelic Hurling

The most famous stadium used for games of Gaelic Hurling is Croke Park in Dublin, which also serves as the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and the Dublin hurling team. Croke Park, which has also served as a stadium for pop concerts, was originally bought for £3,250 – admittedly, that was in 1908. Nowadays, the stadium would be worth millions. There are numerous other stadiums that host games of hurling in Ireland, such as the Semple Stadium in Tipperary and the Casement Park GAA stadium in Belfast. Hurling can be watched on RTE (which, while an Irish channel, can be picked up in the UK if one has Freeview) and online. Americans can watch on ESPN – in fact, George Clooney’s character in ER, Doug Ross, often mentioned his appreciation of the game. Of course, if you happen to be on the Emerald Isle, any good sports bar will undoubtedly have a match on the TV – though personally we think no trip to Ireland would be complete without heading to a top stadium and catching a live game!

Get the best Gaelic Hurling odds with NetBet!

Want to enjoy betting on a game of Gaelic Hurling? Well, we here at NetBet have got you covered. If you’ve come here because you’re wanting to get the latest Gaelic Hurling odds, this is the place for you. Take a look at NetBet’s sports page and search for upcoming hurling matches – we’ve got some great Gaelic Hurling Odds available. See for yourself and have fun betting!