Cultural Impact
The Gaelic Athletic Association has grown to become the largest and most popular sporting organisation in Ireland with over 1 million members including those in clubs beyond the island of Ireland (referred to as overseas units). It has more than 2,600 member clubs, of which 300 are outside Ireland, and manages about 500 grounds throughout the world.
The extinction of the Gaelic games of hurling and the native style of football was averted in the nineteenth century. The rules of both hurling and football were standardised, which helped to spur the growth of the modern games since they were now being organised on a structured basis.
Hurling and Gaelic football have become the most popular spectator sports in the Republic of Ireland; 1,962,769 attendances were recorded at senior inter-county hurling and football championship games in 2003 while 60% of all attendances to sports events in the Republic of Ireland were at Gaelic games, with 34% of the total going to Gaelic football and 23% to hurling. Soccer is the closest rival with 16%. This presence means that the GAA has become a major player in the sporting life of Ireland and in the country's cultural life though its Scór section. The association is recognised as a major generator of social capital thanks to its promotion of healthy pastimes, volunteering, and community involvement.
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