About

The History of Japan GAA

The Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) was founded in Ireland in 1884 to promote Gaelic sports (principally Gaelic football, hurling and camogie) and Irish national identity. The Japan branch of GAA was founded in 1995.

Japan GAA is a non-profit volunteer organisation devoted to promoting international friendship and understanding in Japan and Asia, primarily through participation in Gaelic sports and Irish culture. Like other GAA clubs in Asia, Japan GAA has undergone several turnovers in membership in its history, but each year manages to pull together an excellent group of players.

Over the years, the members have come from many different countries beyond Ireland and Japan, including China, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. The club has long worked to recruit members of the local community; the women's team has been predominantly Japanese nationals for some years now.

As the club has developed, Japan GAA has steadily increased its activities from a few months of preparation for the Asian Gaelic Games (AGG) to a full 12-month calendar of sporting and social events. Members can be found training from early spring to late autumn, playing a full part in St. Patrick's Day events in March, hosting an international multi-sports day and attending the North Asian Gaelic Games (NAGG) in early summer, and participating in Irish events across Japan throughout the year.

Japan GAA has sent teams to every AGG since their inception in 1996 and to every NAGG since they started in 2008. We hosted NAGG in 2010 and 2019. Over the years we have had successes at every level in Asia. Members have also travelled to Ireland to play for Asia representative teams at the GAA World Games. The Women's team played a game at Croke Park, the premier stadium of Gaelic sports, in 2017.