The Heights of Gaelic Games: Analysing Elevation Data of GAA Pitches Worldwide
When you think of the GAA, you might picture the rolling hills of Ireland, but did you know that GAA pitches can be found from below sea level to high up in the mountains? We've recently analysed elevation data for nearly 2,000 GAA pitches worldwide, and the results are interesting.
The High and Low of It
Imagine playing a match in Amsterdam, where the Amsterdam GAC's pitch at Stichting Sportpark de Eendracht sits 3 meters below sea level. Now contrast that with the Butte Wolfe Tones Hurling Club at Montana Technological University in the United States, where players compete at a massive 1,741 meters above sea level – higher than many European ski resorts!
Montana Technological University in Butte, Montana.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Median elevation: 60 meters (half of all pitches are above this, half below).
The middle 50: Most pitches fall between 28 and 92 meters.
Variation: With a standard deviation of 94 meters, there's huge diversity in pitch locations.
And here are the top 5 highest GAA pitches in Ireland:
Meelin GAA (Cork): 292m
Stars of Erin GAA (Dublin): 282m
Rockchapel GAA (Cork): 260m
An Tochar GAA (Wicklow): 236m
Laurence O'Toole's GAA, Belleek (Armagh): 235m
Global Heights: The Highest Regions
North Western Division (USA): Average elevation of 599m. It’s home to 8 pitches, including our record-holder in Butte.
Saudi Arabia: A single pitch at 592m - Naomh Alee Riyadh GAA in Riyadh.
Canberra (Australia): One pitch at 585m.
Switzerland: Three pitches averaging 366m.
Southwest Division (USA): 9 pitches with an average elevation of 278m.
What Does This Tell Us About GAA's Global Reach?
This elevation data shows just how far GAA has spread. From below sea level in the Netherlands to the heights of the American West, Gaelic games are being played in environmental conditions the founding members of the GAA could hardly have imagined.
The distribution shows that while most pitches are at relatively modest elevations, clubs have established themselves in some of the world's most diverse geographical locations. It's a testament to the sport's adaptability and the dedication of its global community.
Pitch Finder 6.0
February 2024 updates:
Published the underlying dataset to Github. This is a major change for GAA Pitch Finder; I was afraid of sharing the data before but I think it makes sense to share it with the masses!
Presented my work on this site at the Q1 Dublin Data Meetup.
The original version of the map from 6 years ago was posted to Reddit. This led to a lot of debate, adding a few new pitches and some extra publicity, which was a great outcome.
Most Remote GAA Pitches in Ireland
Ireland is home to a rich tradition of Gaelic games, and GAA clubs are found in every corner of the country. From bustling cities to remote rural areas, you'll find a pitch where the local community gathers to play and watch their favourite sports. But have you ever wondered which pitches are the most isolated in each county?
Here's a look at the most remote pitches, where the love for the game thrives against the backdrop of some of Ireland's most stunning landscapes:
Antrim
All Saints GAA (Slemish Park)
Located in Ballymena, the pitch of All Saints GAA, Slemish Park is 11.37 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Armagh
Davitt's GAA (Ballyhegan Park)
Located in Armagh, the pitch of Davitt's GAA, Ballyhegan Park is 6 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Carlow
St. Mullin's GAA (Páirc Drummond)
Located in Carlow, the pitch of St. Mullin's GAA is 8.89 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Cavan
Shannon Gaels
Located in Blacklion, the pitch of Shannon Gaels is 15.15 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Clare
Whitegate GAA
The pitch of Whitegate GAA is 10.39 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Cork
Goleen GAA
Located in the Mizen peninsula, the pitch of Goleen GAA is 16.42 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Derry
Eoghan Rua GAA (Páirc Eoghain Rua)
Located in Derry, Pairc Eoghan Rua is 13.94 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Donegal
Pettigo GAA (Páirc na Scoile)
Located in Donegal, the pitch of Pettigo GAA is 17.99 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Down
St. Michael's GAA
Located in Magheralin, the pitch of St. Michael's GAA is 9.58 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Dublin
O'Dwyers GAA
Located in Balbriggan, the pitch of O'Dwyers GAA is 6.98 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Fermanagh
Derrygonnelly Harps (Canon Tom Maguire Park)
Located in Fermanagh, the pitch of Derrygonnelly Harps Canon Tom Maguire Park is 14.09 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Galway
Inis Bofin (Fawnmore)
Located in Galway, the pitch of Inis Bofin is 17.21 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Kerry
Sneem GAA
Located in Kerry, the pitch of Sneem is 12.71 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Kildare
Castledermot GAA
Located in Kildare, the pitch of Castledermot is 9.62 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Kilkenny
Piltown GAA
Located in Kilkenny, the pitch of Piltown is 8.79 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Laois
Clonaslee/St Manmans
Located in Laois, the pitch of Clonaslee/St Manmans is 7.48 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Leitrim
Melvin Gaels GAA
Located in Leitrim, the pitch of Melvin Gaels GAA is 14.84 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Limerick
Galtee Gaels
Located in Limerick, the pitch of Galtee Gaels is 12.21 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Longford
Cashel GAA (Páirc Chiarán)
Located in Longford, the pitch of Cashel is 8.86 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Louth
Cuchulainn Gaels
Located in Louth, the pitch of Cuchulainn Gaels is 9.10 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Mayo
Inisturk GAA
One of the most scenic pitches in Ireland, the GAA pitch on the island of Inisturk is 15.04 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Meath
Ballinabrackey GAA
Located in Meath, the pitch of Ballinabrackey GAA is 8.29 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Monaghan
Scotstown GAA (Páirc Muire)
Located in Scotstown in north Monaghan, Pairc Muire is 6.99 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Offaly
Killavilla GAA
Located in Offaly, the pitch of Killavilla is 7.31 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Roscommon
Éire Óg GAA (James Timothy Park)
Located in Roscommon, the pitch of Éire Óg GAA is 10.39 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Sligo
Geevagh GAA
Located in Sligo, the pitch of Geevagh GAA is 10.57 kilometres away from its closest neighbour. You can find its location on the map here.
Tipperary
Lorrha and Dorrha (St Ruadhan's Park)
Located in Tipperary, the pitch of Lorrha and Dorrha is 12.47 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Tyrone
O'Neill's GAA
Located in Aghaloo, the pitch of O'Neill's GAA is 9.66 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Waterford
Gaultier GAA
Located in Waterford, the pitch of Gaultier is 8.18 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Westmeath
Tubberclair GAA
Located in Westmeath, the pitch of Tubberclair is 6.69 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Wexford
St. Mogue's GAA, Fethard on Sea
Located in Wexford, the pitch of St. Mogue's GAA is 8.79 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
Wicklow
An Tochar GAA
Located in Wicklow, the pitch of An Tochar GAA is 7.64 kilometres away from its closest neighbour.
From the bustling heart of Dublin to the remote corners of Kerry, these pitches represent the diverse and vibrant spirit of Gaelic games in Ireland. Whether you're a player, a fan, or just a curious traveller, consider visiting one of these unique locations to experience the passion and community that make the GAA a cherished part of Irish culture.
You can find the location of any of these pitches on the map here.
Pitch Finder 5.0
August 2023 updates:
Minimal development updates, have been working on migrating the website to GA4.
Created a map that was used as the front cover for Grassroots GAA by PJ Cunningham.
Most of the work has been providing the GAA Pitch data to third parties on an ad-hoc basis. This includes:
Social Capital research with Tufts University in Boston, via Eoin McGuirk.
PHD research at Trinity College, Dublin.
The ESB, for their internal GIS mapping systems.
Pitch Finder 4.0
January 2021 updates:
Pitch Finder has gone global! Now including pitches in Europe, Britain, Asia, Australasia, and South America. Many thanks to every club that responded to my messages/emails.
Pitch Finder 3.0
2020 End of Year site updates:
The main map has been migrated to Tableau Public instead of Google Maps.
The map is adaptive based on laptop vs mobile.
Filtering capabilities for Clubs, Pitches, and Counties.
No Pitch filtering on Mobile due to screen size constraints.
Removed Twitter links due to difficulties in URL Actions going to both Google Maps AND Twitter on Mobile in a single Tooltip.
May add Light mode based on feedback, if intuitive on mobile.
Other Pitch Finder work throughout 2020:
Tableau viz of the Worst GAA Pitch to get Injured at.
Tableau viz of the most Isolated GAA Pitch.
Would like to revisit both with Garmin or TomTom data, currently is “as the crow flies”.
GAA Pitch Finder data used to aid with Government COVID response.
Still thinking about making an app but doing nothing about it - maybe in 2021.
Pitch Finder 2.0
Published my website to Reddit, Instagram and Facebook on the 21st of February.
As of today:
- Map itself: 21,483 views.
- Site: 9000 views.
- Sportsjoe.ie Article: 1.2k shares and 800 likes on Facebook. Thanks to Matthew Gault for the article.
- Instagram: 2000 likes thanks to the gaafanzone page.
- Reddit: 550 upvotes and 50 comments on posts on the r/ireland and r/gaa subreddits.
As expected, many mistakes were made - got feedback via these social media and email and have added in the changes.
Pitch Finder v1.1
Added county grounds within Ireland.
Added directions to each location on Google Maps.
Pitch Finder v.1.0
First website release:
Included club pitches for Ulster, Connacht, Munster and Leinster.
Included About section to thank those who have helped me throughout the map's creation.
Created site logo.
Included links to various social media accounts.