Hurling is a game similar to hockey, in that it is played with a small ball and a curved
wooden stick. It is Europe's oldest field game. When the Celts came to Ireland as the last ice
age was receding, they brought with them a unique culture, their own language, music,
script and unique pastimes. One of these pastimes was a game now called hurling. It
features in Irish folklore to illustrate the deeds of heroic mystical figures and it is chronicled
as a distinct Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years.
The stick, or "hurley" (called camán in Irish) is curved outwards at the end, to provide the
striking surface. The ball or "sliothar" is similar in size to a hockey ball but has raised ridges.
Hurling is played on a pitch approximately 137m long and 82m wide. The goalposts are the
same shape as on a rugby pitch, with the crossbar lower than a rugby one and slightly
higher than a soccer one.
You may strike the ball on the ground, or in the air. Unlike hockey, you may pick up the ball
with your hurley and carry it for not more than four steps in the hand. After those steps you
may bounce the ball on the hurley and back to the hand, but you are forbidden to catch the
ball more than twice. To get around this, one of the skills is running with the ball balanced on
the hurley To score, you put the ball over the crossbar with the hurley or under the crossbar
and into the net by the hurley for a goal, the latter being the equivalent of three points.
Each team consists of fifteen players, lining out as follows: 1 goalkeeper, three full-backs,
three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards. The actual line
out on the playing field is as follows:
                                                        Goalkeeper
                         Right corner-back...Full-back...Left corner-back
                       Right half-back...Centre half-back...Left half-back
                                               Midfielder...Midfielder
                   Right half-forward...Centre half-forward...Left half-forward
                     Right corner-forward...Full-forward...Left-corner- forward

Players wear a jersey with their team colours and number on the back. Both teams must
have different colour jerseys. The goalkeepers' jerseys must not be similar to the jersey of
any other player. Referees normally tog out in black jerseys, socks and togs.
Goalkeepers may not be physically challenged whilst inside their own small parallelogram,
but players may harass them into playing a bad pass, or block an attempted pass.
Teams are allowed a maximum of five substitutes in a game. Players may switch positions
on the field of play as much as they wish but this is usually on the instructions of team
officials.
Officials for a game comprise of a referee, two linesmen (to indicate when the ball leaves
the field of play at the side and to mark '65'' free kicks and 4 umpires (to signal scores,
assist the referee in controlling the games, and to assist linesmen in positioning ''65' frees).
A goal is signalled by raising a green flag, placed to the left of the goal. A point is signalled
by raising a white flag, placed to the right of goal. A '45'/'65' is signalled by the umpire
raising his/her outside arm. A 'square ball', when a player scores having arrived in the
'square' prior to receiving the ball, is signalled by pointing at the small parallelogram.