Fast… skilful… fun!
Handball is a fast-paced, highly skilful, hugely entertaining, and fully inclusive sport. The fitness benefits of the game are vast. Speed, agility, endurance, flexibility, and bilateral coordination all come in to play in the sport that once you play for the first time, you wont ever want to stop. But what makes this game so great is that all you require to play is a ball and a wall…..it’s really that simple!
In Co. Monaghan, there are four codes of handball; 4-Wall, 1-Wall, 60×30 (Softball and Hardball). The 4-Wall and 1-Wall codes are the two international codes, whilst the 60×30 codes are traditional Irish games. Having such a variety of codes is great in the sense that there are Handball competitions all year round, providing increasing number of playing opportunities for players.
40×20 is currently the most popular version of Handball in Co. Monaghan, it is played in an indoor facility enclosed with four walls and a roof, similar to a squash or racquetball court (Dimensions: 40ft by 20ft). The game requires players to wear gloves and eye-guards as the handball used is a small rubber ball, and can travel at speeds up to 100mph.
4-Wall Handball has an international outlet, and is played by over ten countries worldwide. The 4-Wall season runs from November through to April.
Club Contacts;
If you’re interesting in trying GAA Handball, please see below for local club contacts.
Get involved;
If your club or school would be interested in setting up GAA Handball within your facility for the winter months, please get in touch with any member of our County Board to chat about your options. A great way to get into GAA Handball affordably is through 1-Wall.
The name being a giveaway, 1-Wall Handball is the most fundamental form of handball as it requires only a wall and a ball and can be set up anywhere very afforably. It is without doubt the fastest growing code of handball, with numbers playing growing substantially in the last five years. Due to its simplicity, it can be played indoor or outdoor, but is generally played during the summer months. The front wall has dimensions 20ft by 16ft, whilst the ball used is similar to a racquetball. This code is played in over 30 countries.
