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The GAA ball: size, weight and the ladies' and children's balls
A Gaelic football for adult men must weigh 480 to 500 grams and measure 68 to 70 centimetres around, under Rule 4.4 of the GAA's Rules of Specification. Ladies' football uses a smaller size 4 ball, 400 to 420 grams and 62.5 to 64.5 cm, from under-12 upwards. Children's Go Games, the GAA's small-sided games for young players, use smaller balls again.
Rules checked on against the GAA Official Guide Part 2 (2026) and the LGFA Playing Rules 2026.
What is a GAA ball?
The GAA ball is the round football used in Gaelic football. In the GAA's own words it is round, and players catch it, kick it, solo it off the foot and hand-pass it with a strike of the hand. It is not the sliotar, the small leather ball of hurling and camogie. Makers sell the men's ball as a "size 5", but that is their label, not the GAA's: the rule itself gives only a weight and a circumference.
Official size and weight
| Weight | 480 to 500 g (about 16.9 to 17.6 oz) |
|---|---|
| Circumference | 68 to 70 cm (about 26.8 to 27.6 in) |
| Diameter | about 21.6 to 22.3 cm |
| Approval | to standards and tests set by Central Council |
| Where it is written | Official Guide Part 2, Rules of Specification, Rule 4.4 (ii) to (iv) |
GAA Official Guide Part 2 (2026). Imperial figures and diameter are our conversions.
Rule 4.4 is short. It sets the two limits, says footballs are approved on the basis of standards and tests set out by Central Council, and makes them subject to the GAA's code for playing gear and equipment. It lets a county committee reduce the dimensions for under-15 and younger grades. It says nothing about the material, the colour, the number of panels or the pressure. Those come from the makers. The posts, the markings and the arc are on our pitch and scoring pages.
The ladies' ball: size 4
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association sets its own ball in Rule 350 of its Playing Rules. A size 4 football is used in every grade from under-12 upwards, so adult women's teams do not play with the men's ball.
| Men's football (GAA) | Ladies' size 4 (LGFA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 480 to 500 g | 400 to 420 g |
| Circumference | 68 to 70 cm | 62.5 to 64.5 cm |
| Pressure | not set in the rule | 6.5 psi |
| Used from | all grades; counties may reduce it for under-15 and younger | under-12 upwards |
GAA Official Guide Part 2 (2026), Rule 4.4; LGFA Playing Rules 2026, Rule 350.
Size 4 against size 5 is a bigger gap than the names suggest: the men's ball is 60 to 100 grams heavier and 3.5 to 7.5 cm larger around. For Go Games, the LGFA rule asks for a size 3 or the recommended Go Games football.
Which ball at which age
Below under-16 the picture depends on the county and the maker. The GAA rule leaves the under-15 and younger dimensions to each county committee, and no national GAA page we found sets ball sizes for Go Games, the small-sided games for children.
| Ball | O'Neills (maker) | Connacht GAA Go Games rules |
|---|---|---|
| First Touch | ages 6 to 8 | under-6 and under-7 |
| Quick Touch | ages 8 to 10 | under-8 and under-9 |
| Smart Touch | ages 10 to 12 | under-10 and under-11 |
O'Neills product pages; Connacht GAA Go-Games rules. Neither gives sizes or weights.
These two sources do not line up exactly, which is why a club's own county rules are the ones to follow. For boys there is no national rule on when to move up to the full ball either: a county may set smaller balls for under-15 and younger, and from under-16 upwards the adult ball applies.
Gaelic ball against a soccer ball
On paper they are the same size. Both rulebooks set a circumference of 68 to 70 cm. Where they differ is weight: a soccer ball weighs 410 to 450 grams under IFAB Law 2, so even the lightest legal Gaelic football is 30 grams heavier than the heaviest legal soccer ball.
| Gaelic football | Soccer ball | Rugby ball | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | round | round | oval, four panels |
| Weight | 480 to 500 g | 410 to 450 g | 410 to 460 g |
| Circumference | 68 to 70 cm | 68 to 70 cm | set in a diagram |
| Rule | GAA Rule 4.4 | IFAB Law 2 | World Rugby Law 2 |
GAA Official Guide Part 2 (2026); IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 2; World Rugby Laws of the Game, Law 2.
The GAA's own introduction to the game calls the Gaelic ball slightly smaller than a soccer ball, but the two rulebooks set the same circumference. The rest of the differences between the codes are on our Gaelic football against soccer and rugby page.
Who makes the championship ball?
The GAA's rules do not name a ball maker. O'Neills, founded in Dublin in 1918, has long made the football of choice in the championship, as the Irish Examiner put it in August 2026. The same report said a sponsored championship football and sliotar, proposed by the players' body and approved by the GAA, was expected for the 2027 competitions.
O'Neills' own All Ireland football has 18 stitched panels, according to the maker. In 2015 the Irish Examiner reported that a ball from another maker, the MD match ball, had passed the GAA's tests and could be used on match days if both teams agreed.
Not to be confused with the sliotar
Hurling and camogie use the sliotar, a leather-covered ball 69 to 72 mm across, not counting the rim, and 110 to 116 grams; approved match sliotars carry the GAA mark of approval. It sits in the same Rule 4.4 as the football, one clause above it.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy is a GAA ball?
The men's ball weighs 480 to 500 grams, about 16.9 to 17.6 ounces. The ladies' size 4 weighs 400 to 420 grams.
What size ball is used in GAA?
Adult men use a ball 68 to 70 cm around, sold by makers as size 5. Ladies' teams from under-12 up use a size 4, which O'Neills also makes for underage football.
Do women play with a size 5 Gaelic football?
No. The LGFA's rules set a size 4 ball for every grade from under-12 upwards.
Is a Gaelic football the same as a soccer ball?
The same size, 68 to 70 cm around, but heavier: 480 to 500 grams against 410 to 450 grams for a soccer ball.
What is a GAA ball called?
The GAA's rules simply call it a football, and the GAA describes it as a round football. The hurling ball is a different thing, the sliotar.