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IRELAND

AFI has extensive experience working with the Irish community in Australia.

We are now looking forward to bringing Footy 9s to Ireland!

Footy 9s is played on rectangular fields, allowing the sport to be played on any soccer or rugby field.

There are 3 great formats to choose from – Men’s Footy, Women’s Footy and Touch Footy.

Get Involved
If you are keen to be involved with the development of the sport in Ireland, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us via info@aflinternational.com.

AUSTRALIA & IRELAND
Irish Australians have played a considerable part in the history of Australia. They came to Australia from the late 18th century as convicts but most were prisoners of war, mainly those who fought in the 1798 Irish rebellion for independence, and settlers who could not find a life during the Irish famine and the harsh years in Ireland afterwards. They contributed largely to Australia’s development in many different areas.

Australia and Ireland enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, with one in ten Australians claiming Irish descent:
Resident Australian population born in Ireland (2016 census) – 74,891
Australian residents of Irish descent (2016 census) – 2.39 million

AFL PLAYERS
Jim Stynes | Tadgh Kennelly | Colm Begley | Dermott Brereton | Zach Tuohy | Ciarán Byrne | Ray Connellan | Conor McKenna | Paul Earley | Pearce Hanley | Darragh Joyce | James Magner | Jock McHale | Niall McKeever | Dermot McNicholl | Caolan Mooney | Conor Nash | Mark O’Connor | Brett O’Hanlon | Jamie O’Reilly | Colin O’Riordan | Setanta Ó hAilpín | Michael Quinn | Ciarán Sheehan | Brian Stynes | Tommy Walsh | Aidan Corr

EUROPE 9s
Team Ireland participated in the inaugural Europe 9s in Barcelona in 2025.

TEAM IRELAND
Team Ireland competes in multiple AFI tournaments, including the World 9s, Harmony Cup, Darwin 9s and Europe 9s.

Major Results
2016 Harmony Cup – Men’s Champions
2018 Harmony Cup – Men’s Champions
2021 World 9s – Women’s Division Champions
2021 Harmony Cup – Men’s Champions
2022 Harmony Cup – Men’s Champions
2024 Harmony Cup – Women’s Champions
2026 World 9s – Touch Footy Division Champions

Sharon Mulligan World 9s

Sharon Mulligan

Team Ireland

Each Sunday us Irish girls went down to training and had the craic with everyone. The actual 9s Tournament was a fantastic day. Everything ran on time and everything was catered for. Although we won on the day I believe all us girls had already won before we played the tournament. We had won at meeting new people, kicking the footy and having a lot of fun each week. It was a bonus that us Irish girls walked away with the silverware. And to be presented with our medals by the one and only Ron Barassi was a moment we will never forget!
Ireland map
COUNTRY PROFILE
Ireland (Irish: Éire) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the 3rd largest island in Europe and the 20th largest island on Earth.

It is separated from the neighbouring island of Great Britain by the Irish Sea and the North Channel, which has a width of 23 km at its narrowest point. To the west is the northern Atlantic Ocean and to the south is the Celtic Sea, which lies between Ireland and Brittany, in France.

A ring of coastal mountains surround low plains at the centre of the island. The highest of these is Carrauntoohil in County Kerry, which is 1,038 m above sea level. The most arable land lies in the province of Leinster. Western areas can be mountainous and rocky with green panoramic vistas. The River Shannon, the island’s longest river at 386 km long, rises in County Cavan in the north west and flows 113 km to Limerick city in the mid west.

Politically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island.