Is Gaelic Football More Exciting Than Years Gone By?

In 2025, gaelic football is undergoing significant transformations aimed at enhancing the sport's dynamism and spectator appeal. Following extensive consultations and trials, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has implemented a series of rule changes. It looks as though these changes have helped Gaelic football for the better, although it is still early days in the 2025 season, with the championship still to come in a few month’s time. At this moment, the Allianz National League matches are producing more exciting football with more scores and more value for money for spectators that are in attendance. In previous years Gaelic football has been accused of becoming stale and boring. Let’s see if the stats back up that it has become re-energised and more exciting.

Previous Problems with Gaelic Football

In recent years, Gaelic football has faced mounting criticism for its increasingly defensive and monotonous style of play. Prominent figures within the sport have voiced concerns over tactics that prioritise possession and caution over traditional attacking flair. Kerry legend Pat Spillane has been vocal about the sport's decline in entertainment value over the years, describing certain matches as "the most boring and dullest game of Gaelic football I have ever witnessed." The overemphasis on defensive setups, often involving all players retreating into their own half, has led to periods of sidewards passing and a reluctance to engage in direct, attacking play.

This strategy, while effective in limiting opponents, has been criticised for rendering the game less dynamic and less appealing to spectators. These issues have prompted calls for significant rule changes to rejuvenate the sport, which have come in 2025. These changes seem to be having a positive aspect on the sport of Gaelic football. Matches are more exciting for fans watching at home and for those in attendance at the matches. But do the stats back this up?

2025 Scoring Averages

So far in the Allianz National League there have been 3 match weekends, which means there have been a total of 48 matches across the 4 divisions. Across these 48 matches there has been a total of 102-1568 which is an average of 2.12-32.6 points per match which can be rounded to 2-33 points per match which is an average of 39 points per game. Across the entire 2024 Allianz National League there were 3433 points scored across the 4 divisions. In total there were 112 matches played in the league phase last year meaning there was an average of 30.65 or 31 points per match.

These averages show that there has been a significant increase in the scoring (8 points) in 2025 with the introduction of the new rules. There is still half the league to be played so the average points could go down or it could continue to increase, which it seems likely to do based on the trajectory so far. Many of the matches played in the 2025 league so far were also played last year, and there are many examples of scoring increases between the two games.

Last year Meath took on Cork in division 2 with the game ending on a scoreline of Meath 1-11 (14 points) Cork 1-15 (18 points). This is a total of 32 points in this game. In Round 1 of the current Allianz National League they met again with Cork once again winning on a scoreline of 2-19 (25 points) to 0-21, which is a total of 46 points, a significant increase on the year before. A big increase was seen last weekend in a game played in Division 3 as Offaly hosted Antrim. Last year the sides met in a low scoring encounter with Antrim winning 2-5 (11 points) to 1-7 (10 points), a total of 21 points. Last weekend Offaly won on a scoreline of 4-19 (31 points) to 0-15, a total of 46 points, with both sides increasing their points tally from the previous years.

There will still be a few things to iron out with regards to these new rules in Gaelic football but so far, they seem to be a huge success. Games are more exciting, and this is backed with the scoring averages increasing this year compared to 2024.

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