Editing Hurling (section)

==Rules==

===Playing field===
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A hurling pitch is similar in some respects to a [[rugby football|rugby]] pitch but larger. The grass pitch is rectangular, stretching {{convert|130|-|145|m|yd|sigfig=2|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|80|-|90|m|yd|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. There are ''H''-shaped goalposts at each end, formed by two posts, which are usually {{convert|6|-|7|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, set {{convert|6.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} apart, and connected {{convert|2.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the ground by a crossbar. A net extending behind the goal is attached to the crossbar and lower goal posts. The same pitch is used for [[Gaelic football]]; the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at distances of 13 metres, 20 metres and 59 metres (41 metres for Gaelic football) from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by youth teams.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/4293130.stm|title=GAA pitch size|access-date=2013-08-19 | publisher=[[BBC News]] | date=2005-10-11}}</ref>

===Teams===
{{See also|Gaelic football, hurling and camogie positions}}
Teams consist of fifteen players: a goalkeeper, three full backs, three half backs, two midfielders, three half forwards and three full forwards (see diagram). The panel is made up of 24–30 players and five substitutions are allowed per game. An exception can now be made in the case of a blood substitute being necessary. Blood substitutes are a result of one player needing medical treatment for a laceration, usually stitches, and another coming on as a temporary replacement while the injured player is tended to.

===Helmets===
[[File:Hurling helmet 000 0200.jpg|thumb|A standard hurling helmet]]
From 1 January 2010, the wearing of helmets with faceguards became compulsory for hurlers at all levels. This saw senior players follow the regulations already introduced in 2009 at minor and under 21 grades. The GAA hopes to significantly reduce the number of injuries by introducing the compulsory wearing of helmets with full faceguards, both in training and matches. Hurlers of all ages, including those at nursery clubs when holding a hurley in their hand, must wear a helmet and faceguard at all times. Match officials will be obliged to stop play if any player at any level appears on the field of play without the necessary standard of equipment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/1029/hurling.html|title=Hurling helmets to be compulsory|date=2009-10-28|work=RTÉ Sport|access-date=2009-10-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031030152/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/1029/hurling.html|archive-date=31 October 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Duration, extra time, replays===
Senior inter-county matches last 70 minutes (35 minutes per half). All other matches last 60 minutes (30 minutes per half). For teams under-13 and lower, games may be shortened to 50 minutes. Timekeeping is at the discretion of the referee who adds on stoppage time at the end of each half. In 2020, water breaks were brought in after the first 15 minutes in each half.

There are various solutions for knockout games that end in a draw, such as a replay, or what the rules refer to as "Winner on the Day" measures such as extra time (20 minutes), further extra time (10 more minutes), or a shoot-out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/ho83ln0nlaxxzws1nryx.pdf|title=GAA OFFICIAL GUIDE – PART 2 (see rules 3.5 & 3.6)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819230204/https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/ho83ln0nlaxxzws1nryx.pdf|archive-date=19 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaa-s-new-rules-on-avoiding-replays-have-come-into-operation-1.3489641|title=GAA's new rules on avoiding replays have come into operation|newspaper=The Irish Times|quote=However, for All-Ireland football qualifiers and hurling’s preliminary quarter-finals the rule is that the fixture must be decided on the day. That requires ordinary periods of extra time should teams be level, followed by two more periods of five minutes if neither side has won. In the event the sides are still inseparable, a shoot-out will take place, such as decided the O’Byrne Cup semi-final between Meath and Longford earlier this year.|date=2018-05-09}}</ref> The application and details of these measures vary according to the importance of the match and the difficulty of scheduling possible replays, and can change from year to year. The general trend is that the GAA have been trying to reduce the need for replays, to ease scheduling.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

===Technical fouls===
The following are considered technical fouls ("fouling the ball"):

* Picking the ball directly off the ground (instead it must be flicked up with the hurley)
* Throwing the ball (instead it must be "hand-passed": slapped with the open hand)
* Going more than four steps with the ball in the hand (it may be carried indefinitely on the hurley)
* Catching the ball three times in a row without it touching the ground (touching the hurley does not count)
* Putting the ball from one hand to the other
* Hand-passing a goal
* "Chopping" slashing downwards on another player's hurley
*Deliberately dropping the hurley or throwing it away.
*A 'square ball', entering the opponent's small rectangle prior to the ball entering it
*To cover or shield the ball by lying down on it.
*To deliberately throw the ball up and catch it again (the ball must touch a hurley or other body part)
*Carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line

=== Aggressive fouls ===
Can be deliberate or accidental, often accompanied by a card. They are as follows:

* Pulling down an opponent.
* Using the hurl in an uncontrolled or reckless way.
* Tripping an opponent.
* Using threatening or abusive language to an opposing player, to a teammate, or to an official
* Throwing the hurl in a dangerous manner.
* Attempting to strike any player or official with a hurl, elbow, fist, head, or kick.
* Spitting at an opponent.

===Scoring===
{{Main|Scoring in Gaelic games}}
[[File:Scoring in Gaelic games - H shaped posts.png|thumb|Goalposts and scoring system used in hurling]]
Scoring is achieved by sending the ''sliotar'' between the opposition's goal posts. The posts, which are at each end of the field, are ''H'' posts as in [[rugby football]] but with a net under the crossbar as in football. The posts are 6.4 m apart and the crossbar is 2.44 m above the ground.

If the ball goes over the crossbar, a ''point'' is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a ''goal'', worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. A goal must be scored by either a striking motion or by directly soloing the ball into the net. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format {goal total} – {point total}. For example, the 1996 [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] final finished: [[Wexford GAA|Wexford]] 1–13 [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]] 0–14. Thus Wexford won by two points (1–13 being worth sixteen points).

In speech, a score consisting of at least one goal and one point is read as simply the two numbers, so Wexford's 1–13 is read "one thirteen"; the words "goals" and "points" invariably omitted. Goals are never "converted" into points; it is incorrect to describe a score of 1–13 as "sixteen". 2–0 would be referred to as "two goals", never "two zero". Likewise, 0–10 would be referred to as "ten points", never "zero ten". 0–0 is said "no score". So the Wexford/Limerick match score would be read as "Wexford one thirteen, Limerick fourteen points".

===Tackling===
Players may be tackled but not struck by a one-handed slash of the stick; exceptions are two-handed jabs and strikes. Jersey-pulling, wrestling, pushing, and tripping are all forbidden. There are several forms of acceptable tackling, the most popular being:

* the "block", where one player attempts to smother an opposing player's strike by trapping the ball between his hurley and the opponent's swinging hurl
* the "hook", where a player approaches another player from a rear angle and attempts to catch the opponent's hurley with his own at the top of the swing
* the "side pull", where two players running together for the ''sliotar'' will collide at the shoulders and swing together to win the tackle and "pull" (name given to swing the hurley) with extreme force
*The "shoulder barge" where one player attacks the other player's shoulder by shoving him with the shoulder

===Restarting play===
[[File:Penalty puck, hurling game.jpg|thumb|Player taking a penalty puck from the 20-metre line]]
* The match begins with the referee throwing the ''sliotar'' in between the four midfielders on the halfway line
* After an attacker has scored or put the ball wide of the goals, the goalkeeper may take a "puckout" from the hand at the edge of the small square. All players must be beyond the 20 m line.
* After a defender has put the ball wide of the goals, an attacker may take a "65" from the 65 m line level with where the ball went wide. It must be taken by lifting and striking. However, the ball must not be taken into the hand but struck while the ball is lifted.
* After a player has put the ball over the sideline, the other team may take a 'sideline cut' at the point where the ball left the pitch. It must be taken from the ground.
* After a player has committed a foul, the other team may take a 'free' at the point where the foul was committed. It must be taken by lifting and striking in the same style as the "65".
* After a defender has committed a foul inside the square (large rectangle), the other team may take a "penalty" from the ground from behind the 20 m line. Only the goalkeeper may guard the goals. It must be taken by lifting and striking and the ''sliotar'' must be struck on or behind the 20m line (The penalty rule was amended in 2015 due to safety concerns. Before this the ball merely had to start at the 20m line but could be struck beyond it. To balance this advantage the two additional defenders previously allowed on the line have been removed).
* If many players are struggling for the ball and no side is able to capitalize or gain control of it the referee may choose to throw the ball in between two opposing players. This is also known as a "throw in".

===Officials===
A hurling match is watched over by eight officials:

* The referee (on field)
* Two linesmen (sideline)
* Sideline official/standby linesman (inter-county games only)
* Four umpires (two at each end)
*Hawkeye Video technology for some scoring situations in [[Croke Park]], Dublin and in [[Semple Stadium]] in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. (inter-county games only)
The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees, noting infractions, and issuing yellow (caution) and red (sending off) [[penalty card]]s to players after offences. A second yellow card at the same game leads to a red card, and therefore to a dismissal.

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| footer            = Players are cautioned with a yellow card, and dismissed from the game with a red card
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Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee and also for conferring with the referee. The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time (signalled to him by the referee) and the players substituted using an electronic board. The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was: wide (spread both arms), a 65 m puck (raise one arm), a point (wave white flag), or a goal (wave green flag).

Contrary to popular belief within the association, all officials are not obliged to indicate "any misdemeanours" to the referee, but are in fact permitted to inform the referee only of violent conduct they have witnessed which has occurred without the referee's knowledge. A linesman or umpire is not permitted to inform the referee of technical fouls such as a "third time in the hand", where a player catches the ball for a third time in succession after soloing or an illegal pick up of the ball. Such decisions can only be made at the discretion of the referee.