Hurling and Camogie: the true all-stars of Gaelic games in Florida
Miami Beach usually pulses with the sounds of Latin beats and the thwack of a volleyball. But increasingly a distinctly Irish sound is making itself heard: the clash of the ash.
Both hurling and camogie, two of Ireland’s Gaelic Games (known collectively as the GAA), are growing in popularity across Florida. Played with power and precision, these bat-and-ball field sports share some similarities with baseball, hockey and lacrosse, mixed into one extremely fast-paced game, considered the fastest field sport in the world.
The triumph of the small ball
Orlando GAA and Tampa Bay GAA, founded in 2009 and 2010 respectively, are often the first port of call for many Irish living in Florida. In recent years however, both clubs have seen their membership grow to include plenty of homegrown American talent too.
California-born John DeNovi is the Games Development Officer at Tampa Bay GAA. Of Norwegian and Italian heritage, DeNovi first discovered the GAA in 2015 as a guest coach of the iconic Artane Boys Band in Dublin. At Croke Park, the headquarters of Ireland’s Gaelic games, he fell in love with Ireland’s national sports – especially hurling.
Tampa Bay GAA team
“I returned home to Florida, searched “GAA” online and found the Tampa Bay GAA right here in my hometown. I started attending Sunday practices and was hooked from there. Now, ten years later, the GAA means the world to me.”
John DeNovi, Games Development Officer, Tampa Bay GAA
Every year in January, Tampa Bay GAA hosts an invitational tournament with teams travelling from right across the US and Canada for some fast-paced hurling and camogie in the Florida sunshine. Orlando GAA repeats the feat each October.
Orlando GAA team
Its star player, Indian-born Kunal Olimattel was spotted playing kickball but soon switched her allegiance to GAA. An avid camogie player, she loves “the community aspect of GAA” which allowed her to be “part of a larger social group while doing something immensely satisfying.”
An existing South Florida GAA team wound down during the Covid-19 pandemic. When the new Consulate of Ireland opened in Miami with a Consul General from Kilkenny (the most successful Irish county in hurling!) and a passionate hurler as Vice Consul, the brainstorming began to revive local interest and showcase the majesty of Ireland’s ancient sport.
The 2023 arrival in Miami of the legendary former Kilkenny hurler JJ Delaney, a nine-time All-Ireland champion, galvanised enthusiasm.
Vice Consul Dara Mac Gabhann, GAA legend, JJ Delaney, then Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media and Consul General Sarah Kavanagh at the GAA Showcase in 2024.
A visit by Minister Catherine Martin in June 2024 provided the impetus for a Gaelic Games exhibition with local Miami players taking on Tampa Bay GAA.
The event proved so successful, that it was repeated in June 2025, this time with players from both Tampa Bay GAA and Orlando GAA travelling to Miami to join some of the local Irish community to showcase Ireland’s native games to guests and many intrigued Miami Beach passers-by!
Miami GAA Showcase 2025
St Patrick’s GAA: the new kid on the block
These events have re-energised and united the GAA community in South Florida, who are now eager to launch a club of their own – St Patrick’s GAA.
For Charles O’Loughlin, one of the driving forces behind this new project, the “GAA is a global community but it’s also a home away from home for the Irish across the world.”
Suncoast Invitational
Stay connected
If you’re interested in playing Gaelic Games in Florida, check out Tampa Bay GAA and Orlando GAA on social media and online. Also follow the Consulate General of Ireland in Miami to learn more about the ambitions of the local community to create a new GAA club in the Magic City!
