Who’s Winning? The Gaelic Sports Scoreboard Explained

Every Gaelic sports fan has, at some point, looked up during a tense game and asked, Who’s winning?

Other sports make this easy. Steph Curry arcs a basket from downtown and three points are added to the total score. As if we’re children who can’t do basic multiplication and addition.

Gaelic sports have such high regard for their fans that they tally goals and points separately. Want to know the score? Do the math.

There Are Two Ways to Score

• Get the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net—that’s a goal. 3 points. The crowd cheers and you get a beer after the game.

• Send the ball over the bar—that’s 1 point. Good for you. Get back on defense.

Reading the Scoreboard

So if the scoreboard reads Harps 5-07 / Port 3-11, here’s what’s going on in your head:

• Harps: 5-07 (5 goals × 3 = 15 points, plus 7 points = 22 total)

• Port: 3-11 (3 goals × 3 = 9 points, plus 11 points = 20 total)

If you’re new to Gaelic sports—don’t worry, you’ll never really get used to this.