The 2020 International Rules Series was to be the 21st International Rules Series contested by

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

ers from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and Australian rules football, Australian footballers from Australia international rules football team, Australia. The series would have been held in Republic of Ireland, Ireland and was to be the first series to be arranged by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Australian Football League (AFL) since November 2017. It was cancelled in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland.

Background

The 2017 International Rules Series, previous series between the countries had been held in and won by Australia in November 2017. As the GAA had scheduled an Wild Geese Trophy, exhibition hurling match between Galway and Kilkenny at the Sydney Showground Stadium in November 2018, the two associations met to discuss the prospect of holding a series the following year. As time passed, plans for a series in 2019 did not materialise, and the GAA eventually confirmed that insufficient time remained to stage the event. In November 2019 the AFL and GAA proposed dates for a two-test series in 2020 to be held in Ireland. The GAA also proposed to hold a memorial ahead of the second test in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday (1920), Bloody Sunday massacre, which saw fourteen civilians killed at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park during the Irish War of Independence. On 4 April 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, the AFL announced the cancellation of the series.

Outcome

The 2020 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final (featuring Dublin county football team, Dublin, who won) was held on the date originally intended for the second test, with the centenary commemoration plan happening around this and the 2020 Munster Senior Football Championship Final the following day (that match by coincidence featuring Tipperary county football team, Tipperary, who also won — this being the more surprising result).

References

{{GAA 2020 2020 in Gaelic football, International Rules Series 2020 in Australian rules football, International Rules Series International Rules series International sports competitions hosted by Ireland Sports events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, International Rules Series

Background

Outcome

See also

References