St Marys hosts Gaelic Football Grand Final Day
St Marys Park hosted the 2026 SA Gaelic Football Grand Final Day last month, bringing together competitors and spectators in a celebration of Irish culture.
Supported by a My Mitcham Community Grant, the day was the culmination of the SA Gaelic Football season, played at St Marys every summer.
Along with the men’s and women’s grand finals matches, the day featured hurling and children’s exhibition games, Irish dancing, bag pipers, family entertainment and music by the Shambolics.
Gaelic Football and Hurling Association of South Australia (GFHASA) President Matt Doecke said the grand final was a highlight of the playing year.
“It’s the main event of the season, and it’s a day for families, for players and for spectators,” he said. “The bagpipes play leading the teams on to the ground which is pretty special.”
Player and Referee Anita Doecke said the competition had grown in popularity in recent years and today hosts six women’s and six men’s teams, each with more than 20 players per squad.
“A few years ago we were playing nine-a-side, and that increased to 11-a-side last year and 13-a-side this year,” she said. “We had lost a few players to women’s footy, but we’ve bounced back now.”
Anita said the sport appealed to netball, football and soccer players keen to maintain their fitness over summer.
“There is a lot of free-flowing running in the sport and no tackling, which reduces the chance of a high impact collision,” she said. “There’s a good mix of players who have come from other sports who find their skills are transferrable – even softball and basketball.”
Gaelic Football has been played at St Marys Park since 2001 and draws players from across the state.
Men’s games are played on Friday nights, women’s on Sunday afternoons and juniors on Sunday mornings.
Player Amy Jones is looking forward to travelling to Ireland later this year to represent Australasia in an international competition.
“I was playing football and a friend asked me to fill in, and I’ve been playing for the last three seasons,” she said. “It’s a good way to keep fit and it’s a really great community; you get to play with people who come from all kinds of different sports.”