Hurling Returns to Fenway Park

The sport of hurling will return to Fenway Park with a doubleheader in the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic and Irish Festival on November 19. The park last hosted a hurling event in 2015, bringing to an end its absence of 61 years. The match, which featured a full-team brawl on the pitch, attracted nearly 28,000 stateside GAA fans, a number which organizers expect will be matched or surpassed this fall.
“Hurling continues to grow in popularity and events like the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic and Irish Festival help continue to grow the sport’s profile globally,” said Tom Allen, managing director of AIG’s Boston region. “We are excited to once again bring hurling back to this iconic venue for the game’s fans and introduce the game to a broader audience in the United States.”
As in 2015, teams will play a simplified version of hurling called “Super 11s,” in which the pitch is reduced to 11 players and the only way to score a goal is into the net below the crossbar, excluding the option of putting the ball through the upper half of the H-shaped structure. ♦