A smart sliotar is scanned with an app by an official, to check for authenticity, before use in the 2022 oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling Under 20 Championship Group 1 Round 1 match between Limerick and Clare at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
The Hurley & Sliotar Work Group was appointed by Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy in 2021 to regulate the use of sliotars and maintain the integrity of the game of hurling.
Match Sliotars
Match Sliotars are all other sliotars, other than Smart Sliotars, produced by GAA Licensees, which meet GAA specifications and can be used in Official Games.
Please note that all Match Sliotar Licensees have begun the phasing-out process of the production of white-coloured sliotars and commenced the production of Fluorescent Yellow/High-Vis sliotars instead. It is the recommendation of the GAA’s Hurley & Sliotar Regulation Work Group, having conducted significant research into the matter in terms of optimal performance, visibility and contrast, that commencing on January 1st, 2024, all hurling games at all levels from Minor (U17) and above, should use a Fluorescent Yellow/High-Vis sliotar from a GAA Sliotar Licensee.
Information on the research involved in changing the colour of the sliotar can be found HERE.
All Match Sliotar licensees will undergo regular lab and field testing, to ensure compliance with specifications (as listed in the Official Guide) and to maintain the integrity of the game.
All sliotar licensees will have to renew their WFSGI Pledge with the WFSGI annually.
A view of the new Sliotar Licensee logo
Smart Sliotars
Please note that the GAA’s Hurley & Sliotar Regulation Work Group has recommended, and Central Council has approved, the following Smart Sliotar licensees (whose Smart Sliotars are available for use within the 2024 Inter-County Senior Hurling Competitions):
- Green Fields
- O’Neills
There are three additional Smart Sliotar licensees which have passed the sliotar specification tests and are available for the U20 and Minor Inter-County Hurling Championships, in addition to Green Fields and O’Neills:
- Bourke Sports
- Cummins Sports
- O’Meara Sliotars
As was the case in 2022 when the sliotar specification tests were initially carried out on Smart Sliotar Licensees, these additional licensees will be approved for use in Senior Inter-County competition from 2025 should they continue to meet performance and specification standards in the interim. This process is overseen and based on recommendations by the GAA’s Hurley & Sliotar Regulation Work Group.
All Smart Sliotar Licensees will undergo regular lab and field testing, as has been the case for the past two years, moving forward, to ensure compliance with specifications and to maintain the integrity of the game.
A list of all current Smart and Match Sliotar Licensees (subject to change) can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry - Link with Sliotar Licensees
The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) was formed in 1978 to promote the world’s sporting activities, to standardise the size of equipment and the rules of sport, to improve the standards of quality for sporting goods and to promote responsible and sustainable practices in sporting goods internationally. Today the WFSGI consists of a diverse global membership including brands, manufacturers, retailers and national & regional sports federations.
The ideals of the WFSGI are the ideals of sport, and the organisation seeks to promote fairness, honesty, mutual understanding and high ethical standards. WFSGI is committed to fostering a sports industry in which members actively build business partnerships with those who share the values of sport and take responsibility for making the values real through active engagement.
Each company which is intent on becoming a GAA Licensee must obtain the WFSGI Pledge, as this provides a basis for ensuring that licensed products are manufactured in compliance with internationally accepted labour standards and that basic environmental requirements - as outlined in the WFSGI Code of Conduct - are adhered to.
The WFSGI Pledge is a tool to ensure that GAA licensed products are manufactured in compliance with the provisions of the WFSGI Code on Conduct. As part of the application process, each company that wants to sign a GAA Licensing Agreement must obtain the WFSGI Pledge to prove that their products are manufactured in compliance with internationally accepted labour standards and basic environmental requirements as outlined in the WFSGI Code of Conduct. The WFSGI Pledge needs to remain valid throughout the whole duration of the GAA Licensing Agreement and needs to be renewed annually.
Further Information
For all Sliotar licensee queries, including for new licensee applicants please contact: GAA Partnerships Manager, Dónal Marah, (donal.marah@gaa.ie).
Further information on the GAA Smart Sliotar is available at HERE and from GAA Player Welfare Manager, Eoghan Tuohey (eoghan.tuohey@gaa.ie)