Every year, registration season comes around, and frankly it can be confusing. Who do I register with? When do I have to register? What is a homegrown player?
Fret not, you'll find a set of the most frequently asked questions below! And if you have a burning question about the registration process that you don't see answered below, just email us and we'll help you out!
Here's the key links you need:
Who do I register with?
To be fully registered for the 2023 season, you have to register with both the DC Gaels (the club) and with the USGAA, the main governing body for the GAA in the United States. There are two separate registration processes. USGAA registration is here, club registration is here. It is of particular importance that you complete your USGAA registration on time: if you miss their deadlines, you can't play—no ifs, ands, or buts.
When do I have to register by?
The deadline for registration varies depending on your status. In general, if you are a returning player, your deadline comes sooner than brand new players. A few general deadlines, depending on whether you are American or Irish, new or returning:
Inter-county (coming from outside the USGAA) transfers: March 31
Returning players (played for the Gaels before, or are transferring from another US club): April 30
Sanctions, permits, and CC6 (please contact the registrar if this is you): July 1
Homegrown new player (not Irish-born and never played for a club before): August 1
Regardless of what your deadline is, remember it's always better to register sooner, rather than later. Don't leave it to the last minute!
There's a lot of options for USGAA registration. Walk me through it.
The first page you're confronted with is choosing your division. We're the Mid-Atlantic Division, so use that button. If you've never registered with the USGAA, you'll have to create an account with them. If you've done it before, the page will likely remember your info.
Once you're logged in, you'll choose your registration fees. If you're male, you'll choose Washington DC Gaels Hurling and Gaelic Football, if you're female, you'll choose Washington DC Gaels Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football. Do NOT choose the club fees! After that, you'll fill in your details. We advise using your address that's on your form of ID you are using, even if it's out of date.
For your player registration, you might be wondering what kind of player you are. If you're an American, you're considered homegrown. If you're an Irish player who's never registered with another club before, you're non-resident. If you're Irish and are coming here from another club, please reach out to the registrar, because you'll have a slightly different process.
When you get to the Teams and Division section, you'll probably have a few more questions. Remember, you're Mid-Atlantic, so choose that division. For your primary sport, put either hurling or football or camogie, whichever is your druthers! Always choose Junior as your grade! You can move up in a grade, but you cannot move down, so do NOT choose Intermediate or Senior. When asked if you're a dual code player, always say yes! Even if you don't plan to play it, it's better to be registered for another sport in case you decide later you want to. It doesn't cost anything extra, so tack it on there.
After that, all you have to do is pay and then you'll be served a receipt. You can keep that for your records, then you're all finished with USGAA registration!
Next step is club registration!
Okay, how does DC Gaels registration work then?
Club registration is easier and quicker than USGAA registration, which you're probably happy to hear. You can start by opening the link to the registration page, if you haven't. It's here:
Once you're there, just scroll down and choose the right payment option for yourself. Chances are very good that you'll want to select Club Registration (Player), as the social option is mostly for referees and folks who don't play anymore, but still want to support the club.
After choosing that, just fill in your personal and payment details, and choose which codes you want to play with. Unlike for the USGAA, you don't have to register here as a dual player if you don't want to play both codes. After that, you'll need to read the waiver policies, and check the box that you accept the terms. Once you've done that, you can finalize your registration and you're all set.
Got more questions? Ask the registrar!