Help the Hurling Club get to Regionals!

Who are we, and why do we need your support?

The Hurling Club at Berkeley is a co-ed sports team, practicing and competing in the ancient Irish sport of hurling. We are fundraising to compete at the West-Coast Regional College Hurling Tournament–held in Boulder, Colorado this Fall–and the subsequent National Hurling Tournament hosted in Orlando, FL in March 2026! These events bring together teams from across the nation to represent their colleges in hurling at the national level.  

What is hurling?

Hurling is a national pastime in Ireland, of great cultural significance. It is a field sport, played outside in teams of fifteen players. The players use wooden sticks (hurls) to hit a small leather ball (the sliotar) into their opponents’ goal or over the crossbar, scoring goals and points. The sliotar can be hit through the air, along the ground, or passed from the hand. It is known as “the fastest game on grass” and has a growing fanbase across the world because of how exciting the games are to watch! 

The All-Ireland Hurling Final 2023 - watch to get an idea of the sport, played at the highest level!

In the US, collegiate hurling is organized by the National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association (NCGAA). The Hurling Club at Berkeley is an NCGAA-registered collegiate hurling team. We hosted the West Coast regionals last year, and won the tournament! We are hoping to take a team of seventeen players to Boulder, with our coach. 

Help with funding would mean everything to our team. The funding would be used to pay for our equipment, travel to the tournament, accommodation, transport to matches, and to help pay for our stylish match jerseys, shorts and socks.  We are excited to represent Cal as the reigning champions of the West Coast. 

Go Bears! (or, in Irish) Na bearanna abú!"    

How we'll use our funds

Approximately 60% of funds raised will be spent on travel expenses to the Championships, including flights and ground travel ($4000). Approx. 25% of funds raised will be spent on hotel accommodation ($1500). The remaining funds raised will be spent on a new match kit ($1000 quoted for full team kit of 20 players), and any funding in excess of our goals will be spent on equipment (hurling sticks, helmets and balls) for new players.    

If we do not meet our goal, we will still use any funds raised to help pay for our attendance at the regional tournament. We will disburse those funds evenly between players who attend the tournament to help reimburse students for the cost of attendance. Every little helps! We will continue fundraising through different venues and strategies throughout the year to reach our goal by various means.  

The Impact 

The NCGAA National Championships is the highest level of competition for a college hurling team. To reach the National Championships, teams must first compete at the Regional Championships every year. At regionals, our team will gain invaluable knowledge of the sport and improve our skills hugely by competing against teams from across the west coast. There is also an important social and cultural aspect to this trip, because our team will be able to meet and forge friendships with other hurling players from a variety of backgrounds. Many of our team share Irish heritage and some are international students from Ireland, so for them meeting students from other colleges who share a love for Irish sport and culture is hugely affirming. We are excited to raise the profile of hurling across the United States, and bring the sport to new audiences and potential players. As a co-ed team, our Hurling Club also plays an important role in promoting the profile of women within the sport. 

Thank you for support Cal Hurling Club, and GO BEARS!

Feel free to contact us via email at calhurlingclub@gmail.com or Instagram DM @calhurling.