GAA All Star Betting: Player of the Year Markets, Nominations and How They Settle

Updated 16 Oct 2026 · By the IrishBetGuide team

When the championship is over, the debate moves to the All Stars: who makes the team, who gets Hurler or Footballer of the Year, and which county walks away with the most awards. A few bookmakers price these as novelty-style markets each autumn. They're fun, but they're not like betting on a match — the result is decided by people voting, the information is patchy and the markets are thin. Here's how to approach them sensibly.

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What the GAA All Stars are

The All Stars are the GAA's annual awards for the best players of the inter-county season. They've been running since the early 1970s, and in recent years have been run with a corporate sponsor. Each year there are:

• An All Star football team — 15 players, one for each position.
• An All Star hurling team — 15 players, picked the same way.
• Footballer of the Year and Hurler of the Year.
• Young Footballer and Young Hurler of the Year.

Ladies football and camogie have their own All Stars schemes, run separately. Betting markets, where offered, usually concentrate on the men's Player of the Year awards, because they're the most talked about.

How the selection works (in broad terms)

The process has evolved over the years, but the broad shape is:

• Nominations. A shortlist of nominees in each code is announced in the autumn, usually with dozens of players across all positions.
• All Star teams. Selected from the nominees by a panel, traditionally made up largely of GAA journalists.
• Player of the Year awards. Chosen by votes of inter-county players, through the Gaelic Players Association, from a shortlist.
• Ceremony. The teams and awards are revealed at a televised banquet later in the autumn.

Details such as shortlist sizes, who votes, and dates can change, so check the GAA's and GPA's announcements for the current year. For betting purposes, the important thing is that the result is a judgement by voters, not a scoreboard.

What markets you might find

All Star markets are niche. Many bookmakers don't offer them at all, and those that do often only open a few, with limited stakes. You might see:

• Hurler of the Year and Footballer of the Year outrights.
• Young Hurler/Footballer of the Year.
• Most All Stars by county — which county gets the most players on a team.
• Number of All Stars for a named county, as over/under lines.
• Specials, such as whether a particular player is named on the team.

Because few books offer these, line shopping is limited and margins can be higher than on match markets.

Why All-Ireland champions usually dominate

There's a strong tendency for the All-Ireland champions to collect the biggest share of All Stars, and for the Player of the Year to come from the winning county. That's logical — their players shone in the biggest games — and voters tend to reward the decisive performances in the knockout stages, especially the final.

But it isn't a rule. Players from beaten finalists, semi-finalists or even counties knocked out earlier have won major awards when their individual seasons were outstanding. The market knows champions dominate, so the champion county's star player is often priced short. Your question should be whether that price fully reflects the chance of someone else getting the nod.

How to think about Player of the Year

A few factors usually shape the Hurler or Footballer of the Year vote:

1. Big-game performances. Man-of-the-match displays in the All-Ireland semi-final and final count for a lot.
2. Season-long consistency. Players who performed through the provincial campaign and the All-Ireland series stand out.
3. Scoring tallies. Forwards with big scoring numbers get attention, though defenders and midfielders can win too.
4. Narrative. A player returning from injury, a veteran's final great season or a young star's breakthrough can influence voters.
5. Vote splitting. If several players from the champion county had great seasons, votes might split among them, opening the door for another player.

Remember that players vote for this award. Players often value different qualities from pundits — work rate, defensive work and influence on team-mates can carry weight alongside scores.

Reading an All Star outright price

Novelty markets usually carry a bigger margin than match markets. Suppose a Hurler of the Year market looks like this (invented prices): Player A 1/2, Player B 3/1, Player C 6/1, Player D 10/1, Player E 14/1, and the rest 25/1 or bigger. The implied chances are about 66.7%, 25%, 14.3%, 9.1% and 6.7% — already over 120% before you add the outsiders. That tells you the book has built in a hefty margin, and that the fair chance of the favourite is noticeably lower than 66.7%.

To judge value, scale the top prices down so the whole market adds to 100%, then ask whether your view of each player's chance is higher than that adjusted figure. In thin novelty markets, it's usually the mid-priced players — the plausible alternatives if votes split — where opinions differ most from the price.

Hurling and football: different award dynamics

The two codes don't always behave the same way. In hurling, a free-taking forward from the champion county can pile up a huge scoring tally that's hard for voters to ignore, but a dominant centre-back or midfielder who controlled the final can also win. In football, the modern game's running style has made half-backs and midfielders more prominent, and voters often reward players who influence the whole pitch rather than just scoring. Rule changes in football in recent seasons have also shifted which positions stand out. Before betting, think about what kind of player stood out in that code's season, not just who scored most.

Young Player awards

The Young Footballer and Young Hurler of the Year awards are restricted by age, so check the eligibility rules for the year before betting. These markets often revolve around a small group of breakout players who started regularly for top counties. A young player who started an All-Ireland final and performed well tends to be a strong candidate. Because the pool is smaller, the favourite can be priced very short; the same margin warnings apply.

All Star teams: positions matter

The All Star teams are picked by position: goalkeeper, full-back line, half-back line, midfield, half-forward line and full-forward line. Selectors sometimes fit players into positions slightly differently from where they played, but the structure still matters for betting:

• A great corner-back can lose out if three other full-backs had outstanding seasons.
• Midfield has only two places, making it one of the hardest spots to predict.
• Goalkeeper is a single slot and often a straight choice between two or three candidates.

If you're betting on a player to be named on the team, look at the competition for his position, not just his own season.

Counting All Stars by county

"Most All Stars" and county over/under markets depend heavily on the All-Ireland final. The champions usually collect the most, beaten finalists often get a decent number, and beaten semi-finalists typically get a handful. Once the nominees are announced, you can count how many players each county has on the shortlist. That gives you an upper limit and a rough sense of the likely spread. Comparing nominee counts with the market line is one of the more practical ways to form an opinion here.

Timing: before or after nominations?

Markets may open after the All-Ireland finals, and again after nominations. Betting before nominations carries the risk that your player isn't even shortlisted. Betting after nominations gives you more information, but prices will have adjusted. Note how your book settles a bet on a player who isn't nominated — usually a loser, not a void.

Settlement rules to check

• Official announcement. Bets settle on the official result announced by the GAA or GPA.
• Ties. If an award were shared, dead-heat rules would usually apply, reducing your payout.
• Positions. For "named on the team" bets, settlement is normally on being named anywhere in the 15, but check the wording.
• Non-runner rules. Novelty markets are usually "all in", so if your player isn't shortlisted, your bet loses.

Leaks and integrity: a real risk in voted markets

Any market decided by a vote carries a risk that the result leaks before the announcement. If people with inside knowledge bet, prices can move suddenly. Bookmakers know this and may suspend markets, limit stakes or close them well before the ceremony. If you see a sudden price collapse on one player, it may mean someone knows something — and it may also mean the market is no longer a fair contest.

Anyone involved in the selection or voting process should obviously never bet on these markets, and using leaked information to bet could breach rules and the terms of your betting account. As a punter, the safe approach is simple: bet early with small stakes, or don't bet at all once the market starts moving strangely.

Using the championship to form an opinion

If you want to bet All Star markets, start keeping notes during the championship:

• Which players were standouts in provincial finals and All-Ireland quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals?
• Who won man-of-the-match awards in televised games?
• Who consistently featured in pundits' and journalists' team-of-the-week selections?
• Which positions were especially competitive this year?

By the time markets open, you'll have your own view rather than relying on headlines. Our All-Ireland GAA betting guide covers the championship markets themselves, and our provincial guides to Munster and Leinster hurling odds can help you follow the hurling season closely.

Staking: treat it as a novelty

All Star markets are entertainment bets. There's limited information, a subjective result and thin liquidity. Keep stakes small, avoid putting them in accumulators, and don't chase if your pick is overlooked. If you're a passionate supporter of one county, ask yourself honestly whether you're betting on your judgement or your loyalty.

One practical approach is to set a single small budget for the whole awards season — say the price of a match ticket — and split it across two or three considered bets, rather than adding a new bet every time a pundit makes a case for someone on the radio.

Common All Star betting mistakes

• Assuming the top scorer always wins Player of the Year.
• Ignoring competition within a player's position.
• Betting before nominations without accepting the risk of a non-nomination.
• Chasing a sudden price move without knowing why it happened.
• Betting on your own county's players purely out of loyalty.

GAA, community and gambling

The All Stars celebrate amateur players who give huge amounts to their counties and clubs. The GAA has strong rules on gambling sponsorship and on players betting on games they're involved in, and gambling harm in GAA communities is taken seriously. If you're concerned about gambling in your club or among players, our piece on GAA players and gambling addiction may help.

Licensing and where you bet

Since 2026, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) licenses operators taking bets from Irish customers. Cloudbet holds a Curaçao licence and is not GRAI-licensed, so Irish protections don't apply there, and many offshore books won't offer All Star markets at all. Check live markets and rules, and read our guide on whether online betting is legal in Ireland.

Enjoy the debate

Arguing about the All Stars is half the fun of the GAA autumn. A small bet can add to the craic, but it shouldn't become a worry. If gambling is causing problems, call Gambling Care free on 1800 936 725, or 08000 886 725 from Northern Ireland, and see our responsible gambling page.