Timeline
442 dated moments in handball's history, from 1860 to 2026, each with its source.
- dated fact
- story beat
- rulebook edition
- championship series
- hollow: sources disagree, or a hypothesis
- large: a Highlight
Every moment on one line, 1860 to 2026, one row per code. The busy 1880-1929 is drawn twice as wide as the rest. Choose a decade or a highlight to read it. Drag across the rows, or click them, to choose years; on the frame, arrow keys move it, + and - zoom.
Highlights are the 15 moments that did most to shape the game, More adds the next 260, and Everything loads the remaining 167 when you ask for it.
The 1860s (1)
by 10 April 1860
A New-York Daily Tribune advertisement for the New York Clipper lists 'Hand Ball in Philadelphia' (10 April 1860); the Clipper's report itself is not seen
Four-wall
The 1870s (6)
19 June 1872
Hand ball championship match for $1,000, Phil Casey and James Everett of Brooklyn v James O'Brien and William Foley of Chicago, first five games at Chicago on 19 June 1872
Four-wall
1873Highlight
The first printed code found: Ed. James's Manual of Sporting Rules (New York, 1873), pp. 76-77, 'Hand Ball Rules', 23 rules: 21 aces, a ball about two inches, an ace line 'supposed to be in the centre of the court', the foot allowed on a
Four-wall
Source: Ed James, Manual of sporting rules (1873), p. 76
1873
A sporting publisher prints the code: Ed. James, Manual of Sporting Rules (New York, 1873), 'Hand Ball Rules', 23 rules (Hand Ball Rules (1873), H-111); reprinted by Chadwick 1884 and in Spalding's Hand Book of Sporting Rules 1886 (Hand
Four-wall
3 September 1874
McQuade's Racket and Hand Ball Court, 404 Madison Street, New York, where a rackets match was played; the Herald called it, as a racket court, 'the only place of the kind now in the city, and in fact the only one of any importance in the country'
Four-wall
8 December 1875
Phil Casey tells the Herald how handball is played (21 aces, ace line about 30 ft from the front wall, three failed serves count out, ball 2 1/4 in) and lists the courts of Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Troy
Four-wall
22 February 1876
New York handball and racket players elect a provisional committee (Metropolitan Committee) at McQuade's court to hold an international tournament and form a permanent national organization to supervise the game
Four-wall
The 1880s (16)
October 1880 to November 1880
First Auckland handball court (Gleeson's hotel, Oct 1880) and an Oamaru court 60 x 27 ft (Shamrock Hotel, Nov 1880)
Four-wall 60x30
1884Highlight
GAA founded; handball included (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)).
60x30
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)
by 1884
GAA Handball's own history: handball 'played for over a thousand years', the 1527 Statute of Galway against ball games at town walls, a Ballinrobe court of 1776, alleys cataloged from the 1700s (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28
60x30
1884
The Gaelic Athletic Association is founded and handball is 'officially included as one of the sports to be promoted' (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)): the end of the unorganised game.
60x30
1884-1903
The 28 GAA rules are adopted some time in this window (H-13): Gaelic Rules (1903), first printed in America in Deshong/Egan 1903 as 'Gaelic Rules'; the same setting in 1914 and 1915, reset for Spalding 1923 ('short wall', H-55).
60x30
by 1884
GAA Handball's own history page gives the game's antiquity in Ireland (a 1527 Galway statute against ball games at the town walls; a Ballinrobe court of 1776).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1884
The Gaelic Athletic Association is founded with handball among the sports it promotes (secondary: GAA Handball's history page).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1884
Ireland: the GAA founds itself with handball among its sports; its 28 rules (Gaelic Rules (1903)) are 'the rules of the Gaelic Athletic Association of Ireland'.
60x30
1886
Spalding's Hand Book of Sporting Rules and Training (compiled by G. H. Benedict, 1886) prints 'Hand Ball', 23 rules: the James 1873 code with a new rule 4 1/2 on scoring by 'service' or 'return' (Hand Ball (1886)).
Four-wall
4 August 1887Highlight
First ten games of the Casey v Lawlor international match, Grattan Street racquet court, Cork: Lawlor won six, Casey four (eight played on 4 Aug, interrupted by a gallery panic)
Four-wall 60x30
23 November 1887
The Brooklyn Handball Club (president Phil Casey) has a new court in Degraw Street, Brooklyn: 65 ft long, 24 ft wide, front wall 35 ft high faced with white marble, back wall 12 ft, white-pine floor
Four-wall
27 November 1887
The Sun describes a 'regulation' handball court (c.40 ft high, 50-60 ft long, c.30 ft wide; a line across the court 25 ft from the front wall with 3-ft semicircles) and says handball 'has its own code of rules'
Four-wall
29 November 1887
Casey beat Lawlor in the first seven of the eleven New York games, winning the international match and the 'championship of the world', at the Brooklyn Handball Club court, Degraw Street
Four-wall
1889Rulebook
The set rules of the game (1889)
Four-wall
about March 1889
The Brooklyn Handball Club holds a three-class tournament at its Degraw Street court, March-April 1889, with gold medals presented by the club
Four-wall
17 March 1889Highlight
The Sun prints 'the set rules of the game' of handball: 21 aces, ball about 2 in and 1 1/3 oz, ace line in the centre of the court, hand-out/ace scoring, hinders, a referee chosen by the players
Four-wall
The 1890s (28)
12 July 1890 to 19 August 1890Sources disagree
Casey, McQuade, Dunne and others sail 12 July 1890 for an Irish exhibition tour; return Aug-Sept
Four-wall 60x30
A New York newspaper of July 12, 1890 reports that the party of handball players had sailed; the end of the tour is not stated in the cited reports, so the later end of the date range is an inference, and a letter from Cork dated July 28 is the only evidence of the party in Ireland.
27 October 1890
The Sun proposes ending hard serving: a front-wall line or service only from the ace line
Four-wall
by 21 November 1890
By 21 Nov 1890 Brooklyn courts play under the Sun's new service rule (serve only from the ace line); Casey endorses it
Four-wall
by 29 November 1890
The Sun of 29 Nov 1890 notes that Phil Casey's Brooklyn court opened 'three years ago to-day', 29 Nov 1887, the night the first international match (Casey v. Lawlor of Dublin) was decided in it; the earlier games of the match had been played in Dublin on 6 Aug 1887
Four-wall
4 January 1891
Brooklyn Handball Club resolves unanimously to play all games under the Sun's new rules; Murray Hill and South Brooklyn courts already adopted them
Four-wall
1 March 1892
Brooklyn Handball Club reorganised in Casey's parlor: Major John Carmody president, Col. Thomas Meehan vice-president, Frank J. Prendergast secretary, Philip Casey treasurer; committee on the playing ball
Four-wall
8 September 1892
Sun reports a doubles game at the Brooklyn club with service 'done from the short line'
Four-wall
1893
Deshong R4-R5: 'A hinder is when a ball strikes your opponent' and stops it reaching the wall; hinders are mostly 'accidents pure and simple'; an intentional hinder is an ace against or a hand out at the referee's opinion; effect of an
Four-wall
1893
Deshong: court text 24 1/2 x 35 ft while the plate reads 25 x 33 ft (transcription notes, 1893 edition); the 1903 book: 'about sixty feet long, twenty-four and one-half feet wide and thirty-five feet high in the front, tapering down to
Four-wall
29 August 1893
John Egan's new handball court at 223 Mercer Street, Jersey City, opens with Phil Casey, Lawlor, Delaney, McQuade and others invited
Four-wall
31 October 1893Sources disagree
Spalding's Dime Athletic Library announces 'Handball and How to Play It' by Maurice W. Deshong (contents listed)
Four-wall
The only dated evidence is an October 31, 1893 newspaper notice that the next Spalding Dime Athletic Library issue would be Deshong's handball book; it shows the book was announced by that date, but not when it was published.
Source: The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 31 October 1893, p. 4
by 18 January 1894
Phil Casey writes that there has been no rule in his court for five years except 'The Sun's rules', which govern all six courts near him; leading courts everywhere follow the Brooklyn Handball Club's rules
Four-wall
by 20 August 1895
The Sun of 20 Aug 1895 prints a proposal, apparently from a Cork paper (OCR damaged), for a conference of handball lovers 'throughout the world' to promote the game and draw up a code of rules; Alderman Dunne of Brooklyn would attend
Four-wall 60x30
1896 or 1897Rulebook
A.A.U. handball rules for the first national championship, January 1897 (title not known) (1896)
Four-wall
by 27 January 1896
Sun: Irish champion James Fitzgerald of Tralee is a convert to the system of play laid down in THE SUN's rules
Four-wall 60x30
by 5 April 1896
Sun reports a handball convention planned at Cork for July 1896 to arrange uniform rules, at which 'THE SUN code used by the experts in America' would probably be adopted as the standard
Four-wall 60x30
by 9 November 1896
The A.A.U. takes jurisdiction over amateur handball (reported 9 Nov 1896)
Four-wall
17 November 1896Highlight
A.A.U. Board creates an amateur handball championship on the Jersey City club's application and adopts The Sun's rules of competition
Four-wall
4 December 1896
Jersey City Handball Club credited with bringing handball into the A.A.U.; committee fixes 7 January
Four-wall
by 27 December 1896
Brooklyn Handball Club's ball and committee rules called the standard 'wherever the game is played'
Four-wall
1897Championship
A.A.U. national amateur handball championship (singles), 1897
Four-wall
7 January 1897 to 8 January 1897Sources disagree
First A.A.U. national amateur handball championship, Jersey City; Michael J. Egan wins
Four-wall
Newspaper reports of the first A.A.U. championship give either 7 January 1897 (the preliminary round) or 7 and 8 January (preliminary round and final).
Source: The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 9 January 1897, p. 3
4 July 1897
William Carney (Chicago, of Swineford, Mayo) beats James Fitzgerald (Tralee) for the 'world's championship' at Phil Casey's court, Brooklyn
Four-wall
by 4 July 1897
Irish and American courts differ: open space at the back of the Irish court, solid back wall under American rules
Four-wall 60x30
1898-1913
The Y.M.C.A.'s single-wall court rules (approved 1898, revised June 1900, revised 1913: Hand Ball Rules (1900), Hand Ball Rules: Single Wall Court (1913); H-136, H-139, H-140) are the earliest one-wall rules text in this record, printed in
One-wall
1898-1899
The Athletic League of the Y.M.C.A.s of North America prints a thirteen-rule hand-ball code 'Approved by the Physical Directors' Conference, 1898' in its handbook of 1899 (OCR read; H-139): the parent of the 1900 text.
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
1898-1915
A third author: the Y.M.C.A.'s Physical Directors' Conference approves a hand-ball code (1898), revises it for the single-wall court (1900) and its Society adopts four-wall rules (1915) (Hand Ball Rules (1900), Hand Ball Rules: Four Wall
Four-wall One-wall
13 March 1898
Houston Daily Post prints a 23-rule handball code (ace-line service, foot allowed, referee chosen by the players)
Four-wall
The 1900s (26)
14 January 1900
James Fitzgerald (Irish champion) and Louis Keegan beat William Carney ('champion of the world') and Captain Ward, 3 games of 5, at Chicago
Four-wall
June 1900
A committee of the Physical Directors' Conference at Thousand Island Park revises the code as rules for a single-wall court (Hand Ball Rules (1900)), adopted by the League's Governing Committee (H-141) and printed in the handbooks of 1904
One-wall
June 1900
Before the era: the Y.M.C.A.'s rules for a single-wall court, approved by its Physical Directors' Conference in 1898 and revised at Thousand Island Park in June 1900, printed in the Athletic League handbooks from 1904 and revised again for
One-wall
22 May 1902
Oliver Drew (Ireland) beat Mike Egan 4 games to 3 at Jersey City, first of a planned best-of-15 series 'for the championship of the world', $250 a side
Four-wall
22 May 1902
May 1902 Egan–Drew conditions: 21 aces, service from anywhere inside a short line (not a centre space), 'alley cracker' ball, each player may use his own ball
Four-wall
1903
Ireland, Gaelic Rules (1903) R21 and R24: a struck ball that afterwards strikes the opponent is a hinder, played over; and 'Should a player obstruct another in such a manner that he cannot play, the judge may give a hinder' (wilful: ace or
60x30
by 1903
A.A.U. 1903 R6: the hinder narrowed to a ball striking the server before reaching the opponent, or the opponent during service; a served ball hitting the receiver becomes a hinder instead of an ace (reversed from 1893); each player 'must
Four-wall
1903
The 28 Irish rules, as printed in 1903, hold the earliest long-serve rule in this record (Gaelic Rules (1903)): the toss must land between a short line and an over line.
One-wall 60x30
1903
A.A.U. R3: 'full regulation Spalding ball', 1 7/8 in, 1 5/8 oz (Revised Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of America, For the Government of the National Championship in Singles (1903)); the advertisement after the rules lists
Four-wall
1903
The Irish rules printed in 1903 hold the earliest long-serve rule in this record: the toss must land between a short line and an over line, and three failures are hand out (Gaelic Rules (1903) Rules 18 and 26; H-13).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30
by 1903
The A.A.U.'s 'Revised Handball Rules' (14 rules, singles only; Revised Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of America, For the Government of the National Championship in Singles (1903)) and Deshong's rewritten 'Rules and
Four-wall
1903Rulebook
Rules and Explanations (1903)
Four-wall
12 April 1903
Mike Egan beat Louis Keegan of Chicago 8 games to 1 (seven straight in the first half, said by the 12 Apr wire to have been played recently at Jersey City, then 1-1 at Chicago on 12 Apr), $200 a side, billed the handball championship of the United States; a San Antonio paper of 21 Mar only announced that the series would begin that night
Four-wall
23 June 1903
Egan beat Timothy Twohill of Kanturk 7-0 at Jersey City (23 Jun) in the first half of a best-of-15 'international' match for the world championship, $1,500; second half in Ireland 12 July; Phil Casey referee, Dr. A. M. Gillen scorer
Four-wall
9 January 1904 to 11 January 1904
Syndicated press notices say Mike Egan, 'the world's champion', has written / just published a handball book, called 'The Official Handball Guide'
Four-wall
19 March 1904
Salt Lake Tribune (SF dispatch): Michael J. Egan, born County Galway 1878, came to America at 17, joined his brother John (owner of a Jersey City handball court), won the 1897 amateur championship of the United States
Four-wall
27 March 1904 to 3 April 1904
Mike Egan beat James Fitzgerald at the Olympic Club, San Francisco, 6 games to 1 on 27 Mar and 2 of 3 on 3 Apr (8 of 15 needed), billed the handball championship of the world; gate nearly $800
Four-wall
12 July 1904
Phil Casey, for 25 years handball champion of the world, died at his Brooklyn home on 12 July 1904, aged 56
Four-wall
12 January 1905 to 27 January 1905
Oliver Drew beat Francisco Y. Ordoizoiti (France and Spain) at Tarrant's court, Jersey City, for the 'international handball championship' (begun 12 Jan, won 27 Jan); straight handball against the French game of 'reves'
Four-wall
9 November 1906
Chicago's Charles Schuttler and Thomas Lee beat Oliver Drew ('the national champion') and John Egan, and Daniel Shea, in the opening tournament of the new Cincinnati gymnasium courts, called 'the greatest handball tournament ever held in this country'
Four-wall
1907Rulebook
New handball rules (Y.M.C.A., Honolulu) (1907)
Four-wall
23 October 1907
The Hawaiian Star prints seven 'new rules for hand ball' adopted on the Honolulu Y.M.C.A. courts: hand-out, ace/service line, hindrance, eleven-point games
Four-wall
1908
The A.A.U. constitution claims jurisdiction over handball, Article IX (H-33 supported).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
July 1908
Martin J. Carney (County Mayo, late of Philadelphia, now of Chicago) beat Oliver Drew, 'the handball champion of the world', at Chambers' court, Chicago, and claimed the title
Four-wall
by 1909
The Y.M.C.A. has hand-ball rules of its own; the 1909 Spalding index entry for them (Y.M.C.A. Hand Ball Rules (index entry) (1909), H-07) is very probably the single-wall text of 1900 (Hand Ball Rules (1900)), not a four-wall code; by 1908
One-wall
11 July 1909
John J. Bowles (Limerick) and James Kelly (Brooklyn) play for the 'International Handball Championship of the World': best of 15 games of 21 aces, seven at Limerick (5-11 July) and the rest at Brooklyn in September; Bowles outclassed Kelly in the first half at Limerick on 11 July
Four-wall
The 1910s (16)
16 May 1914
G.A.A. congress instructs county committees to start a handball championship in each county (reprinted in Chicago)
60x30
1915
Brokaw's one-wall: board 20 ft wide, 10 ft high; floor 20 x 26 ft; field 55 x 40 ft (Rules of American Hand Ball (1916) R53-R55).
One-wall
6 April 1915
James Dunne, 'amateur champion of the world at handball' by the Tribune's obituary and founder of the Brooklyn Handball Club, dies in Brooklyn aged 73
Four-wall
by 26 April 1915Highlight
Outdoor single-wall handball tournament match with gloves, Van Kelton Field next to the West Side Y.M.C.A., New York: Staddleberger beat Verstraten
One-wall
May 1915
The Y.M.C.A.'s four-wall court, adopted at Asilomar in May 1915, is 40 ft long, 20 ft wide and 18 ft high with a 10-ft rear wall (Hand Ball Rules: Four Wall Court (1915)): the 40 x 20 floor, 75 years before the first USHA text held (H-106).
Four-wall
18 December 1915
Brokaw's 'How to Play American Hand Ball' is deposited for copyright (Rules of American Hand Ball (1916), H-16 supported): 55 rules, a board 20 ft wide and 10 ft high, floor 20 x 26 ft, service line midway at 13 ft, gloves compulsory, no
One-wall
5 February 1916
Yale's Lambert Prettyman invites Columbia into an intercollegiate handball league 'now being formed'
Four-wall
7 February 1916
4,000 New York elementary schoolboys enter a handball tournament, 'the famous Irish game'
Four-wall
26 February 1916
Columbia beats Yale 7-0 in the opening Intercollegiate Handball League match on Columbia's single-wall court; the Tribune headlines 'One-wall court handicaps Yale'
Four-wall One-wall
9 August 1916
The Sun answers a reader: American handball court, 26-ft side lines, 20-ft front lines, 13 ft from service line to board; hinder defined; not Irish four-wall
Four-wall
9 August 1916
The Sun: 'Don't confuse American handball with Irish (four wall) handball'; courts 60 x 40 with 26-ft side lines and 20-ft front lines, 13 ft from service line to board (1916 newspaper notes).
One-wall Three-wall
9 August 1916
The Sun's query column: 'Most of the American handball courts are 60 feet by 40 feet, with 26 foot side lines and 20 foot front lines ... 13 feet from service line to board ...
One-wall
13 December 1916
Handball adopted as a Public Schools Athletic League sport, classed among championships
Four-wall
1919-1950Championship
AAU national four-wall handball championships, 1919-1950
Four-wall
27 April 1919Sources disagree
A.A.U. national singles and doubles handball championship at the Los Angeles A.C., 21-27 April 1919; Ranft beat Lacey 21-13, 21-11
Four-wall
A March 1919 preview announced the championship for the week of April 21 to 27, but the entry is dated April 27 from a newspaper report of April 28 on the singles title, so the day of the final is inferred from that report.
Source: Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 28 April 1919, p. 17
30 October 1919Highlight
A.A.U. legislation committee submits an entirely new set of handball rules to the Boston annual convention of 16-17 Nov 1919
Four-wall
Source: The News Scimitar (Memphis), 13 November 1919, p. 15
The 1920s (37)
1920-1923
A.A.U. R2: 'standard rubber handball'; the 1923 guide adds '(Spalding's No. 101 ball is used in the national championship tournaments)' (Hand Ball (1920), Official Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (1923);
Four-wall One-wall
1 January 1920
The 35-rule four-wall text is in force (Hand Ball (1920), A.A.U. handbook): court approximately 24 x 50 ft, ceiling at least 25 ft, 'covered ball' defined, hinders to the referee without appeal, 'points' instead of 'aces'.
Four-wall
4 January 1920 to 22 February 1920
First Metropolitan Association A.A.U. handball championship, Annunciation A.C., New York: 'amateur handball came in for official recognition for the first time on the A.A.U. curriculum'; Cyril Regan beat Dan Shea in the singles final
Four-wall
15 May 1921
Tribune: the Brighton Beach Baths (Coney Island) has constructed twelve 'regulation' handball courts, to be opened free to the public; 'American handball' to be revived on a pretentious scale; July tournament planned
Four-wall
1 January 1922
The handbook in force 1 Jan 1922 already prints the 1923 text (Official Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (1923)): court 24 x 48 ft, 'covered ball' deleted except the leftover in R24 (H-63, H-64).
Four-wall
12 March 1922 to 17 March 1922
First New York State doubles one-wall handball championship at the Crescent Athletic Club, Brooklyn: 42 teams; won by Robert Powers Jr. and William F. Wigmore
One-wall
19 November 1922 to 21 November 1922
A.A.U. national convention (19-21 Nov 1922): amendments sought included 'numerous minor changes' to handball rules; 1923 national handball championships awarded to St. Paul (senior) and Pittsburgh (junior)
Four-wall
20 November 1922Highlight
The A.A.U. adopts one-wall rules at its annual meeting (A.A.U. One-Wall Rules (1922), printed in Spalding's Official Handball Guide 1923): court about 20 x 34 ft, wall 16 ft, short line at least 13 ft, two faults, standard rubber ball.
One-wall
Source: Robert L. Ripley (ed.), Spalding's Official Handball Guide (1923), p. 75
13 December 1922
Evening World feature: handball played on roofs, basements, clubs, colleges and streets; Kelton's five public courts near Columbus Circle up 300% in a year; 'Nine years ago the sport was little known in New York'
Four-wall One-wall
24 December 1922
Tribune annual review: with more than fifty new courts in the New York district the 'present set of rules is to be revised and added to by the National A. A. U. committee on handball'
Four-wall
1923
First GAA-sponsored handball championships (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)); Spalding's 1923 guide prints 'Rules for Irish Handball or the Hard-Ball Game' for American readers.
60x30
1923
Ripley's suggested four-wall changes match one-wall practice (H-65): the younger code starts to influence the older.
One-wall Three-wall
1923
Spalding's Official Handball Guide (ed. Ripley) prints the four-wall rules, the one-wall rules, the GAA hardball rules and seven 'Suggested Rule Changes' (Suggested Rule Changes).
Four-wall One-wall
1923
Ripley's 'Suggested Rule Changes' (Suggested Rule Changes) already ask the four-wall game to borrow one-wall practice (H-65); whether any were adopted in 1924-28 is unknown (H-18).
One-wall
1923
A publisher's editor proposes changes to the federation: Ripley's seven 'Suggested Rule Changes' in Spalding's guide (Suggested Rule Changes); outcome unknown (H-18).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
24 April 1923
Syndicated column quotes 'the new rules for handball': standard court four walls approximately 24 by 48 feet, ceilings 25 feet at the front wall (the revised A.A.U. text; the 1920/21 text said 24 by 50)
Four-wall
20 November 1923 to 26 December 1923Highlight
A.A.U. awards its 1924 national handball championships: four-wall senior at Los Angeles, four-wall junior at Pittsburgh, one-wall at New York, hard-ball at Brooklyn (convention at Detroit closed 20 Nov 1923)
Four-wall One-wall 60x30
1924Highlight
Irish Handball Council established; affiliation with an international handball commission; Irish, English and Scottish players at the Tailteann Games (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026); H-102 on the IAHA name).
60x30 40x20
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)
1924
Irish handball gets a national governing body in 1924: the Irish Amateur Handball Association in one account, the Irish Handball Council in another
60x30
1924
Tailteann Games 1924 include handball: a visiting American trio wins the invitational events in hardball and softball, and the Irish body affiliates internationally
60x30
1924-1925
The Irish Handball Council is established (1924; the body's exact name is H-102) and All-Ireland senior championships run from 1925 in both 60x30 codes, hardball and softball (H-104).
60x30
1924
Ireland: the Irish Handball Council (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026); H-102 on the IAHA name).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1925Highlight
All-Ireland senior championships begin in both 60x30 codes: hardball and softball singles and doubles (All-Ireland Hardball Championships, All-Ireland 60x30 Softball Championships; GAA rolls of honour).
60x30
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, hardball championship roll of honour (seen 28 October 2026)
1925Sources disagree
The GAA Handball rolls of honour for the All-Ireland senior hardball and softball championships both open in 1925, two years after the GAA page's date for its first championships
60x30
GAA Handball's rolls of honour begin in 1925, but its history page puts the first GAA-sponsored championships in 1923, so either the rolls omit the first two years or those events were not All-Ireland senior titles.
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, hardball championship roll of honour (seen 28 October 2026)
1925-2026Championship
All-Ireland 60x30 Softball Championships, 1925-2026
60x30
1925-2025Championship
All-Ireland Hardball Championships, 1925-2025
60x30
1926Rulebook
Spalding's Official Handball Guide (AAU rules) (1926)
Four-wall
1927Rulebook
Spalding's Official Handball Guide (AAU rules) (1927)
Four-wall
20 November 1927
A.A.U. annual meeting adopts a revised set of one-wall rules on 20 November 1927; the short line moves to 14 ft from the wall (15 ft by the 1931 text)
One-wall
20 November 1927
The A.A.U. one-wall rules adopted 20 November 1927 (printed 1928, One-Wall Playing Rules (in Spalding's Official Handball Guide, 1928) (1927)) carry a service line 9 ft behind the short line, present already in a reprint of the 1923-27
One-wall
1928
Spalding's 1928 guide prints the A.A.U. four-wall court as 22 x 46 x 22 ft, down from 24 x 48 ft in the 1923 text
Four-wall
1928
The A.A.U.'s standard court in the 1928 guide is 22 ft wide, 46 ft long and 22 ft high (Official Handball Playing Rules of the A.A.U. (in Spalding's Official Handball Guide, 1928) (1928) Rule 1), with the short line at midcourt, 23 ft from
Four-wall
1928Rulebook
Official Handball Playing Rules of the A.A.U. (in Spalding's Official Handball Guide, 1928) (1928)
Four-wall
1929Rulebook
Hand ball rules; four wall court (1929)
Four-wall
1929Rulebook
Hand ball rules; single wall court (1929)
One-wall
March 1929
At the March 1929 national championship in New York the players vote that a player must give an opponent a clear unobstructed chance at the ball; standing still after a shot to block the view is ruled out
Four-wall
7 June 1929
The General Board of the Y.M.C.A.s registers two leaflets on one day, 'Hand ball rules; four wall court' and 'Hand ball rules; single wall court' (Hand ball rules; four wall court (1929), Hand ball rules; single wall court (1929)): the
Four-wall One-wall
The 1930s (16)
1931
The A.A.U. prints separate hard-ball rules in 1931 for a four-wall court about 65 ft long and 25 ft wide with a 12 ft back wall, a length and back wall like those of Casey's old Brooklyn court (his was 24 ft wide with a 35 ft front wall)
Four-wall
1931Sources disagree
Charles J. O'Connell's 'How to Play Handball' (Spalding, 1931) prints the A.A.U. four-wall, one-wall and hard-ball rules; the USHA later calls it the first printed book of handball rules and dates it 1930
Four-wall One-wall
The book carries a 1931 copyright line, but a 1971 USHA magazine tribute dates it to 1930 and calls it the first printed book of handball rules, which earlier guides and rule books (1893 to 1928) contradict.
Source: Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)
1931
The A.A.U. soft-ball four-wall rules printed in O'Connell 1931 add a ball specification, 2.3 oz with a half-ounce tolerance (A.A.U. Soft Ball Four-Wall Rules (in Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball, 1931) (1931); H-142): the first
Four-wall
1931
Charles J. O'Connell's How to Play Handball (the successor of the Spalding guide, 'including official rules for play') prints three A.A.U. codes: soft-ball four-wall (34 rules, now with an A.A.U. ball specification of 2.3 oz, H-142),
Four-wall One-wall
1931
The A.A.U.'s three codes (soft-ball four-wall, one-wall, hard ball) printed in O'Connell's How to Play Handball (A.A.U. Soft Ball Four-Wall Rules (in Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball, 1931) (1931), A.A.U. One-Wall Rules (in
Four-wall One-wall
1931Rulebook
How to Play Handball ... including official rules for play (1931)
Four-wall One-wall
1932-1949
A.A.U. handball rules are registered for copyright in 1932, 1933, 1934 (the first registration naming four-wall, one-wall and four-wall hardball), 1935, 1936, 1939 and 1942 (the A.A.U. itself now the claimant), continuing as the serial
Four-wall One-wall
1932Rulebook
Rules for volley ball, ice hockey, hand ball, squash-handball, field-handball, code ball (1932)
Four-wall
1933-1949
'Four-wall hardball' named as a code in A.A.U. titles (LC ca33000972; Official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball; codeball, volleyball, horseshoe pitching (1949); H-28): the hard ball survives in America as a separate
Four-wall
1933Rulebook
Official hand ball rules. Also rules for squash handball, field-handball, code ball, volley ball (1933)
Four-wall
1934Rulebook
Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, squash handball, field handball, code ball, volley ball (1934)
Four-wall One-wall
1935Rulebook
Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, code ball, volley ball (1935)
Four-wall One-wall
1936
The semi-professional Irish Handball Union holds national and world championships until 1936, in competition with the amateur body set up in 1924
60x30
1936Rulebook
Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, squash handball, field handball, code ball, volley ball (1936)
Four-wall One-wall
1939-1945
Wartime rubber scarcity stops Irish softball play and the hardball game comes back into its own
60x30
1939Rulebook
Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball (1939)
Four-wall
The 1940s (6)
15 February 1940 to 1952
Y.M.C.A. Hand Ball Rules revised 15 February 1940 with seventeen changes, and the 1952 Y.M.C.A. Handball Rules of a National Y.M.C.A. Handball Committee, which require doubles teams to come from one branch; both known from seller
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
1942Rulebook
Official rules handball (1942)
Four-wall
21 April 1945
A glass-enclosed handball court at the Town Club of Chicago hosts the A.A.U. nationals from 21 April 1945; the USHA later credits its president Bob Kendler with inventing the glass court
Four-wall
1949-1960
The A.A.U. serial 'Official Rules, Handball' (1949 printing; 1955, 1957, 1960 volumes) while the USHA runs its own nationals from 1951: two bodies (H-32, H-101).
Four-wall
1949Rulebook
Official rules handball : four-wall, one-wall, four-wall handball (1949)
Four-wall
1949Rulebook
Official rules handball : four-wall, one-wall, four-wall handball (1949)
One-wall
The 1950s (25)
1950-1951Sources disagree
A group of leading handball players and administrators forms a Players' Fraternity in 1950 under Bob Kendler: the USHA's own texts date its start 1950 or 1951
Four-wall Three-wall
Sources date the start of the USHA to 1950 (a 1972 magazine and a 1998 letter counting 48 years) or to 1951 (the USHA website and its numbering of the 1997 nationals as the 47th), so the date is given as 1950 to 1951.
Source: Handball (USHA), June 1972
1950
ushandball.org's champions list marks 1950 as the last A.A.U. year: 'All future years are USHA' (H-101).
Four-wall One-wall
1950Championship
AAU national three-wall handball championships, 1950
Three-wall
1951Highlight
First USHA national championships listed: four-wall at Chicago (Plekan) and three-wall at Detroit (USHA national four-wall handball championships, USHA national three-wall handball championships, firstHeld 1951; US Handball Association,
Four-wall Three-wall
Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)
1951
Bob Kendler breaks with the A.A.U. in 1951 'to form' the players' fraternity (by a 1972 USHA cover note): the first USHA four-wall (Chicago) and three-wall (Detroit) nationals; Avery Brundage was most instrumental in mediating a lasting agreement
Four-wall Three-wall
1951-2026Championship
USHA national four-wall handball championships, 1951-2026
Four-wall
1951-2025Championship
USHA national three-wall handball championships, 1951-2025
Three-wall
1955-1960
The A.A.U. still prints 'Official Handball A.A.U. Rules' (copyright registration A189064, 10 Apr 1955, Official Handball A.A.U. Rules (1955)) and volumes for 1957 and 1960 (Official Rules, Handball (A.A.U.) (1957), Official Rules, Handball
Four-wall
1955Rulebook
Official Handball A.A.U. Rules (1955)
Four-wall
1956
Jimmy Jacobs of the Los Angeles A.C. becomes the first player to hold the 'Triple Crown': the A.A.U., USHA and Y.M.C.A. four-wall national titles in the same year, 1956
Four-wall
1957
Three New York Athletic Club players play seven matches in Ireland in 1957 and win four: the first international match in over twenty years, by the A.A.U.'s account
Four-wall 60x30
1957
An international match in Ireland in 1957, 'the first in over twenty years', New York A.C. players winning four of seven, per the A.A.U.'s 1962 rule book (H-128; seller photographs).
60x30 40x20
1957
The A.A.U.'s 1962 rule book says the first international match in over twenty years was played in Ireland in 1957, New York Athletic Club players winning four of seven matches (H-128; seller photographs of the book).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1957-1959
The A.A.U.'s 1962 rule book (seller photographs, H-128) dates three things this record has nowhere else: an international match in Ireland in 1957, the first all-glass court at the Aurora, Illinois, Y.M.C.A. in 1958, and the official
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
1957Rulebook
Official Rules, Handball (A.A.U.) (1957)
Four-wall
1958
The Y.M.C.A., A.A.U., Jewish Welfare Board and USHA adopt common 'Unified' four-wall rules in 1958, with Charles J. O'Connell as chairman of the rules committee
Four-wall
1958-1959
The A.A.U.'s 1962 book (H-128; seller photographs) dates the first all-glass court (Aurora Y.M.C.A., 1958) and the official opening of a three-wall 'jai-alai type' court at Forrest Park Playground, Queens (the book's spelling) (29 November
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1958-1960
A Unified Handball Rules Committee of four bodies (USHA, Y.M.C.A., A.A.U., Jewish Welfare Board) prepares the unified four-wall rules that the A.A.U.'s 1960 and 1962 books print; the Champion Glove booklet names the committee and its
Four-wall
1958 or 1959
Common rules: secondary sources say the A.A.U., USHA and Y.M.C.A. agreed unified rules and held one tournament in 1958 (H-19) or 1959 (H-03); the USHA 'broke away again in 1961' (H-19).
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
1958 or 1959
Common rules between the A.A.U., USHA and Y.M.C.A. (H-03, H-19; secondary, undated by any primary source).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1959
The USHA champions roll lists its first one-wall national championship in 1959, in New York, with the Obert brothers taking the open titles
One-wall
1959
First USHA one-wall national (New York; Oscar Obert in open singles) in the champions list (USHA national one-wall handball championships, firstHeld 1959).
One-wall
1959-2025Championship
USHA national one-wall handball championships, 1959-2025
One-wall
29 November 1959
The first three-wall 'jai-alai type' handball court officially opens at Forrest Park Playground, Queens, New York, on 29 November 1959
Three-wall
The 1960s (14)
1960
A Unified Handball Rules Committee of the USHA, Y.M.C.A. and A.A.U. (with the Jewish Welfare Board) agrees to serve 'for the year of 1960', with O'Connell as its chairman
Four-wall
1960-1962
The A.A.U.'s Official Rules Handball of 1960 and 1962 print 'Unified Four-Wall Rules' adopted by the A.A.U., the Y.M.C.A., the USHA and the Jewish Welfare Board, prepared by a Unified Handball Rules Committee chaired from the New York A.C.
Four-wall
1960-1968
Rules by committee: a Unified Handball Rules Committee of the USHA, the Y.M.C.A., the A.A.U. and the J.W.B. (printed in the A.A.U. books of 1960 and 1962), then a 1968 unified booklet issued by three of the four without the USHA (H-125,
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
1961
At the 1961 USHA nationals and convention in Denver the Association is locked in a 'bitter dialogue' with the A.A.U. for handball supremacy and names a lawyer as its national commissioner
Four-wall
1963
'Official rules', a 1963 item in a UK union catalog under 'Irish Handball Association', publisher the GAA (Official rules (1963); that it is the Council's handball rulebook is H-130): the first Irish rule text after 1903 this record can
60x30
1963-2009
Ireland's institutional line between the 1903 text and GAA Handball: an 'Official rules' of 1963 under the Irish Handball Association heading (Official rules (1963), H-130), 'Handball Playing Rules' of 1997 (Handball Playing Rules (1997))
One-wall 60x30 40x20
1964
The first world handball championship is held in 1964 at the New York Athletic Club, with O'Connell as chairman, and, by a 1972 reader's letter, the world championships then recur every three years, the 1970 edition in Ireland
Four-wall 60x30
1967-1968
A June 1967 newspaper list offers, among booklets available, a separate A.A.U. one-wall booklet from Champion Glove (Official AAU One Wall Handball Rules); the January 1968 'Handball Official Unified Playing Rules' is issued by the A.A.U.,
One-wall
19 January 1968
A.A.U., Jewish Welfare Board and Y.M.C.A. issue a 1968 revision of the unified rules without the USHA, which 'decided not to participate in publishing' it; its four-wall court is 20 x 40 x 20 ft
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
19 January 1968
'Handball Official Unified Playing Rules' for four-wall, three-wall and one-wall courts, issued by the A.A.U., the J.W.B. and the Y.M.C.A.; its introduction says the USHA took part in the discussions but declined to co-publish (H-129,
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
1969Highlight
First American-style 4-wall (40x20) court built in Ireland (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)).
60x30 40x20
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)
1969-1971Sources disagree
The first American-style 40 x 20 ft four-wall court in Ireland is dated 1969 by GAA Handball, but a USHA report of autumn 1971 still calls the first 20 x 40 court a new event
40x20
GAA Handball's history page dates the first 40 x 20 court in Ireland to 1969, but a USHA magazine of October 1971 reports the Dublin 20 x 40 court as newly built, so the date is given as 1969 to 1971.
Source: GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)
1969
First American-style 4-wall (40x20) court built in Ireland (GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)); All-Ireland 4-wall championship from 1975 (All-Ireland 4-Wall Championships).
40x20
1969-1975
The American court comes to Ireland: the first 40x20 court is built in 1969 and an All-Ireland 4-wall senior championship runs from 1975 (secondary: GAA Handball's page; the rolls).
40x20
The 1970s (12)
1970-1972Sources disagree
The Irish Handball Council opens an indoor alley with three glass walls at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland's first, and recommends glass walls for all alleys
60x30
An Irish Handball Council note of 1972 says the three-glass-wall alley opened 'a year ago', while 1971 magazine reports place the court in use in the autumn of 1970, so the date is given as 1970 to 1972.
Source: Handball (USHA), October 1972
October 1970
The 1970 world handball championships are held in Dublin, where Pat Kirby takes the world title (the issues do not say in which code)
Four-wall 60x30
1971
The first series of All-Ireland finals is played in the new ball-court at Croke Park in 1971 before about 1,000, and shown on television
60x30
1971
'Championship Handball plus Official Handball Rules', a USHA publication cited from 1971 to 1983 (Championship Handball plus Official Handball Rules (1971), citation-only): the first USHA rules publication this record can name.
Four-wall
13 August 1971
The president of the Irish Handball Council visits the USHA's Skokie headquarters on 13 August 1971 and talk turns to a common court size
Four-wall 60x30
June 1972
The USHA prints 'Official USHA Four-Wall Handball Rules' in its June 1972 magazine, naming the rules chairman and a Seattle drafter of the first official USHA rules
Four-wall
1975
The GAA Handball roll of honour for the All-Ireland senior 4-wall championship opens in 1975, six years after the first 40 x 20 court
40x20
1975
All-Ireland 4-wall (40x20) senior championship begins (All-Ireland 4-Wall Championships, firstHeld 1975).
40x20
1975-2026Championship
All-Ireland 4-Wall Championships, 1975-2026
40x20
1978Hypothesis (open)
Start by hypothesis (H-04, H-107): the USHA as sole US governing body.
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
Not settled yet. What would settle it
Source: Open question: no source in hand yet
1978Hypothesis (open)
USHA becomes the sole US governing body (H-04, secondary; H-107): the end of the era is a claim, not a finding.
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
Not settled yet. What would settle it
Source: Open question: no source in hand yet
1978Hypothesis (open)
USHA alone (H-04, H-107; secondary).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
Not settled yet. What would settle it
Source: Open question: no source in hand yet
The 1990s (12)
1990
London hosts the All-Ireland handball final in 1990, only the second time an All-Ireland final in any GAA code is played outside Ireland
60x30
20 June 1990 to 14 October 1994
The USHA's 1990 four-wall rules with interpretations and its 1994 one-wall rules (The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules With Interpretations and One-Wall and Three-Wall Addendum Revised 1991 (1990), The New and
Four-wall One-wall
20 June 1990
'The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules With Interpretations', adopted 20 June 1990 and printed in 1991, in 46 pages by one catalog record (The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules With
Four-wall
1991
USHA publishes a 'Revised 1991' rule book with one-wall and three-wall addendums and republishes its one-wall rules, changing a foot-fault word from EXTEND to TOUCH
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
14 October 1994
'The New and Official' USHA One-Wall Rules, adopted 14 October 1994 (The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations 1995 (1994)), on the USHA's web site by January 1997: the earliest USHA
One-wall
1995
The 1995 USHA One-Wall Rules with Interpretations harmonise wording with the four-wall book: EXTEND is restored in the foot-fault rule and the permission to step on a service line is deleted
One-wall
1996-2010
The big ball gets bodies: SAHA (1996) and King of the Courts (1998); USWA (2010) with its own rules from 2018 (Wall Ball Rules (2021) etc.), which never state court or ball (H-75).
One-wall
1996
St. Albans Handball Association founded (St. Albans Handball Association, St. Albans Handball Association, "About" (seen 27 October 2026)); King of the Courts from 1998 (King of the Courts; champions list St. Albans Handball Association,
One-wall
1996-2017Championship
Queen of the Courts, 1996-2017
One-wall
1997
GAA wallball open Irish nationals from 1997 (Wallball Open Irish Nationals): the one-wall game arrives in the Irish record.
One-wall
1997-2025Championship
Wallball Open Irish Nationals, 1997-2025
One-wall
1998-2025Championship
King of the Courts, 1998-2025
One-wall
The 2000s (14)
2000Rulebook
The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations 2000 (2000)
One-wall
7 October 2001Rulebook
The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations (2001)
One-wall
8 April 2002Rulebook
The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations (2002)
One-wall
20 August 2002Rulebook
The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations (2002)
One-wall
December 2004 to 16 January 2005
A Three-Wall Addendum, 'changes from four-wall rules' (Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2004)), and the 2005 rules (The Official USHA Handball Rules, 2005 (2005)), the year a secondary page calls the last complete
Four-wall Three-wall
December 2004Rulebook
Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2004)
Three-wall
about 2005
A secondary page says the USHA's 'last complete rulebook' appeared in 2005 (a secondary source): rules move from print to the web page.
Four-wall
16 January 2005Rulebook
The Official USHA Handball Rules, 2005 (2005)
Four-wall
1 April 2005Rulebook
The Official USHA One-Wall Handball Rules, 2005 (2005)
One-wall
June 2006Rulebook
Schedule 1: These are the rules changes passed by the USHA Board, June 2006 (2006)
Four-wall
June 2006Rulebook
Official USHA One-Wall Handball Rules (2005 rules with the June 2006 Board changes incorporated) (2006)
One-wall
May 2007Rulebook
Schedule 2: These are the rules changes passed by the USHA Board, May 2007 (2007)
Four-wall
June 2008Rulebook
The Current Official USHA One-Wall Handball Rules (2008)
One-wall
January 2009
The Council's 'Official Playing Rules', modified January 2009 (Official Playing Rules (Handball Playing Rules) (2009); the booklet inside Wexford GAA's 2016 PDF; pending permission, research-only): the Irish Handball Council's name is
One-wall 60x30 40x20
The 2010s (24)
2010Highlight
United States Wall Ball Association founded by Jasmine Ray (United States Wallball Association, United States Wall Ball Association, "Our story" (seen 27 October 2026)); IRS ruling 2012.
One-wall
Source: United States Wall Ball Association, "Our story" (seen 27 October 2026)
May 2010Rulebook
Handball Rules (Abridged for Curriculum) (2010)
Four-wall
2012
A World Wall Ball Association is formed at the 2012 World Championships in Dublin by GAA Handball, the WHC and the CIJB (secondary).
Four-wall One-wall 60x30 40x20
2012
World Wall Ball Association formed at the 2012 World Championships, Dublin, by GAA Handball, the WHC and the CIJB (secondary: jeudepaume.fr, World Wall Ball Association page (seen 28 October 2026)).
One-wall
2012Rulebook
The Official USHA Handball Rules, 2012 (2012)
Four-wall
2014Rulebook
The Official USHA Handball Rules, 2014 (2014)
Four-wall
January 2014Rulebook
Official USHA One-Wall Handball Rules (2014)
One-wall
6 February 2015Rulebook
Official USHA Handball Rulebook With Interpretations, One-Wall and Three-Wall Addendums (2015)
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
6 February 2015Rulebook
One-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2015)
One-wall
6 February 2015Rulebook
Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2015)
Three-wall
2016
GAA wallball senior championship begins (Wallball Senior Championships, firstHeld 2016).
One-wall
2016-2025Championship
Wallball Senior Championships, 2016-2025
One-wall
22 January 2017Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2017)
Four-wall
22 January 2017Rulebook
One-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2017)
One-wall
22 January 2017Rulebook
Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2017)
Three-wall
2018-2026
USWA: 'block' (interference, replayed) and 'screen' (ball passing too close to the hitter's body) do the work of the USHA's two hinders without the word (from a comparison of the USWA and USHA rules).
One-wall
2018-2026
A players' association writes for its own game: USWA rules online 2018, revised 22 Oct 2026 (USWA playing rules (2026)), ending with a note that such details are settled by each event's organizer.
One-wall
30 August 2018 to 19 October 2018
USWA 'Wall Ball Rules' (24 rules + code of conduct) and 'USWA Official Rules' (25 rules) online (Wall Ball Rules (2021), USWA OFFICIAL RULES (2022); page markup dates): blocks, screens, 'keep a short', downs; no court or ball stated (H-75).
One-wall
2019-2025
GAA Wallball: 20 x 34 ft, 16-ft wall (Official Irish 1-Wall (Wallball) Playing Rules - As of January 2019 (2019), Official Irish 4-Wall, Softball, Hardball & Wallball Playing Rules (2025)); GAA International 4-Wall: 40 x 20 x 20 ft
One-wall 40x20
2019-2025
Ireland borrows: GAA Handball's 1-wall rules are 'consistent with' USHA's (H-21 supported), its 40x20 rules are USHA four-wall text (H-24 supported); Congress adopts the combined book on 9 Feb 2025.
One-wall 40x20
January 2019
The GAA's one-wall (Wallball) playing rules as of January 2019 (Official Irish 1-Wall (Wallball) Playing Rules - As of January 2019 (2019)): 20 x 34 ft court, 16-ft wall, ball 1 7/8 in and 61 g; the book describes itself as consistent with
One-wall
January 2019
GAA Handball's one-wall (Wallball) playing rules describe themselves as consistent with the USHA one-wall rules; 84.7% of its five-word runs (6,251 of 7,380) come from the USHA one-wall text of 2014-01, none of the 229 runs new in the
One-wall 40x20
27 January 2019Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2019)
Four-wall
27 January 2019Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2019)
One-wall
The 2020s (22)
26 January 2020Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2020)
Four-wall
26 January 2020Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2020)
One-wall
March 2020
The GAA's four-wall and 60x30 playing rules as of March 2020 (Official Irish 4-Wall & 60x30 Playing Rules (2020), Official Irish 4-Wall & 60x30 Playing Rules (2020), Official Irish 4-Wall & 60x30 Playing Rules (2020)): the one-wall rules
60x30 40x20
22 January 2021Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2021)
Four-wall
22 January 2021Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2021)
One-wall
23 January 2022Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2022)
Four-wall
23 January 2022Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2022)
One-wall
March 2023
CIJB 'Wallball Rules' (WALLBALL RULES (2023)): court 6.10 x 10.60 m, wall 4.90 m; two sets of 21, tie set to 11; all lines good.
One-wall
26 January 2024Rulebook
Four-Wall Rulebook (2024)
Four-wall
26 January 2024Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2024)
One-wall
4 February 2024
The GAA's official four-wall and 60x30 playing rules as of 4 February 2024 (GAA Handball - Official 4-Wall & 60x30 Playing Rules (2024) etc.); Rule 1.1 lists the codes as four-wall, one-wall, and 60x30 in its softball and hardball forms.
40x20
2025
GAA Handball's combined rulebook adds a Wallball section (Official Irish 4-Wall, Softball, Hardball & Wallball Playing Rules (2025): 20 x 34 ft, 16-ft wall, 'Big Blue Wallball' and 'Penn Wallball' balls); SAHA requires eye guards at the
One-wall
26 January 2025
USHA 4.7 'dead-ball hinders' (replayed: court hinders, hitting an opponent when the shot would have reached the wall, body contact, screen ball, back-swing, safety holdup) and 4.8 'avoidable hinders' (point or side out: failure to move,
Four-wall
26 January 2025
USHA One-Wall Rulebook: 20 x 34 ft, wall 20 x 16 ft, short line 16 ft, long line 34 ft; gloves compulsory except 'Big ball ... gloves are optional'; 'big balls can weigh less' (One-Wall Rulebook (2025)); GAA's combined book adds a Wallball
One-wall
26 January 2025
USHA 2.2: approved balls 1 7/8 in, 61 g (red), rebound specification; 'USHA White label and/or big balls can weigh less'; the referee approves the ball for each match (Four-Wall Rulebook (2025), One-Wall Rulebook (2025)).
Four-wall One-wall
26 January 2025
USHA Four-Wall Rulebook and One-Wall Rulebook 'as of January 26, 2025' (Four-Wall Rulebook (2025), One-Wall Rulebook (2025), Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2025)): court 20 x 40 x 20 ft; one-wall 20 x 34 ft with a
Four-wall One-wall Three-wall
26 January 2025Rulebook
One-Wall Rulebook (2025)
One-wall
26 January 2025Rulebook
Three-Wall Addendum - Changes from Four-Wall Rules (2025)
Three-wall
9 February 2025Highlight
Congress adopts the combined playing rules covering four-wall, Wallball, and 60x30 softball and hardball (Official Irish 4-Wall, Softball, Hardball & Wallball Playing Rules (2025), Official Irish 4-Wall, Softball, Hardball & Wallball
One-wall 60x30 40x20
2026
World Wallball Championships (World Wallball Championships); USWA rules revised 22 Oct 2026.
One-wall
2026
USWA playing rules 'Revised October 22, 2026' (USWA playing rules (2026): 21 rules, three timeouts) and a World Wallball Championships (World Wallball Championships, 2026; hosted by ICHA with the WHC).
One-wall
2026Championship
World Wallball Championships, 2026
One-wall
Eras
The tinted strips at the top of the overview mark the eras, United States above Ireland. Each decade, and each window of years, names its eras in words too. All eras
United States
- Racket courts and saloon alleys: New York before the clubs 1860-1887
- Casey's court, the Brooklyn Handball Club and The Sun's rules 1887-1896
- The A.A.U. takes the amateur game; the professionals keep the 'world' title 1896-1919
- One-wall rises in New York 1915-1922
- The A.A.U. rule codes: four-wall, one-wall, hardball 1920-1950
- The USHA, the common rules and the end of A.A.U. handball 1951-1978
- USHA alone: one body, three codes, online rules 1978 on
- Wallball organizes: the big ball finds its bodies 1996 on