GAA in Europe:
After decades of Gaelic games being played in parks across Europe, 1990's
saw a few annual tournaments, to which Gaelic football teams such as
Dusseldorf, Brussels, The Hague, Luxembourg and Paris played. Hurling was
also being played, with players from each area meeting to play in an
annual hurling match. In 1999 with the help of GAA President Joe MacDonagh
& Barney Winston (International GAA), The European GAA County Board was
officially setup and affiliated to Croke Park GAA in Ireland.
Following its setup, the GAA in
Europe launched the European Gaelic Football League in 2001, with 6 venues
and up to 10 teams. 2003 was the 3rd year, the first 2 championships being
won by Paris and Den Haag respectively. These featured Men's and Women's
Gaelic Football Leagues & Tournaments. Hurling Tournaments have also been
setup, see below.
Juvenile GAA has a stronghold in
Brussels who now compete with other Juvenile players and teams in Europe to
represent Europe in the Feile Peil ne nOg in Ireland every Summer.
A Europe GAA website was setup in
1998, and re-launched in 2000 at
www.geocities.com/european_gaa . The European GAA website ran until
October 2002. It had provided the latest news, scores and stories to the
public about the GAA and its rapid growth in Europe. This service has now
transferred to the European Irish Website.
We welcome all stories, news and results from every GAA club, team, event,
and group in Mainland Europe.
Please
send here. Contact details of clubs, and their websites, as well as
the latest news from around the GAA clubs on the Continent is being provided
here.
For links and contact details to all the clubs, don't hesitate to
check out GAA Clubs HERE
2007
European GAA
has more that 30 GAA clubs past and present, playing in Sweden, Denmark,
Finland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Guernsey & Jersey
Islands, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary,
Switzerland and Italy, with Gaelic Football and Hurling also played in
Croatia, Cyprus and Russia.
Such is the diversity of regions that European County Board has now devised
4 separate regions - playing in Iberia, the North West (France & Guernsey),
Benelux, and North & East.
There are also a few All-Europe events later in the year.
Starting on 31 March (this weekend) , Men's Gaelic Football Championship
started with tournaments in Barcelona (Spain), Rennes (France) and The Hague
(Holland), for Iberia, North West and Benelux respectively.
The Ladies Gaelic Football mini-tournaments were also run at these venues.
We hope to being you reports from each venue & event.
There is a Men's Football Championship League and a Men's Shield League in
Europe.
Teams in the Men's Championship are:
The Hague
Paris
Luxembourg
Munich
Madrid
Marbella
Budapest
Guernsey
Teams in the Shield include:
Luxembourg B
Maastricht
Amsterdam
Paris B
Copenhagen
Rennes
The Haag B
Barcelona
Gronigen
Vienna
Other teams play just in the Brittany Championship, and there are local
mini-tournaments, example Gothenburg Sweden V Copenhagen Denmark, and
Brussels V various Holland sides.
Brussels are
predominantly a Hurling side, as are Zurich Switzerland.
There is of course a Hurling Championship also with the following teams
fielding sides:
Zurich
Bruxelles
Luxembourg
The Hague
Munich
Paris
Teams playing in the Ladies Football league are:
Luxembourg
Holland
Paris
Munich
Maastricht
Guernsey
Madrid I don't see Rennes Ladies team listed, which used to be have quite a
skillful team, and I'm sure will still feature this weekend in Rennes.
After this weekend, teams will arrange their own activities over the Easter
break, a week later is the GAA Congress in Dublin, in which European GAA
County Board has its representation every year.
Next on the European GAA scene on 21st April, will be Men's Regional
Football Tournaments in Madrid, Amsterdam and Budapest, and a Ladies Gaelic
Football tournament in Amsterdam.
A week later welcomes the Guerney 7's with some French & Benelux teams,
hosts Guernsey and usually neighbours Jersey also - this is not Guensey's
Regional event tournament but a traditional 7-a-side event usually featuring
hurling too.
Brussels will feature a Hurling Tournament on the 12th May, the European
Feile Peil na nOg may also be hosted there that weekend.
Moving on, 19th May Austria's capital Vienna hosts its Regional Men's
Football Tournament.
A week later, Men's Gaelic Football tournaments are held in Alicante, Paris
and Luxembourg, with Ladies Football championship continuing in Luxembourg
that weekend.
2nd Saturday in June (9th), Luxembourg will host its European Hurling
Championship (a busy 3 weeks for that club).
23rd June, Visitors
across Europe would find Men's Gaelic Football tournaments in Marbella
(Spain), Guernsey (its regional tournament), Maastricht (Holland), and
Munich (Germany). Munich hosts its Ladies Football Tournament on the same
weekend as its Men's event.
Europe's Juvenile winners will feature in Feile Peil na nÓg in
Sligo-Leitrim-Roscommon, Ireland in the week of 30th June.
The weekend of Munster's Hurling Final will also feature Zurich's Hurling
Tournament in Switzerland.
The first of the All-Europe Championships is held in Copenhagen Denmark,
21st July. The Danes also host a Ladies Football Championship.
Following Holiday season late July and August, the Men's and Women's
European Championship resumes the weekend between the All-Ireland Hurling
and Football Finals - on the 8th September in Maastricht (Holland).
The Hague hosts a Hurling Tournament on the 22nd September.
Paris hosts Men's and Ladies Football the first weekend on October, with the
Finale of the European Championship played in sunny Spain (Barcelona) on the
3rd November.
The winners of the European GAA Championships compete in the Leinster Junior
Club Championship - first match on 17th November.
As well as these matches are many invite matches between 2 clubs - these and
matches against visiting Irish & UK GAA clubs - all form part of an
incredibly active GAA calendar across Europe.
