Belgium GAA Newsletter Christmas 2010

Our code officers Sylvia McCarthy (Camogie), Jane Brennan (Ladies Football)

and Colin Byrne (Mens Football), and coach Martin Crowley (Hurling) gave us

their perspective on Belgium GAA in 2010.

Camogie

The leaps and bounds covered by Belgium GAA camogie are due in no small

part to huge club support, quality coaching, and the admirable team that

developed in 2010. At the start of the year, many players had to learn the

basics of the game, but effort and enthusiasm resulted in marked

improvements from tournament to tournament. Our challenges included

training in the treacherous Parc 50e, disastrous injuries and epic train

journeys, but in the end, Belgium camogie came out on top. Our first ever tournament win (at home in

June) gave us a glimpse of the future, and the future was ours. This was emphasised by another cup in

Zurich, two Players of the

Tournament (Niamh and

Ciara), and our first ever

European Championship win.

This success, in addition to

the love that everyone has

for the game, has brought

camogie into the limelight of

Belgium GAA and gained us

some hard-earned respect.

There is no doubt that 2011

will be just as exciting.

Ladies Football

Champions for the third year in a row – it‟s pretty impressive, you know.

Even if at this point it‟s almost expected and therefore not often

acknowledged. We have been privileged to have exceptional players join

Belgium Ladies in the past 3 years, but none of our victories have come

easy. Perhaps it looked that way from the sideline, but the victories

weren‟t achieved in those short 10 minute a-side games once a

month. They were achieved in February when we froze our arms off doing

the ***ing plank on the rock hard Astroturf in BSB. They were achieved

in the sweltering summer heat in Parc Cinq, when we all got bitten alive

by whatever evil creatures reside in that godforsaken place. They were

achieved every time we got up at some ridiculous hour of the morning to

travel who-knows-where, spending far too much money on planes, trains

and automobiles.

Belgium GAA 2010: A Review

Christmas 2010

In this issue you can

read all about:

Tournament reports:

Maastricht

Youth GAA in

Belgium

The End-of-Year

Dinner

Club and player

news

...and much more!

Volume 1, Issue 8

BELGIUM GAA NEWSLETTER

Updating members and non-members alike on the activities of one of the best and most

ambitious GAA clubs on the European Continent

Brought to you by Belgium GAA Publishing and

De Valera's Pub, Place Flagey

To receive this newsletter directly, please email [email protected]

Continued on page 2

mailto:[email protected]

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Christmas 2010 Volume 1, Issue 8

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A Review of Belgium GAA in 2010

Ladies Football...continued

The end results were generally the same, but Holland Ladies are out for our blood after too many last-

minute defeats and we won‟t forget our loss to Vienna (who deserved to win every bit as much as we

did) in Budapest, regardless of how it happened in the end. Belgium Ladies A, B and C thoroughly

respect our opposition. Not because it‟s the polite thing to do, but because we wouldn‟t be where we

are if we didn‟t. In 2010, nobody sat back and relaxed, watching the victories roll in – if we had, there

would not have been any victories. There won‟t be any resting on laurels in 2011 either – I‟m proud to

say with confidence that come February, we‟ll have as many people out training as there were when

we finished up last month. That is the only way we have won over the last three years. And it is the

only way we will win again. But for now – we‟ll enjoy the celebrations, after all that work – we deserve

to.

Football

Men's football in Belgium continued to grow from strength to strength

during 2010. From around 30 players running in the freezing cold in BSB in

January and February under the watchful eye of Rochie, to 40 plus

travelling with 3 teams to Maastricht in November, 2010 saw record

numbers participating and two or three teams fielded in three regional and

three pan Euro competition rounds.

We started this year with the definite aim of having a competitive B team,

and this was achieved with something to spare. Under the stewardship of

Johnny Phelan, the year kicked off with an brilliant 3rd place display in

Luxembourg in June, and continued with an excellent group winning display

in Budapest that left the Bs with a chance of claiming the Shield in

Maastricht. Despite some great displays on the day, this proved a bridge

too far but the huge strides taken during the year were there for all to see.

And there was no shortage of silverware during the year either. With Eoin

Sheanon excelling as captain, the Benelux Regional Championship was claimed convincingly after

victories in the Den Haag, Brussels and Luxembourg competitions. The inaugural Nations Cup was

claimed, following a great battle with Luxembourg in Maastricht. Unfortunately the Championship

eluded us again this year but all efforts will focus on that for 2011.

There were many other great occasions in 2011. Clare Island stands out as one of the best. We may

have been few in numbers travelling, but we made up for that in terms of jaegerbombs consumed on

the Saturday night. A great shout to Olof Gill‟s wonderful mother, not to mention the rest of the

islanders, for showing us such great hospitality. The visits of Mike McGurn and Eamonn Ryan on

training weekends were other highlights that spring to mind.

Finally, 2010 saw us bid hello and adieu to a lot of new and old faces. Some old timers such as Tom

Lane, Oliver O'Callaghan, Philip Roche, Ciaran Hudson all said goodbye to Brussels for various reasons

and will be sorely missed. We had short but eventful visits from the likes of Diarmuid Laffan and Marty

'The Fridge' Brennan. Club stalwart Conchur de Barra has left us temporarily to further his career in

Canada. Such turnover is part and parcel of life in a small European club and we are all well used to it.

Lads will be missed, new lads will come on board, but come January, we'll all be raring to go and give

it another lash for 2011.

www.belgiumgaa.com/Find us on Facebook at Belgium GAA and Friends

Continued from page 1

http://www.belgiumgaa.com

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A Review of Belgium GAA in 2010

Hurling

We start the year knowing we have to defend our crown without many of the lads who won it: Hartey,

Eoghan K, and Emmet. Rochie‟s ACL affliction stops him playing too, and new euro Chair Willie has to sit

at top tables all over the place so we plan without him. Declan will miss most of it too. Who will replace

them? Happily Crusher comes back stronger than ever and ready to be captain, Conchur returns too in

equally robust order. Then Conor Magner appears on Patrick‟s Day, it turns out Shane plays the game

nearly as well as he talks about it and Sean, Ciaran and John M further strengthen the base. Big Liam

materialises, hand passing the ball further than many can strike it, and Jim delivers on his promise but

his coalition with Keary never comes to pass as injury robs the Chairman of his season.

Instead Kevin manages us in Den Haag on the May holiday weekend, I‟m not there to confuse and a win

is squeezed out with a thin squad drawn from our supposed multitude of players. Best of all, Conor M

and Fergal have their young fellas Emmet and Robert with them on the sideline, and it feels like we

have roots.

The same happens in Luxembourg where we still make Conor A play in goal and he hits the longest

pucks and Kevin masterminds another win. Suddenly non-hurler Timmy O is a star alongside his

mentor, Dave. Pity that less than half us train and pity the half who do, as they endure the dust bowl of

Parc 50 and my thrill-less drills. No end of Adrian‟s charm, doodles and emails can get a better than

modest turnout at training. Olga‟s girls shame us with their application and progress.

Mid June and we go to Leuven for our home tournament and at last we have 2 Belgium teams erecting

tents before 9.00 and its 90 degrees in the shade with 6 teams playing. The As sweep Paris and Zurich

aside but don‟t impress themselves, and the Bs test Den Haag severely and beat Lux, creating an A v B

semi. It turns into a great game with Daire and Dave wrestling and jostling under Liam‟s puck outs until

Keary‟s premature comeback ends with a heart thumping departure and Eoin runs amuck to make it a

Den Haag v Belgium A final. We promote Daire and Dominic from the Bs, but its level at half time when

Daire implores the lads to let the ball in low – they do and he

responds with a hat trick in 5 minutes and all‟s well that ends well.

Home Tournament won and with it the Championship but we have to

go to Zurich to really feel we have earned it. We finally stage a proper

training match and I duck a Daire rasper from 6 yards. Dave rages at

me and he‟s right - the game matters always or its not hurling.

We travel slowly with a tidy 14-man squad but make ourselves

smaller before match time and struggle through the closest

tournament since the legendary Lux win in 2009. In the final, Hough

and Crusher bring us to the edge of victory before Dave‟s calm

accuracy lands the killer blow to the host‟s determined almost

demented challenge. Crusher‟s dignified victory speech reminds us all

why we play. Europe‟s hurlers acknowledge it and celebrate the game

if not our win, but we make up for them and the journey home enters

the annals. 2010 done but will we be ready to rumble in 2011?



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Continued Uphill Battles of the A

Team


4

A Team Football Report

So having gotten Johnny to do my write up for

the last newsletter the powers that be seem

determined to get me writing, although the last

thing I wrote of any note was about 10 years ago,

I‟m more a visual type of chap. Anyway

Maastricht was another disaster in what is now a

growing list of footballing disasters in my

goalkeeping career. Many can‟t understand how

or why we went from Benelux champs to

European Chumps, I don‟t have the answer,

although I wasn‟t playing on the A team in the

Benelux, competition, I‟ll leave the rest for you to

decide if that had any bearing.

So to Maastricht. Possibly the only person who

can hold their hand up after the tournament and

say that they played at their best was Eoin, who

was closer to me than Crusher and Burkey on

numerous occasions. That doesn‟t bode well for

corner backs, as it turned out, those omens were

correct. He also scored some great points and

played a role in others.

I like playing Luxembourg, we tend to win the

games and it was no different this time as we ran

out convincing winners in our first match of the

championship, not sure of the score but Mr

Barrett has it detailed in his blog (http://

footballingjourneymen.blogspot.com/2010/11/

and-then-it-was-done.html).

Next up was Den Haag, personally I have never

been on the winning side against them, and

partially due to 1 dodgy short kickout that trend

has not changed. So 1-4 to 2 points at half time

things were looking bad, we picked ourselves up

in the second half and James O Dowd scored

some great points, 5 in all. Still we lost by a point

and that as far as I was concerned was very

worrying. I had been watching some of the Paris

matches and they looked good, they had already

beaten Den Haag in their first game.

So as it turned out, match 3 of the group stage

was “do or die” against Paris Gaels. Unfortunately

and of late no real big surprise, we died. We got

off to a great start, 2:2 to 1 point after about 7

minutes, then they came back and scored 3 really

sloppy goals. We lost by a point, and ended up

playing Luxembourg again. We won this game

comfortably, but for me this was no comfort at

all. So we finish our year with a whimper and look

forward to a couple of months to rest and to

contemplate a new year where hopefully our

fortunes will change. See you next year for the

first day of training and bring the balls Dave.

Reportage by Brendan Lynch


http://footballingjourneymen.blogspot.com/2010/11/and-then-it-was-done.html





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B Team Football Report

Bs-Not There Yet, But Getting

There


We all assembled beside the ING bank in Schuman at 7am on a dark, cold and wet wintry morning. This time we weren‟t about to board a plane or a train, or even have in store for a nine hour journey

on the fun bus. Instead we had a short spin down the motorway to Maastricht. For Johnny P‟s Shield army, what we had to do was clear – win the Maastricht tournament and we would be crowned

European Shield Champions. Hopes were high we would achieve this as we travelled with what was arguably the strongest Belgian B panel ever.

We were drawn in a group that also contained Amsterdam, Rennes and Lyon. First up it was a

disoriented Lyon team who only just managed to get 11 players on the pitch. The Belgian team showed no mercy though and racked up a large score in conditions that ensured we would play the

rest of the day in rain soaked jerseys. Enda Rice and Michael Hough got the pick of the scores, with Collie Byrne also winning a lot of dirty ball around midfield.

Next up it was Rennes – a former Championship team who had just thrown away a substantial half time lead against Amsterdam in their first game. This game proved to be a much tighter affair with the Belgian team slow to come out of the blocks.

We were scoreless at half time but that soon changed after Keary provided the Hough with a sublime diagonal pass to leave him with the

simplest of finishes to the back of the net. Enda

tagged on a long range free and the Hough once again came up trumps at the end with his second green flag of the game. This left the final score at 2-1 to 1-3 and a win by the slenderest of margins.

This set up a winner-takes-all clash with

Amsterdam to decide who would top the group and qualify for the semi finals. Thankfully the weather had improved by this stage, and we even saw some glimpses of sunshine during the match. Amsterdam

were obviously still hurting from the defeat we inflicted upon them down in Budapest as they came at us hammer and tongs right from the throw in. We were 2 points to 1 down at the short whistle

and well in the game. Unfortunately we then started to panic and started hitting hopeful balls forward instead of the patient build-up we had used in the previous two matches. With five minutes to go we were only 2 points down and started to push

forward in search of the green flag we needed. This inevitably left a few holes at the back and Amsterdam tagged on 2 late points to push their winning margin out to 4 points, as the goal we

craved for never arrived.

Needless to say the mood in the panel had dropped significantly as the realisation that the dream was now gone and the best we could finish was 5th set

in. We played St. Malo next and lost by two points in a game that featured some very questionable refereeing decisions. Finally we played against Guerande. With the shackles off and the realisation that this would probably be the last game of

football we played in 2010 we played some of our best football of the day, winning the game comfortably in the end.

Then it was finished. Unfortunately it didn‟t turn out

the way we had all hoped it would but the Belgian B team has made great progress this year and it can only be onwards and upwards for next year. If we continue to build on what we have put in place this year who knows what 2011 may have in store.

Reportage by Andrew Shorten


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6

Going Boldly To Where No Cs

Have Gone Before


6

C Team Football Report

Some managers are lucky enough to be sent to

the stands, I for my sins got sent to goals. That

assignment coupled with my poor eyesight and

sketchy memories are the reasons for the

unconventional reporting style submitted

herewith. Suffice to say, it doesn't do justice to

the monumental efforts put in by Europe's best

and most historic C-Team on the 6th of

November in Maastricht.

Game 1: Liffre. You know its going to be a

challenging day when you meet most of your

team mates for the first time in the dressing

room 30 minutes before your first match.

However, there was a definite sense of purpose

about the lads. There were no great expectations

on us and most of the guys were just looking to

get stuck in and play some ball.

Our opponents had given the B-Team the run

around on a number of occasions last year. The

strategy was simple - defend, defend and then

defend some more. Martin, JP and Pat were

tenacious in defence, hardly putting a foot wrong.

Cathal, John H., Paul and Mike were linking up

nicely between midfield and the forwards. We

held our own in the first half, only going in a

point or two down. There was a definite feeling

that the game was there for the taking. The

second half went much the same way as the first.

In the end we finished 2 points down.

Game 2: Prague. Fast forward time. I was told

to keep the report to 713 words or they will feed

me to the monster that lives under the stairs in

Dev's.

Prague were runners up in the last

tournament in Budapest and were looking to

go one better this time

We held our own in the first half going in a

couple of points down

We conceded a couple of soft goals in the

2nd half which took the wind from our sails

and we ended up going down by those couple

of goals.

The stand out performer was John N. who

took up a job shadowing Prague's top

marksman. I don't think he scored from play

which is testimony to the how much of a

damned nuisance John can be when he puts

his mind to it.

Notable moments included Kitch regressing

to his Mayo clan roots by punching, kicking,

biting and pulling the hair of anything that

moved. Also Gearoid for manfully trying to

block fists, footballs & opposition runs with

his face.

Game 3: St Malo. This game started off rather

predictably with a "Haka" from our French

opposition. This was respectively observed by all,

including Carlo whose tribes cultural rituals

include baring ones bottom to an opponent

*think Braveheart but hairier*.

To say it was a classic is an understatement. We

started sluggishly going in 1-4 down after the

first half, with a flukey goal really hurting. What

happened at half time can never be talked of

again but a fire was lit in the bellies of the lads

for round 2. The team threw caution to the wind

and points were starting to land from all angles

including a peach from Eamonn. St Malo were

rattled. As they panicked we became more

composed in front of goals. The end result was an

historic win for the Cs by the smallest of margins.

It‟s an over used cliché, but the team did become

greater than the sum of the individual parts over

a day. What a day for the parish.

Epilogue. Prague were group winners with us,

Liffre and St Malo finishing as joint runners up.

Unfortunately our points difference meant we

didn't get to qualify for more games. Except, that

is, for Matti. He impressed the St Malo team so

much they poached him to replace an injured

player for the rest of the Tournament. What he

did next can also never again be spoken of.

The Team. Carlo Walker, Cathal McCabe, Conor

Aylward, David Kitching, Eamonn Farrell, Gearoid

Murphy, John Harkin, John Nganga, JP

Mulherin, Martin Crowley, Matti Bertrand, Mike

Lucey, Pat Barrett, Paul Hagan.

(Editor‟s note: the C team is pictured with the B

team on page 5.)

Reportage by Conor Aylward




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Photos from Maastricht

Maastricht Football Tournament


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A Tale of Three Teams


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Ladies Football

For the first time in our history, Belgium GAA

ladies descended upon Maastricht in full force,

with not one, not two, but three teams competing

in the day‟s competition. The men‟s contingent

also travelled with three squads, meaning that

over 70 representatives of Belgium GAA invaded

the Dutch city, an outstanding achievement for

our club!

Overall it was a very successful day for all of the

ladies‟ teams. An Bheilig probably had the

hardest group to compete in on the day, facing

opposition like Rennes, Holland and Munich. The

team, however, put up a valiant fight under the

leadership of captain Niamh Kennedy, and lost a

very close match to Rennes by 1 point. The fact

that Rennes was in the same group played to An

Bheilig‟s advantage, as due to insufficient

numbers in the Rennes panel, three of the girls

combined with the Belgian team and remained

with them for the rest of the day. After a day of

exciting matches Ah Bheilig beat Paris Gold in

their final game, securing 7th place in the

competition – which is a great performance for a

team that was playing together for the first time

this year!

Belgium B also performed consistently well

throughout the day. My super-assistant Steph

helped me out in coaching Belgium B as due to

the fixtures it was impossible for me to be on

more than one sideline at any given time...

however, the Bs, captained by Jess O‟Flynn, put

up an excellent fight in every match, winning

their final group game and winning their final

game of the day against Viking Gaels to be

placed 5th in the competition – yet another

fantastic performance!

Belgium A once again dominated the tournament,

beating all opposition in the group stages, and

winning an exciting semi-final against Holland to

go on to face Paris in the final for the umpteenth

time this year. There is not much to say, apart

from that Belgium A, led by captain Caoimhe,

played an outstanding final comfortably beating

Paris, which was a great way to finish the season.

Congratulations should also go to Ciara Farrell for

winning Player of the Tournament for the second

time this year.

With 29 players, it is impossible to mention

everyone here. But if you will allow me to wear

my „coach‟s hat‟ for a second, I will say this:

It is not about who is on which team, or how

many matches a team wins. What makes Belgium

GAA ladies so special is that each and every one

of them is committed and determined to do their

best for the club, no matter what team they are

on, or what position they play in. Belgium A

supports An Bheilig, An Bheilig supports Belgium

B, Belgium B supports Belgium A and so on and

so forth...Sending three teams to a tournament is

something which I am pretty sure has never been

done in the history of ladies Gaelic football in

Europe and it is something which each

representative of Belgium GAA ladies present in

Maastricht that day should be proud of. As coach,

I would like to say thank you for a fantastic

season, and I hope to be back playing next year.

Reportage by Laura Whiskerd




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Ladies Football


From Mayo to Maastricht

It all began in the Mayo

sunshine. We may have

spent little more than 24

hrs on Clare Island but

the unseasonable March

sunshine, the flaithiúlacht

of the islanders and

indeed our first victory of

the season all made the

epic journey worthwhile.

From playing in the

shadow of Gráinne

Mhaol‟s castle to rocking

it up in the community

centre to drinking tea

with Olof‟s mammy,

„ t w a s i n d e e d a

memorable weekend.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y

E y j a f j a l l a j ö k u l l

intervened to disrupt the

Belgium ladies next

engagement in their

campaign to conquer

Europe for the third time

running. Despite the indomitable leadership of

Maria “the Bros” Brosnan who mustered the

troops to head Valencia via Frankfurt, there was

no stopping the volcano and the journey came to

an abrupt end in the lovely vineyards of Mosel,

Germany. A night of mojitos in Brussels helped

somewhat to assuage the disappointment.

May saw Belgium GAA host its first home football

tournament and a successful one it was too. The

ladies fielded two very strong teams and the As

came away with a great victory after a

comprehensive victory over Paris in the final. After

an afternoon spent terrorising the backlines of

Europe, Belgium‟s Ciara O‟Farrell was deservedly

awarded Player of the Tournament.

And so to Paris, the bugbear of Belgium ladies.

However, this year spurred on by birthday girl

Caragh‟s request for Paris‟ head on a plate, or

alternatively the Paris trophy, and inspired by

Gráinne‟s leadership, the day was Belgium‟s. Paris

also saw the departure of Bros, serenaded on her

way with a memorable on-pitch rendition of “Bad

Romance.” Lady Gaga eat your heart out.

Tournament one of two in Maastricht came next

and was another successful day for Belgium

ladies, captained that day by Sylvia McCarthy.

Memories from the day: Laura‟s lovely sandals,

Anay‟s abuse of the Lux team. But also one of the

toughest matches of the championship in a hard

fought final against Holland.

It may have seemed impossible that the

tournament in München could live up to the

previous year‟s, but so it did. Clipboard Man

validated the German stereotype of efficiency;

there was Barry‟s tea, there was a hall full of food

and beer, and as always, lost souls wandering

around Kultfabrik. Most importantly of all, the best

fullback in Europe and our favourite Corca

Dhuibhne woman was finally acknowledged for

another excellent performance on the field agus

bronnadh duais Laoch na hImeartha ar Ghráinne.

Budapest is probably the tournament we would all

like to forget, but should remember because of

the important lessons learned, most notably, to

play the whistle. We did manage to put

disappointment far enough behind us, however, to

carry on a singsong til the early hours and then

board a bus for sightseeing the next day at some

unholy hour.

In between rounds of the championship, a small

band of Belgium players travelled to London under

the captaincy of Sinéad Fitzsimons to play Tara

ladies in the “Exiles‟ Cup” which the Tara ladies

won in Parc 50 last year. This year, despite

playing an unfamiliar 11-a-side and a somewhat

more physical game than encountered on the

continent, the ladies brought the cup back to

Brussels.

Second time round in

Maastricht and we

were delighted to field

three teams all of

whom finished the day

victorious in their

respective finals. What

better way to close the

season?? Goals for

2011? 4 in a row and

a clean sweep of all

tournaments . No

pressure ladies!

Reportage by Caoimhe Ní Shúilleabháin

4432.4 miles (approx) and one European championship later…


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10

Youth GAA in Belgium

The Kids are Alright

Damn it but with all the bad news from home, the

doom and gloom, the long dark evenings and the

lousy cold weather, it can be hard enough to be

upbeat these days. We don‟t even have Davy

Barrett‟s training to take our minds off things.

So if you‟re in the market for a tonic, if you want

to give your spirits a lift, or if you just need your

regular fix of Peil during the official GAA closed

season, you could do an awful lot worse than head

out to the BSB „elephant‟ pitches every second

Sunday to see – or better still help out with – the

next generation of young footballers going

through their paces, tearing up and down the

pitch with an O'Neill's no. 3 ball, and having a

great time to boot – notwithstanding the

challenges occasionally posed by the Brussels

micro-climate.

It genuinely warms the heart to see 30+ children,

learning, practicing and then utilising in matches

all the key skills of our game.

A little bit of background. Known as the EC

GAELIC CLUB / BRUSSELS, the club has been in

existence since about 1980, starting out

essentially as a men's senior club in the pioneer

days long before the European County Board and

Pan European Championship. Over the years, it

has evolved into a youth GAA club.

Our current membership is primarily young Irish

boys & girls who have grown up either in Ireland

or in Belgium but we also have many other

nationalities playing. We cater for 5 year olds up

to mid-teens. We have three groups based on age

and experience so that each child is getting the

right coaching for his or her level and, more

importantly, getting lots and lots of time on the

ball.

This season we got off to a cracking start on 3

October, with Cork coach Eamonn Ryan taking the

session and imparting his knowledge to the young

players – and to some of the coaches too it has to

be said – with enthusiasm, energy and passion,

even though this was his fourth coaching session

of the weekend. And the response since then has

been equally enthusiastic, both from the young

players themselves and from their parents, with a

good number helping out with coaching and

organisation – and a few going into goal to

Reportage by Fergal Mythen




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Youth GAA in Belgium


reconnect with their long-dormant inner Paddy

Cullen or Martin Furlong and pulling off some

extraordinary saves.

We really want to build on this tús maith – with

even more children participating – so get the

message out there to your friends and colleagues

if they are looking for a fun, sporting outlet for

their children. We also want to keep improving

our coaching sessions, making them as varied

and interesting and enjoyable as possible. So if

you want to help out for just a single session or

for the season, you would be really welcome, as

would your ideas and inputs into our coaching

drills. [confession: occasionally we have

plagiarised some of Barrett‟s copyrighted drills

but the kids keep getting confused with all the

cones and intricate jinxy moves; maybe we‟re not

explaining the drills correctly].

Our forthcoming sessions are on the following

Sundays from 2 to 3.30 pm – 23 January, 6

February, 20 February and 6 March, with further

dates to be added up to the end of June 2011.

Details are on the club website: www.playgaa.be.

Looking ahead, the challenge for the Club is to

press for the development of a European youth

tournament or competition which would give our

players a clear focus for their efforts, just as the

development of the adult football and hurling

competitions has spurred the promotion of our

games across Europe over the past decade.

Over the years, the Junior Club – under the

stewardship of Liam Breslin, Denis and Kay

Sheehan, Joe Murtagh, Caoimhin Ó Ciaruain and

others – has trained teams who have participated

in Feile Peil na nÓg tournaments in Dublin,

Galway, Tipperary, Carlow and Limerick. And on

many occasions we have hosted visiting teams

from Ireland (including a most enjoyable visit

from my own club, Whitehall Colmcilles U-13s),

as well as playing games in France, Spain,

Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

However, the inauguration of an officially

organised, annual European competition –

providing regular opportunities to play teams at

similar stages of development in reasonably

accessible locations – would be of huge benefit to

our young players. So over to Chairman Willie

and the County Board Convention in Stockholm in

December!


http://www.playgaa.be

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12 www.belgiumgaa.com/Find us on Facebook at Belgium GAA and Friends

Event: Belgium GAA End-Of-Season Dinner

Date: Saturday 27 November 2010, 7.30pm to 10am

Location: De Valera’s Bar, Place Flagey, Brussels

Who was there?: Everyone who is anyone on the

Belgium GAA circuit.

What was drunk?: Or should it be Who was drunk? The

bar went through 20 bottles of Jägermeister. Inside

sources say that the brand is in negotiations for a

sponsorship deal with the club. It faces strong

competition from another fierce contender, Vedett,

whose sweatbands were worn by many club members.

Winners on the night?: Some say that everyone is a

winner on nights like this, but in Belgium GAA’s case,

this was true. A table laden with medals, trophies and

plaques greeted guests on arrival, and many members

left with more than one medal to their name. Additional

acknowledgements went to honourable members,

including coaches and officers, while the distinguished

Player of the Year awards were presented to Caoimhe

Ní Shúilleabháin (Ladies Football), Niamh Kennedy

(Camogie), James McGrath (Mens Football), and David

Barrett Esq. (Hurling) (pictured on the right). Mr. Barrett

was also recognised as Club Person of the Year,

bringing a proud blush to the Corkman’s cheeks. A final

award went to another Corkman, Conchur de Barra, in

honour of his dedication to the club and his imminent

departure from Belgian shores (profile of Mr. de Barra

on opposite page).

Music: Among other offerings, the 1st Christmas tunes

of the festive season

Sartorial observations: All were decked out in their

finest feathers, but the most standout fashion statement

was made by one C. Byrne, who sported a voluminous

grey cardigan. Said cardie caused quite a stir, in

particular when worn later in the night by at least 2

people at one time.

They said: “Why are the paramedics here?”, “It’s

WHAT time?”, “Why are the cleaners here?”, “Is that

daylight?”, “Where will we go for breakfast?”, “Thank

god, it’s a year until the next dinner”.



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Volume 1, Issue 8

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Christmas 2010

Player Profile

Player Profile - Conchur de Barra

Who are you?

Conchur de Barra, aka The Bull, aka the Grand Marshal :)

Where are you from?

Bride Rovers, Co. Cork

Where do you work?

I am currently unemployed and looking for bar work in Toronto.

Why did you join Belgium GAA?

Because I met Fergal Mythen in The Old Oak (getting the plug in there) and was impressed by his love

of the game.

What is your favourite European GAA tournament and why?

It would be the Belgian tournaments, if only we didn't have to put up the tents. It‟s great to see so

many from the parish out in one day, wearing the proud grey, red and salmon of Belgium.

Who is your Belgium GAA hero and why?

Gráinne Ní Fhlatharta, legend!

Who is your overall GAA hero?

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, he is the GAA, and a great man, I had the privilege of chatting to him on one

of my Niall Mellon Township Trust visits in the shanty towns in South Africa.

What do you see as the main differences in the Belgium GAA of 2004 and 2010?

it just gets better and better, another year on, another year better, having seen Brussels hurling club

go from a few lads in the park to the biggest team in Europe.

What words of encouragement would you give a new member joining our esteemed club?

Get involved in any way you can in the club, either helping set up trainings, organise events,

fundraisers, committee work. If you are injured, don't make the mistake of sitting it out on your own.

The GAA is one of the best social introductions you can get to the city.

Conchur de Barra. Player. Sponsor. Treasurer. The man wears many hats in Belgium GAA, but has

recently replaced them all with a cowboy hat (plus cowboys boots and buckle), as he moves his life to

Canada for a year. Belgium GAA bids him farewell with the final player profile of the year.



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Players News & Events


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2011 Annual General Meeting - Call for Fresh Blood The Belgium GAA AGM will be held on Tuesday 25 January 2011, at 19h00 in the European Parliament

(room JAN 6Q1). An email with further details will be circulated to all members at a later stage.

Anyone who wishes to become active on the Committee should contact Kevin Keary on

[email protected]. It is important to have fresh involvement so all members of the club - new

school, old school or any school - are welcome to express their interest in the positions available.

Looking forward to 2011, we will have a discussion at our AGM about our plans for the year, with issues

such as whether to bid for a Pan-European football tournament high on the agenda. Any new ideas for

change in the club to be submitted via motions to our Secretary, Becky Mattes at

[email protected].

European County Board Convention, December 2010

The club was strongly represented at the recent annual ECB convention in

Stockholm, with Belgium GAA clubman Willie Cashin returned for a 2nd year as

Chairman of the European County Board. Kevin Keary was also returned as

Club Development Officer and Conchur de Barra was elected Sponsorship

Officer. Dave Barrett and Becky Mattes stepped down after a year each as

Coaching and Games Development Officer and Camogie Officer respectively.

European GAA is very strong, with 20% year on year growth over past 3 years and a total of 45 clubs

active across 17 different countries in continental Europe. The Convention debated and passed a series

of motions related to the management of this rapidly growing organisation.

With regard to the structure of the season, their will be no big changes across the 4 codes. Belgian

delegates argued to scrap the Nations' Cup and revert to the 2009 status of 4 Pan-European Football

rounds, however this met with resistance and it seems that some modified form of the Nations' Cup,

possibly as a 7-a-side competition, may be put in place for 2011.

Of great interest is a plan to host a Pan-European round (most likely in mens and ladies football) in

Limerick in October, as part of Limerick's status as 2011 European City of Sport. Delegates made it

clear to the County Board however that this should not result in extra expense above and beyond the

norm for travel to a "normal" Pan-Euro tournament. The Board officers gave a commitment to come

back with a concrete proposal including sponsorship. This could be a huge opportunity to increase

awareness of European GAA back in Ireland so is to be welcomed, but nevertheless will have to be

carefully controlled so that participation is high and cost is low. All delegates argued for the Competitions Control Committee to come forward with a finalised calendar

as early as possible in 2011 so we can start planning our trips for the year, booking flights etc. As soon

as this is agreed, club members will be immediately informed via Code Officers.

One of the key motions passed from a Belgium GAA perspective was the introduction of a penalty for

teams who refuse to play 3rd-4th 5th-6th etc play-offs. Teams will now forfeit all tournament points for

refusing to play, except in exceptional cases of injury and so on. This was a key point for Belgium GAA

going into the Convention, as we travel in large numbers to all tournaments and want to see as much

game time as possible for our club members who have taken the time and effort to travel. Thanks to

Colin Byrne and Becky Mattes for their key role in moving forward this motion. There was a lot of talk about developments in hurling, with indoor hurling/camogie being played at

9,000 feet in Switzerland this year. The club will look into source indoor hurling/camogie gear in 2011

as it could be a great way to get early season training going.

Refereeing Course Anyone interested in getting involved in refereeing should contact Becky

([email protected]), a Ladies' football refereeing course will be organised in early 2011.

News & Events


Got news to add? Contact Sylvia McCarthy on [email protected].







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Live the Dream with Belgium GAA

Club actively seeking new members

Just moved to Belgium or thinking of taking up a new sport?

Joining Belgium GAA will provide you with:

1. Physical and skill based training with one of the best clubs in Europe. All skill levels catered for, open

to young and old alike.

2. A network of expats working across many different sectors.

3. Plenty of organised social events and drinking opportunities.

4. Reduced rates on one of Brussels‟ best gyms

5. Travel in large groups to exotic destinations across Europe for tournaments. Let‟s just say - the

nights have been wild.

We also always need volunteers to help with tournaments, coaching, refereeing, fundraising and

general mischief-making to keep everyone on their toes.

At Belgium GAA we like to consider ourselves a 'welcoming' club. Our attitude is that whether you are

Irish or from outer Mongolia, your participation is vital. The more the merrier and anyone who puts in

the effort is greatly appreciated.

Gaelic Football

Colin Byrne [email protected] GSM: +32 476 073 079

Camogie

Sylvia McCarthy [email protected] GSM:+32 493 712 678

Ladies Football

Jane Brennan [email protected] GSM: +32 484 162 140

Hurling

Adrian Hiel [email protected] GSM: +32 472 517 038

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Contacts

Training and Tournaments: No more training or tournaments until

January/February 2011. If you would like to be

added to the team mailing lists, please contact

the current team officers, who will keep you up-

to-date on future developments.

Photo Credits and Thanks to: Colin Byrne, Dave Barrett, Lorraine Baldwin, Alec

Elliot, Fergal Mythen, Sinead Ní Mhaoilmhichíl,

Stephanie Dunn, and Sylvia McCarthy. If you

have photos that you would like to add to the

newsletter, please don‟t hesitate to contact

Stephanie Dunn ([email protected]).

Last Newsletter of 2010: This is the last newsletter until February/March 2011. Thank you all for your support in getting

this project off the ground this year, and if anyone is interested in contributing next year, please

don‟t hesitate to contact Sylvia McCarthy ([email protected]) or Stephanie Dunn

([email protected]).










Belgium GAA Newsletter Christmas 2010

Documents

Transcript of Belgium GAA Newsletter Christmas 2010