Already a keen rugby player? Or an Aussie rules football fan? Then just for the craic, give Gaelic football a try this season. The Abu Dhabi Na Fianna GAA Club is looking for new members at the moment, and if you’ve already got basic ball handling skills, are willing to put in some intense training hours and fancy the chance to play sports all across the Middle East, you’ll fit right in with this sociable club.
Trevor Buckley, the club’s chairman and also vice president of the Irish Society (the two groups function together) says, ‘We’ve got members from Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada, and the UK – some of these people will have already mastered ball handling skills through other sports. For example, the Aussies through Australian football, the South African guys through rugby and so on. They usually have the basic skills, but we do accept newcomers of all ability levels. You’re not going to be turned away if you’re a beginner. And, actually, we’re welcoming new members, not just for the GAA club but also for the Irish Society as a whole.’
The club includes two men’s teams, two ladies’ teams and a junior Gaelic football team, all of whom practise at the club’s new base, Zayed Sports City. Between the club’s players and the rest of the Irish Society there are around 600-1,000 members, which explains the thriving social scene that’s developed around it. Almost all of Ireland’s 2,000-strong expat community in the capital are in contact with the club throughout the season, whether it’s through attending functions, matches, supporting raffles, games or many of the other events and social activities that take place throughout the year.
It’s a good time to get involved with the GAA club, as there’s plenty coming up in the next few months. ‘The way Gaelic football works in the Middle East is this: we have clubs across the region, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, so we’re quite widespread. We have five tournaments throughout the year, one at each of those locations. Each team plays the others once, and scores points depending on where they finish in each tournament. We add up all the points at the end, kind of like the Rugby Sevens. When we’re playing at those places, the venues usually double up as an Irish weekender. An Irish festival, if you like.’
So what are the chances of Abu Dhabi winning the tournament this year? ‘At the moment Qatar is far and away the strongest of the men’s competitors. Dubai and Qatar are probably our biggest rivals, so they would be our main obstacles. The guys would kill me if I say we won’t win though! We’ve got some very good new players, so we do have a good chance.’
Round one of the Middle East league takes place in Dubai on September 30. In the following months there will be tournaments in Oman, Bahrain and Qatar, and the Abu Dhabi round is in May. Trevor says this year’s event is set to be bigger than ever, with up to 25 teams, 300-350 players and hundreds of spectators expected on the day. The club will also be participating in the Asian Gaelic Games, to be held in Seoul, South Korea in October.
For more information, visit www.abudhabinafianna.com.
