Gaelic Football News
By John Keane
Seattle Gaelic Football And Hurling
The Seattle Gaels new Officers for 2004 are Chair Ed Harkin, Vice-Chair Michael Fahy, Secretary Tom Lagan, Asst. Secretary Meg Starbird, Registrar Paul Reynolds, Treasurer Kieran Whitney, PRO Paige Heggie, Social Activities Frankie Traylor and Aidan O'Callaghan.
Team Coaches are: Hurling - Rob Mullin; men's football - John O'Malley; women's football - Liam Boyle; and youth - Cecilia Richards. The most important action taken was the decision to combine the Seattle Gaels Footballers with the new Seattle Hurling Club so that there is one focused approach to promoting Gaelic Games in the Seattle area.
To participate in any of the games, or for more information, call men's football team Manager Niall King at (206) 935-1993; women's football team manager Rebecca Fox at (206) 498-2762; hurling team manager Rob Mullin at (206) 353-8460; and/or youth (boys and girls 10-16 years of age) team manager Russ Richards at (206) 527-1702. Or just email: SeattleGaels@irishclub.org.
GAA Field Day
The Seattle Gaels has organized an Irish Sports Field Day and Skills Demo for April 18 from 1-3 PM at Seattle's Magnolia Playing Fields (32nd and West Barrett). Beginners are especially welcome, whether interested in men's or women's football, hurling or youth football (for boys and girls 10-16 years of age).
Each game will be on display and no playing experience is necessary to participate. Football and hurling skills will be taught during coaching clinics conducted by newly certified GAA coaches. For more information, contact Paige at (206) 227-5237.
Coaching Clinics
The GAA's North American County Board (NACB) recently organized three GAA Coaching Clinics in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco, to teach people how to coach Gaelic football, hurling and camogie. Twelve people from the Pacific Northwest – from Vancouver, Seattle and Portland – received certification as GAA coaches at the San Francisco Clinic, which was led by John Tobin, former Galway player and team manager, and a manager of Ireland's International Rules Team this October.
Altogether, a total of 187 people attended the three clinics, 155 men and 32 women. In Boston, 66 people attended, 43 from Boston Clubs and 23 from out of town. In Chicago, 71 people attended, 22 from Chicago Clubs and 49 from out of town.
In San Francisco, 50 people attended, 31 from San Francisco Clubs and 19 from out of town. Ninety-one people, almost half of all who attended, travelled hundreds of miles from 26 different cities outside of the host cities, with their travel funded in part by a grant provided to the NACB by Croke Park.
World Cup Seattle
This Seattle Soccer Tournament, organized by Sister Communities, aims to foster relationships across the many borders that separate people from one another, by show casting teams from Seattle's different ethnic communities.
In 2004, there will be 32 teams from 32 different ethnic communities including Ireland participating in World Cup Seattle, with the Qualifying Rounds on June 4, 5, 6 and the Championship Finals on August 20, 21, 22. All the games are at Fort Dent Park in Tukwila and the Irish team is being organized by the Seattle Gaels. For more information, contact Ed Harkin at (206) 935-1993 or visit www.worldcupseattle.org.
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