Update from the Edmonton Wolfe Tones GFC
By DANIELLE BODNAREK
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Wolfe Tones’ tenth annual invitational tournament was a tremendous success, in spite of the fury unleashed by Mother Nature.
Teams from Calgary and, for the first time in many years, Fort McMurray, traveled to Alberta's capital on July 10 and 11 to compete for the province's Gaelic football bragging rights. The host city managed to field enough footballers for two women's teams and three men's teams, an impressive display of the strength of the sport in Edmonton.
And the number of players was not the only inspiring display. The Wolfe Tones women's A team were warming up to meet their Calgary counterparts in the women's final when the “storm of the century” hit, turning the pitch into a lake in front of participants' very eyes. Since the weather made it impossible to continue, the tournament title was awarded to Edmonton A based on total points from the tournament play to that point. Congratulations to Wolfe Tones’ forward Ainsley Baldwin who was named female tournament MVP.
Edmonton men also came away with the tournament hardware since two Edmonton squads would have met in the final if not for the storm's ill-timed intervention. To get there, Edmonton St. Mary's came up with a hard-won victory over the talented Calgary Chieftains in one semi-final, and the Edmonton Wolfe Tones handily defeated the Fort McMurray boys in the other. Calgary midfielder Adrian Lagan was named Most Valuable Player in the tournament.
On the local front, Edmonton's four team men's league decided its champion on August 29. Now finished its third season, the league is ideal for introducing new players to the game and promoting the sport. The Pairc Gaels took the cup, which is named in honour of Louth's Team of the Millennium footballer and Edmontonian Jack Bell, who threw the ball in to start the match.
The 2004 season will finish with the O'Byrne's Cup on September 25 – a wrap up tournament to which the Wolfe Tones hope to entice their longstanding Calgary Chieftain rivals and newly minted Fort McMurray opponents for one more contest before the evenings get too short and the snow starts to fly. As an added bonus, the All Ireland football final will be broadcast live the next morning over breakfast at Edmonton's Irish Sports and Social Society. Admission will be charged at the door.
For more information about Gaelic football in Edmonton check out their website at www.edmontongaa.com.
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