GETTING STARTED: Practicing, Playing and Attending Tournaments
By RONAN DEANE
This is the final part of a four part unsanctioned and unofficial rough guide to setting up a Gaelic football team in your area.
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If you have been reading these articles since November, you could be saying to yourself that you are ready for the next step. You understand that we must all strive to add to the diversity of the Gaelic community in the north west of this continent.
Looking at the characteristics of your home (population, Irish community, youth ratio and distance from existing clubs), you believe you may live in a place where the potential exists to start a team. You may even have started promoting the idea amongst your friends, in your local pub, and in your community.
So what is the next step? Well, you’ve been thinking and talking about Gaelic football and now you have to play Gaelic football.
You’re going to need a Gaelic football. Obviously, this is key. This is a unique game and the ball is quite unique. It’s smaller than a soccer ball, but heavier. If you are having trouble finding a ball, don’t get too worried. You can play Gaelic football with a soccer ball or a volleyball, if you’re stuck. Once you have a core group, you can spend time worrying about where you are going to get a “real ball.”
Now is the time to gather all the people you have spread the word to and get them playing. Find any open green space and get the group together. Do ball drills that involve everyone, yet are simple to perform. Basic running, catching, kicking, fisting drills. The key to a good practice is to have everyone involved and to keep everyone moving.
Fitness is not something you have to dwell on yet. You just want to show people what an easy game this is and how to play it. If these people are interested in learning a new sport or playing Gaelic football, chances are they are athletic to some extent.
A nice thing you could do after you’ve trained a little is to get everyone together and show them videos of games, if you have them. You may be able to find them somewhere on the internet. This way they will see what a fast game it can be and how much of a crowd it draws (compared to Canadian Football League or National Football League).
After a few energetic practices, they’ll be chomping at the bit. And that’s when you tell them they’ve got tournaments to play in. The dates for this year are as follows:
Fort McMurray, Alberta - June 4; Calgary, Alberta - June 11-12; Vancouver/WhiteRock, BC - July 2-3; Edmonton, Alberta - (to be announced). (For more details of any of the tournaments above, contact the websites below.)
And remember this, Fort McMurray held a successful tournament last year – their first. So if you’ve assembled a team, invite all of those other outfits to visit your town or city to play some games. They’ll be happy to know there is more competition and will try their best to help your club get going.
So that’s it. I hope my four articles, if nothing else, may have helped you to realize that there is quite the Gaelic football world out there in your backyard. And all you need is courage and enthusiasm to bring it to your neighborhood. Best of luck.
Here are the contact details for clubs already in place in Vancouver (www.isscvancouver.com), Edmonton (www.edmontongaa.com), Calgary (www.calgarygaelicfootball.com), and Seattle (www.seattlegaels.org).
All of these clubs would love to hear from anyone that wants assistance, guidance, or words of wisdom. I am also available and you can contact me, Ronan Deane (Fort McMurray) at ronandeane@hotmail.com.
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