UPDATED: Belgium GAA (Still) Needs You

UPDATED: 

The AGM takes place on Wednesday 30 January 2013, from 19h00. 

Everyone attending the AGM is requested to fill in their details here (url: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au2NuPg-Cx1JdG1FT1h0eUtTcXpJMTE5ZlljS1BuOGc). 

This information is requested for all attendees (not just those who need Parliament passes) so as to keep track of numbers.

Please note: the deadline for nominations and motions is today, 18 January 2013

It's January 2013. Don't worry - it isn't time to go back to training yet (that time will come in February) but it is time to get back to the business of running this club. 

With that in mind, the 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place in the European Parliament on Wednesday 30 January. You will be contacted by your relevant code officer in the coming weeks to submit your details for access to the Parliament, as well as more information on the time and exact location of the meeting. If you are not on one of the lists, please send an email to pro.belgium.europa@gaa.ie.

Ah, the AGM. It's an exciting time, so much hangs in the balance. 2013 is no exception. For once, the majority of the current committee is leaving office. Familiar faces such as Colin Byrne, Jane Brennan and Phil Cushen are moving on from committee life. Don't be afraid. The club will continue. Fresh blood and new ideas are always welcome.

Any club member is entitled to put their name forward for any of the positions on the committee. Are you one such eager beaver? Do you yearn for power and responsibility? Do you believe that there is more to a club than what takes place on the pitch during training or a match? Or do you just want to pay forward the work of current and previous committee members. If so, Belgium GAA needs you.

Below you will see a list of the roles and the current occupants (those in red have indicated that they will not stand for re-election).

Chair - Aonghus O Muirtheartaigh - Maria Brosnan nominated

Secretary - Jane Brennan - Jelena Radakovic nominated

Assistant Secretary Irish Club Liaison Officer - Caoimhe Ní Shuilleabháin

Treasurer - Oliver Swan

Men's Football - Colin Byrne - Gavin Flynn nominated

Ladies Football - Anna Bates - no nominations to replace

Camogie - Christine O' Gorman  - no nominations to replace

Hurling - Shane Ryan

Equipment Officer - Phil Cushen - David Kitching nominated

Social Secretary - Maria Brosnan  - no nominations to replace

PRO - Sylvia McCarthy - Paul Quinn nominated

Here is the important part: to date, only two nominations have been received. These are Jelena Radakovic to replace Jane Brennan, and David Kitching to replace Phil Cushen. 

Please note: your nomination is only valid if you communicate it directly to Jane Brennan (secretary.belgium.europe@gaa.ie). That drunken conversation you had with the lads in the pub does not count as a nomination. 

Jane has kindly extended the deadline for nominations to 18 January, so get cracking!! If you have any questions about what any of these roles entail, please don't hesitate to get in contact with any of the existing officers for more information.

A lot depends on this meeting, not least because it is the one time during the year when everyone gets together in a formal setting to discuss the future of the club. Anything that happens during the year, from committee meetings to tournament management to  training locations, will stem from this meeting. If you do not attend and do not have any input (unless for a very good reason), then you really don't have the right to complain about any decisions made during the year.

Quiz-nuts Roasting on an Open Fire

In case you missed it, tonight will be the very last Belgium GAA event of 2012, the Christmas quiz in De Valeras. Contact the lovely Christine O' Gorman (belgiumgaa.camogie@gmail.com) if you want a last-minute registration for your team. 

That's it - no more end-of-season dinners, no more Race Nights, no more Fr. Ted Céilis and no more St. Patrick's Day Festivals. 

Until 2013, that is, when it starts all over again with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the European Parliament on 30 January (tbc). Watch out here, on the Belgium GAA+Friends FB page, on Twitter and in any emails you receive from the code officers in the coming weeks for more information, as you will need to submit your details to get a pass for the Parliament.

During the meeting the 2013 committee will be elected. Any club member is entitled to put their name forward for any of the positions on the committee.

I have listed them below for your information.  Those in red are committee members who have indicated that they will not stand for re-election in 2013.  As you can see there are alot of positions which need to be filled!  

Chair - Aonghus O Muirtheartaigh

Secretary - Jane Brennan

Assistant Secretary - Irish Club Liaison Officer - Caoimhe Ní Shuilleabháin 

Treasurer - Oliver Swann

Men's Football - Colin Byrne

Ladies Football - Anna Bates

Camogie - Christine O'Gorman

Hurling - Shane Ryan

Equipment Officer - Phil Cushen

Social Secretary - Maria Brosnan

Public Relations Officer - Sylvia McCarthy

If you are interested in any of these roles, and why wouldn't you be, please contact Jane Brennan (secretary.belgium.europe@gaa.ie) no later than 10th January 2013 to declare your interest.

Being a committee member is a rewarding role, and this year's committee deserves its just rewards. It is always good to have fresh faces and fresh ideas, but the beauty of a revolving committee is that the old committee members are still around to give support and help where needed. Between them and the rest of the reliable club members who are willing to provide their time and expertise, there is no excuse for 2013 not to be as productive and prosperous for the club.

Please click here to see some descriptions of the various roles - these descriptions were made by the officers themselves and the roles are constantly evolving.

Finally, if you have made it this far, you deserve a little flashback on Belgium GAA in 2012. Yes - it's the little slideshow that could (or could not, depending on where you were on the night of the end-of-season dinner). Enjoy, good luck tonight, happy Christmas and see you all in the New Year!!

2012: A Belgium GAA Odyssey from Sylvia McCarthy

The Return of the Wild Geese

On Saturday 8 September 2012, the current batch of Belgium GAA footballers will face their biggest threat yet: a conglomerate of past players, former comrades and old friends. The All-Stars have challenged the Belgian men to a duel on home (astro)turf. In the words of organiser Shane Griffin, the All-Stars “will return to Brussels and take on the current pretenders to their former shirts. It’s a time for anyone who enjoyed playing in the red and grey to show the 2012 team exactly what they are missing”.

The winning Belgium Shield team in Limerick, November 2011 (photo by Caoimhe Ní Shuilleabháin)

For many, Brussels is a temporary home. People arrive with a set departure date in mind, but this is usually adjusted and postponed by months or even years. While the unofficial capital of the EU has other endearing aspects in the form of its vibrant nightlife, culture and location, the GAA club is a strong welcoming presence for anyone fresh off the boat.

Oliver O’ Callaghan, who relocated to London in 2010, points out that the club acts as so much more than an athletic endeavour: “It is a social hub, a support network, a link to home and Gaelic games, and above all, the source of instant yet long-term friendships”. Other non-Irish Brussels experiences notwithstanding, he says “I never get tired of reminiscing on the adventures I undertook with this club and good times that surrounded it”.

When club members eventually move on, they do so with heavy hearts and numerous leaving parties, rarely passing up the chance to pay a return visit. The Eagles could just as easily have been referring to Brussels when they sang “You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave”.

GAA in Europe provides an added twist for home-grown players: distances between clubs mean that tournaments across Europe are played on a monthly basis. Brussels-based Mayo man, Olof Gill, notes, “I've always been struck by the phrases many players repeat when they come back from European tournaments - 'a great day for the parish' after a win, 'a bad day for the parish' after a loss. It's not a coincidence that so many players use this word - it's a marvellous validation of the community aspect of the club.”

O’ Callaghan was one of the first to sign up to Shane Griffin’s All-Star experiment, the first of its kind in mainland Europe. “I thought Griff had an organisational nightmare on his hands, akin to herding cats. But it is a testament to both his efficiency and the affection retained by former players for the Belgian club that it has come together with a minimum of fuss or hassle.”

This heart-warming spirit of fellowship is overshadowed by a dark and murky policy of Social Media Sparring. Even Muhammad Ali, godfather of sporting trash talk, never anticipated such sharp sartorial wordplay as “The All-Stars are the football equivalent of the Ugg boot - out of ideas, out of luck, and past their sell-by-date” or “You are the human equivalent of sandals with socks: hideous, never in style, woefully uncool, and only ever accepted in parts of mainland Europe”. This is expected to accelerate in the lead-up to Saturday’s match.

In a hushed tone tinged with disapproval, Gill confides: “It saddens me to report that the Belgium GAA “wild geese” are, in fact, nothing more than a hotchpotch motley crew of chancers, bounders and knaves. It is a cause of great disappointment to me how these former greats have let themselves go since they left the parish.” Nevertheless, some may say that the All-Stars are at a competitive advantage: with nothing to prove and an in-depth knowledge of their opposing numbers, they have the power to shake the current team to their very core. Many of those returning on Saturday have a history with the club that goes back to the one and only European Championship won by the Belgian men, in 2008, and there is an element of “We did it then, can you do it now?” in the minds of the club veterans.

The ties that bind past members to Belgium GAA should not be underestimated: although strips will be torn from both sides, they will be torn as a test of the strength of the team that will go on to represent the club in the first Pan-European football tournament in Copenhagen the following weekend. Copenhagen will also play host to the first ladies football equivalent of 2012, where the women of Belgium will battle to maintain their four-year grip on the European Ladies Football Championship.

As for the match between Belgium GAA and the All-Stars, the endlessly quotable O’ Callaghan imagines that “on the day it will be a lot like the scene at the end of The Quiet Man - no quarter will be given, we will have a real ding-dong battle, and leave it all out there on the field: but at the end of the day, we will be singing songs and raising glasses, toasting the continued success of Belgium GAA”.

Kickoff: Saturday 8 September, 15h00, VUB, Brussels, Belgium. 

Match to be preceded by ladies football practice game at 13h00. 

On Sunday 9 September, Belgium GAA sponsors, De Valeras, will host a barbecue for Belgium GAA and show the All-Ireland Hurling Final between Galway and Kilkenny.

Belgium GAA hosts 1st European Cúl Camp

The first guest post by Martin and Paul (plus photos by Jane):

On 2^nd June 2012, Belgium GAA held its first ever Cul camp. The camp was held over two days at the excellent venue that is the VUB.

For a first-time camp with any club, numbers are always going to be an issue, however that was not the case in Belgium with over fifty kids participating over the two days. 

The camp was brilliantly organised by all involved, and the work put in by the organisers, parents, and club players was phenomenal. With any outdoor event weather is always the enemy but the Saturday got off to a great start with the high numbers attending and a dry morning, the kids were divided up into three age groups, and got straight to work with their different coaches. 

Before we knew it time flew by, the sun emerged, and the kids had dispensed every last drop of energy they had. The day finished out with a penalty shoot out, but not before all the kids showed off their best hurling skills. 

The Sunday in contrast to the sweltering heat from the day before, was a washout. The VUB looked more like a swimming pool than a rugby pitch, and people were questioning would it go ahead at all. 

Due to water damage, there are no photos from Sunday

The will to play football won out and 30 brave soldiers dawned their boots, gloves, armbands, and swim suits for what could only be described as an aquatic game of football. 

The camp was a huge success and everybody involved should be hugely proud of how it turned out. The next generation of Belgium GAA stars are in safe hands. 

At this opportunity we would like to thank every person involved throughout the two days and the weeks beforehand for their planning and organising. Who knows, maybe next year a week long camp could be possible.

What would we have done without her?

Back-slapping: Race Night 2012

A wise Belgium GAA man once referenced an even wiser woman (actually he referenced her a number of times, but she is very wise, so that's alright). This wise woman stood tall, with her hand on her hip, and spoke about Belgium GAA as a club that was developing into a community, a home away from home that looks after its members and acts as a source of support, solace and friendship, in good times and in bad. 

In good times, we all know how easy it is to slap each other on the back, sit back with a satisfied smile and talk about how great we are. Back in 2010, the wise man, who needs no introduction here, once noted that "The club is living in the good times. It’s never been so good in fact. Every new player who crosses our path is grabbed by the furore and throws themselves right in...Maybe we should just kick back and enjoy these moments but if we were to do that, we would stop driving on. If we stop driving on, we’ll slow down and lose ground. Building from our position of strength is key". 

People come to Belgium. Some stay, some leave, some are injured/have babies. Times don't necessarily change for better or worse, but they change and the club and each team within it has to adapt accordingly. 

One thing that never changes is the need to fundraise. This year, we have been lucky enough to find a permanent training ground in the VUB (scroll down for maps), but this luxury comes at a cost. The fundraising strategy for Belgium GAA has been one big huge blowout at the start of the year, with the St. Patrick's Day Festival, held in conjunction with FC Irlande, followed by individual code fundraisers. This past weekend saw an number of events take place that demonstrate investment in the club, in its economic and social development. First off, the Race Night, held by the footballers, on Saturday 2nd June, in De Valera's Irish Bar (co-sponsor of Belgium GAA):

Click here to access the programme in all its glory

They say that if you remember the 60s, you weren't really there. The same can be said for the now-annual Race Night which, in the steady hands of Colin "Ringmaster" Byrne, has become one of the most lucrative fundraising developments for the club. 

Sleep dancing with a mic: a new Colin Byrne speciality

The vast majority of the work was done in advance of the night itself, with horses bought and sold, sponsorship offered, programmes and posters printed, and hype raised. In 2011, the Race Night was held on a weeknight, which worked out well because everyone was there on time after work. This year, we took a chance on a Saturday, which meant that everyone took their sweet time getting to Devs. Nonetheless, as the evening passed, bets increased, odds were bounding all over the place, and MC Church, perched on his stage with crutch and microphone in hand, became more and more loquacious.

The 2011 betting timetable ended with a pre-recorded Belgium GAA Champion Chase:

If you haven't watched this video yet, you are missing out in a big way. Go on...click it!!

The 2012 betting timetable also had a pre-recorded video competition, The Belgium GAA Kick Off, featuring Belgium GAA's Kicking Kings. Update (video added):

It was one of those nights that showed off De Valera's as the perfect location for such an occasion: with TVs on which to watch the races (and a couple of matches), space for bettors to rush the stage to make bets and collect money, and plenty of helpful bar staff to help drown the sorrows of those who managed to bet on every single race and not win a cent. 

With an estimated profit of €2,000 going to the club, the gentlemen of Belgium GAA did well. They won't be sitting back, needless to say, but can spend the summer running around the pitch in VUB, enjoying the astroturf, changing rooms with showers and toilets, and even floodlights, safe in the knowledge that they have made the future of the club a little brighter. Thanks lads!

We train at No. 6 (rugby pitch) - click the maps for more details.

Better late than never: Guernsey 2011

Note from the editor: Last year, I received this article about the football tournament in Guernsey for submission to a newsletter that never came about. It's about time that the article was published in a public forum and what better time than the day before the first tournament of the year and the day before the writer plays his last tournament for Belgium GAA. Read on for some valuable insights from Shane Griffin. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Time was when travelling for a game of football meant piling into the brother's car, stopping for a Lucozade and tumbling out again long before the limbs had stiffened. These days, it’s an overnight stop in St. Malo, ferry at dawn and a seven-hour drive from Brussels, just in case the weekly duels with Cotter, Laffan and Church left any question marks over commitment.

The trip to Guernsey was my first opportunity to play Championship for Belgium, and I was looking forward to the competitive step up. We were playing our second tournament under Davey’s ‘half-press’ system, and in the four weeks since Leuven we’d become a lot more comfortable with the tactics. As we watched the first round of games however, and mingled with a few opposition players on the sideline, it became obvious that the other teams had picked up on our system too. As we prepared for our first game, against Luxembourg, a bold decision was taken to abandon the new tactics and measure how our opposition would react.

Lux had the look of a team who expected to win, and didn’t seem thrown by our out-and-out attack from the throw-in. Rather, it was us who struggled to impose ourselves on the game, and we soon began to slip behind. At half time the decision was taken to revert back to our original plan, but time began to go against us and we went down to Lux by three points.

Bowed but not broken, we knew our next game against Jersey was as much about avoiding the wooden spoon as it was about finishing top of the group. Pressure was on. It’s the mark of a man when he can hit a few wides and still try something audacious with seconds on the clock- Timmy punted the ball over from well-near half way, we took a one-point win, and our tournament was back on track.

Next up were the Hague. I don’t need to waste time here embellishing on our rivalry with the Hague. Well, we knew that it would be the ultimate test of our system. They had a few big lads in the middle, Danny up front, and a couple of other solid performers to keep us occupied.

It didn’t start well- the scores just weren’t coming. The one thing you need with a defensive system is an effective counter-attack. The vast majority of our squad were playing in their first or second pan-Euro, and for all that men stepped up that day, there simply weren’t enough forwards to come over on the boat. The Hague picked off their scores, we were weak in attack, and we went down in the end by a fairly decent margin.

Our fourth game, and final match of the group, was against the tournament hosts and favourites. We were sent on to a back pitch to play them, and I started from the bench. Shane Ryan, who had manfully stepped into goals for the day, was given a run outfield and he played with all the joy and abandon of a man who’d been confined to six yards for four games. He snatched a goal, the points were coming, and it was game on.

When Davey Barrett scored a penalty just before half-time to put us ahead, an impressive scalp began to occupy our minds. Both teams went hell for leather in the second half. I was given a run with ten minutes to go and unfortunately could do little to stop Guernsey scoring a decisive goal. It was one of those occasion where, given my limited options, the best course of action would probably have been to give away a tactical free. We had the opportunity to win it with another penalty, but it wasn’t to be. Group over- just one last ‘bronze final’ against Lux left to play.

3/4^th place play-offs are often scoffed at, but not this one. We’d both probably travelled to Guernsey with legitimate hopes of contesting the final, and there had been a bit of handbags in the first game- late tackles, cheap digs, that sort of thing. From the get-go, the tension was pronounced and the stakes were bizarrely high for such an occasion. One of their players gave me some lip, I hit him a shoulder in return. He shot me a (tame) headbutt when we came together at half-time and from a simmering first fifteen it all bubbled up.

Davey was obviously looking for a bit of an excuse not just to settle a few scores but also, I think, to focus us on coming away from the tournament with something more than 1 win in 5 games. As we turned for the second half, it was game on. Sparks flew, scores came and went, but after 15 minutes in the trenches we came away with a precious win and when the final whistle was blown the two teams left the field as best of friends again.  

Something should be said for how Guernsey put the tournament together. The pitch was pristine, the dinner was gorgeous and they even collected us in cars from the ferry- a really classy touch. They fully deserved their victory in the final too. From Guernsey, it was on to Limerick. European glory? Possibly. More importantly though, another date with Lux, and the Hague, and Guernsey, and that’s as good a reason for flights home as any. 

The House Always Wins

13 July 2011 - The gentlemen footballers of Belgium GAA were in the mood for fundraising/fleecing of late. With this in mind, they organised that most GAA of occasions, a Race Night. School night be damned, the whole club and more turned up in De Valeras to throw their money to the wind.

VIP tables were available to the highest bidders, and were bought by Coca-Cola, FC Irlande, the Perm-Rep, club members, to name but a few, and were rewarded with a personal betting service, free food and bottles of champagne. The rest of the plebs were left to find a good vantage point at the bar, while those with seats were perched on their edges for most of the evening.

Sponsorship on the night was very generous, coming from the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Maire Geoghegan Quinn, MEPs Sean Kelly, Liam Aylward and Pat the Cope Gallagher, as well as De Valera's itself, Six Nations, O' Reillys, Delish, Kinsale Equestrian Centre, Aspria. The Grand Finale prize came from KTL Power and Telecoms. For more information on the night, the programme (in colour!!) is available here: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-2NuPg-Cx1JZGM0NjI2MzktZGM1OS00MzY1LTg2NzItMTI4NTNjMDk5MjM2&hl=en_US.

The extra-special event on the night was the Belgium GAA Champion Chase, which was won by Conor Mulvihill (horse) and Catherina Horan (jockey). The video of this spectacular event is embedded below:

Many thanks to De Valeras for hosting the event and congratulations to the team of lads, led by the mighty Colin Byrne, who made sure that everything ran smoothly and successfully on the night. The most recent estimation of proceedings was at €2,500, but then Colin went off to Spain for 10 days so that figure may have been depleted.

Belgium Conquers Germany and Spain

Photo courtesy of DB

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." If Charles Dickens was a member of Belgium GAA, he might have rewritten A Tale of Two Cities, basing it in Frankfurt and Barcelona on the weekend of 11 June 2011, and making that first paragraph dramatically more positive. But he wasn't, and he didn't, so you will have to bear with this description.

Barcelona:

Photo courtesy of Anna Bates

12 lovely Belgium ladies headed to Bar-th-elona. As this writer was one of the unfortunates who had to miss out on what turned out to be a fantastic weekend, here is a summary from triumphant captain, Gráinne Ní Fhlatharta:

Congratulations to all the chicas who travelled to Bar-th-elona this weekend. It was an absolutely 'stellar' weekend.

Belgium Ladies had a convincing win over the home side, Barcelona Gaelettes, in our first group game and went on to top the group by beating Valencia in the second game. This set us up for a semi-final clash with Irunia, a strong side who had a mix of players from Pamplona, Holland and Estonia. Belgium ladies however had been improving with every game and another strong performance ensured a place in the final against a very strong Munich team who had run riot in Group B. Belgium went out with all guns blazing in the final and came away with a 5-16 to 3-01 victory over Munich Colmcilles. Our workrate was hugely impressive, and our very own Sinéad 'they call her Fitz' Fitzsimons, who covered every blade of grass on the field all day long, was deservedly awarded Player of the Tournament. Our heartiest congratulaions to you Sinéad, it was long overdue!!

A special mention to Gráinne Delaney who was unfortunate to pick up an injury during the week and couldn't travel, we missed you at the weekend and no doubt you would've enjoyed the many many patatas bravas/pain con tomata/sangrias we had, we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back in action very soon. Also a special thank you to Marian O'Malley who travelled from Germany.

A huge thank you also to Aonghus who flew straight from the States to be with us Saturday morning. Not only did he orchestrate everything from the sideline, he also led the way through the carnage that was Saturday night and was still going strong on Sunday.....we salute you!!!

Frankfurt:

Photo courtesy of Alec Elliot

Meanwhile, approximately 1,300 kilometres away in Frankfurt, the menfolk of Belgium GAA were also causing havoc (and would not cease doing so until they left the Joyce in Brussels around 7am on Monday morning).

Again, I was not in attendance, so will leave it to the supremely talented Mr. David Barrett Esq. (read more at http://footballingjourneymen.blogspot.com/) to give a rundown of an exciting tournament in the Benelux regional championship...

33 of us, at the last count, travelled to Frankfurt by train, car and bus last weekend. Some arrived Friday night whilst others hit the road at 05h30 on Saturday morning. In that group we had Conan and Eoin, trainers/mentors/managers or whatever title you feel befits their role. Crusher and Paul Hagan were injured but came to play the less glamorous roles of money collectors and water carriers.

The groupings pitted both Belgium teams against each other and we were also joined in the group by Amsterdam. Den Hague, Lux, Frankfurt and Amsterdam B were in the other group.

Our B’s started at a canter against Amsterdam A and were in a good position at half-time. However they had lost their workhorse Conor Mul to two yellow cards. Harsh is an understatement. In the outrageous world of crazy European GAA rules, that means a two game suspension. More to follow on this later in the week.

Amsterdam were a strong side and they powered on in the second half, aided handsomely by their fortune of having a spare man. The lads had to pick themselves up fast as they faced into a local derby against the A’s. Again it was a close first half but again the B’s seemed to fade in the second. The lads had put in similar first half displays up in Amsterdam, especially against Lux, but faded in the second half. It’s hard to put your finger on why. Maybe it’s just a case of getting a couple of wins under the belt and kicking on with the confidence that brings. In any case, the team is in much better shape than it was this time last year and if that problem can be solved, the Shield can become a realistic ambition.

The A’s then faced Amsterdam to decide the group winners. For the first time they had travelled with two full teams and having watched how strong their B’s were, I knew we were in for a battle. We led 0-4 0-3 at half-time and weren’t to concede again. Mike Lucey goaled and another four points were spread across the forwards. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. The backs looked shaky at times and needed Timmy’s class in goal with two point blank saves.

On we went to face our old sparring partners Den Hague in the semi. It was a tricky fixture. They weren’t looking too impressive on the day but they are also the masters at grinding out victories when they are on their knees. I can’t remember ever facing them in a semi before. Every game I can remember was a final (or a group game). In a final, you can completely empty yourself, physically and ‘emotionally’. In a semi though, you have to keep something in the tank, hoping you get to the final.

It was another ding dong battle. They relied primarily on frees early on whilst we blew chance after chance down the other end. It was either level or we led by a point at half time. A tense finish was in store. We couldn’t shake them but our defence, led by Ross and a far from fully fit Colm, was holding firm. We pointed with two or three minutes left and managed to hold out for a 0-7 0-6 win. Tight.

James O Dowd is a relatively quiet man and more often than not gives off an impression that he doesn’t care. He was quite animated after the game though and if there was any complacency creeping in before the final, he put it to rest.

Amsterdam A won a very controversial semi against Lux. Lux were adamant they had won the game with a couple of points to spare but the referee’s notebook didn’t agree. If there was an error, it’s the cruelest way to depart.

Our opponents had called up some of their B players for the final which strengthened them considerably as they were quality players, omitted originally for lack of training apparently. We wouldn’t shake them off so easily this time and again; we went in level at the interval. Eoin made two big switches at half time. The first was to bring Timmy to wing-forward from goal. With his first possession he soloed through their defence only to be denied by a great save. Still, it sent them a message that he needed watching and it gave us a boost as we knew we had fresh legs to pick up some of the slack.

The second move came when Paddy returned to the fray. We have a load of backs who were going well and he found himself on the outside looking in for a share of the day. Still, when his chance came he proved why Eoin and Conan had him in the squad. He won the first ball that came into his corner when we were just a point up. The ball was transferred up the pitch and ended with a white flag being raised. We never looked back and added a third and fourth point to our lead to seal the win.

It gave us a second Benelux victory. Now, the lads (Eoin and Conan) have been clear from the off that we wouldn’t get worked up about Benelux this year and instead use it to test out as many guys as possible. However, we also realise the importance a win has on the group. This was sparticularily sweet as some great lads will pack their packs in the coming weeks. Duffer, Alec, Johnny, Andrew, Mike, Ricky and Killian will all move on. They’ve all played big roles in the development of the team and it’s spirit and we’ll miss them. Saturday may well have been their final act and if it was then it was a fitting goodbye.

Note; A more ‘social type commentary’ of the weekends activities will follow later in the week.

SMC

Football Round One: Luxembourg

Saturday 9 April 2011 saw Belgium GAA face scorching temperatures and strong oppostion in Luxembourg. The first round of the mens Benelux championship and the ladies pan-European championship took place in Berbourg. It was a long day, punctuated by sunburn and ambulances.

The mens teams were divided evenly for the day, with the A team coming 5th overall and the B team overcoming Amsterdam to gain 3rd place in the standings.

The ladies teams were playing on the deadly astroturf surface nearby, and their competition saw the A team retain the Luxembourg cup for a third year after their final against Paris. The B team won the 5th/6th place playoff against the home team.

Well done to all the teams involved, get well soon to those recovering from injuries on the day (Anay, Ciara, Eoin and Sinead), and to remind everyone that the summer is on the way and suncream is the most important accessory for any self-respecting GAA player.

A team reportage from Colin Byrne:

It was a mixed day for Belgium 'A' in Luxembourg with a new-look team taking the field under the watchful gaze of Conor Aylward and Conan MacOscair. First up was Amsterdam and things looked good for the Belgians when they ran up a 4 point lead at half time following a well taken penalty from Michael Hough and some excellent runs from half back Paddy Cassidy into the forwards. Paul Quinn, Johnny O and Ger McMahon were also showing prominently at this stage.

However, the work rate fell off considerably in the second half as Belgium lost ground around midfield and failed to win much breaking ball, thus allowing Amsterdam come right back into it. In the end Belgium had to rely on a dubious free from the aforementioned Michael Hough to secure a draw (1-4 to 0-7), even if substitute Ruairi Duffy did have the chance to sneak victory right at the death. Goalie Brendan Lynch also deserves special mention for the string of saves he pulled off to deny Amsterdam.

The second game against the hosts was always going to be a tough one, given the determination of Luxembourg to reclaim their home tournament losing it to Belgium in 2010, and so it proved. The hosts had a very strong midfield while Belgium were having difficulties in that area, not helped by an injury to Darragh Cotter which restricted his movement. Phil 'Crusher' Cushen performed miracles in the half back line but was unable to stop the Lux runners from coming through to set up 3 goals in total – 2 in the second half which negated a mini revival from Belgium. Again it could have been a lot worse were it not for goalie Brendan Lynch. As it was the game finished 1-04 to 3-10 and, thanks to the result between Amsterdam and Luxembourg, Belgium A were disappointed to be competing the 5/6^th place play-off against Lux 'B' rather than the semi final.

This was a game which lacked the usual tournament intensity – though Conor Aylward and Ruairi Duffy did try to liven up with 2 of the better displays of the day – even if they were playing for the opposition! This was a game in which Belgium 'A' were well on top and, although it was won by 5 points, most of the players would agree it should have been a bit more. Chances were not taken, runs were not made and wrong options were taken. However, a win is a win and even if it didn't mask the problem areas shown in the other two games, it was a good way to finish the day.

B Team reportage from Dave Barrett:

Canadian Experiment Bears Fruit

The Aussies have the Irish experiment in the form of Setanta, Kenneally, Walsh and Co. In Belgium we have our very own Canadian experiment in the form of Will. If Saturday was about seeing a guy’s potential, the big man did himself no harm.

He was the star of the show against Lux B in the first game with the tasty feints and no look passes. People talk about transferable skills in sport and he has certainly brought a few from across the pond. His goal towards the end of a 3-10 to 0-4 victory over Lux B capped a fine debut.

With The Hague having already beaten them, it meant we had both qualified for the semis from the three team group. In our head to head, we were still well in touch at half time thanks largely to a resolute defence with Kev and Ross excelling in the full back line.

Outside them, Shane was marshalling one of The Hagues’s more prominent attackers to reasonably good effect. The other member of the quartet, 48 year old Fergal Mythen, was anonymous for large parts of the day. From a defenders point of view that can be taken as a compliment because if his house wasn’t in order we’d have been a lot more aware of him!

Ricky, Eoin and Timmy took most of the scoring responsibility but a lot of those chances were carved from the industry of Conor Mul and Mike. However, the gap in class became more evident in the second half and whilst the defence maintained good discipline, the runners coming through were picking off scores from distance. The Hague progressed and we headed for a semi with Lux A.

The Lux lads looked the most balanced side on show and have a few new lads who have brought a lot of quality to their side. Our legs were going a bit and it was very much the same story as the previous game. Again our defence was firm, conceding very few shots on goal but Lux were able to pick off points from distance.

The score of the game came when Johnny P summoned Gordon Ramsey from the bench and whilst his angle may not have met the culinary tastes of most managers, he served up a magnificent dish from out near the sideline.

Things ended badly as Eoin went in to contest a ball and dislocated his shoulder. This will leave him sidelined for a considerable amount of time and it’s a big blow for him as well as the hurling and football teams.

On to the 3rd and 4th place playoff and there was no hiding our determination to finish the day on a high. A placed ball from Ricky got us going and despite the visible tiredness, the lads worked like dogs, displaying great attitude and commitment. We led at half-time and fortunately the penalty that sealed the game arrived before Timmy departed to cuckoo land. He rippled the net and soon after came off worse in a clash with Mike and had to leave the field with concussion.

We departed satisfied but realistic about our performance. Most lads had played to their ability and could be happy with their showing but The Hague and Lux have set the standard which we must now aspire to. Kev, Ross and Will led the way for our player of the tournament. Kev is knocked out by virtue of the fact that such performance is expected of him whereas Ross and Will were more unknown quantities going into the day. My vote goes to Ross due to 1) my bias for defenders and 2) his consistency over the four games.