The first guest post by Martin and Paul (plus photos by Jane):
On 2nd 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.
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.
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.
3/4th 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.
A
startlingly warm and sunny
Saturday morning in March saw a number of Belgium
ladies heading to the Parisian suburbs, to meet with their European
cohorts: a
well-dressed Luxembourg
squad, a lone Zurich ranger and the Paris camogie players,
able hosts of the first European camogie workshop. This two-day
workshop, 18
months in the making, was the result of organisation between the
European County Board and the Camogie
Association, and well worth the wait. Three trainers came over from
Ireland for the occasion: Caroline Murray
(Galway), Siobhán Ryan (Tipperary)
and Noel Wilson (Wexford). They saw what they had to deal with, and
adapted
quickly to the situation.
The
standards of camogie in Europe vary from those who played in Ireland
from an early age to those
who just recently picked up a hurley for the first time. Originally
planned
as a coaching workshop, they reformulated it to suit new and rusty
players and
coaches of new and rusty players. No more will we dither over the whys
and
wherefores of camogie: we can now answer questions about the right size
hurley
and how it should be held (basic questions , but ones that are pretty
relevant and
usually difficult to answer). We know the best way to plan a training
session
and how to conduct a good camogie-based warm-up. We have new, fun and
challenging drills in mind. And we have books and brochures to back up
all this
knowledge. Go on, try us!
We learned
aspects about our own
games that will make such a difference during the coming season. For
example, this writer now knows that she is a left-handed hurler who
plays off her right side, but
that she can use both sides to her advantage in a match. We know about
not
pigeon-holing any player into one position for all time, by playing
games where
all players rotate positions and diversify their abilities. This will
make such
a difference when tournaments come around. We have all experienced days
when
one or two players get injured and the rest of the team is confounded by
how to
fill their positions. Adaptability has to be the name of the game – we
don’t
have an endless stream of players, so we need to cultivate the ones that
we do
have.
The issue of
recruitment was a
subject for discussion throughout the weekend. We discussed how to
promote the
game: with St. Patrick’s Day or other national
day demonstrations, through the media, or by “infiltration” of other
sports
clubs. The enthusiasm for camogie was clear among all participants, so
it can’t
be so difficult to extend this passion to other like-minded people back
in our
own countries. This exchange of ideas between club representatives was
not only
enlightening, but also a great way to get to know other players. In
Europe, we have to leave rivalries on the pitch if we
want to ensure the development of Gaelic sports, so interclub
communication and
understanding is essential.
One of the
greatest pleasures of
the weekend was appreciating the talent of the trainers, even just
during a
puck around during the lunch break. A good player is one thing, but a
good
player who can teach others has a skill that should be shared and
appreciated
wherever they go.
Thanks again
to the trainers, the hosts
and the organisers of the camogie weekend. Roll on the 2012 season and
see you
all in Den Haag in April!
On 1st October, 8 teams gathered in Orangeburg, up-state New York for the Young Ireland’s 40th annual 7-a-side camogie tournament.Two teams each from Toronto, Baltimore, and Boston, joined New York and Belgium at the recently developed pitches at the Rockland GAA grounds for a great day of competitive camogie.
Managed for the day by John Kirwan, Ballyboden St. Endas, Dublin, Belgium managed to put their jetlag aside to reach the final against a very impressive Boston A team backboned by the talents of Shelly Walsh, Caroline Hanley, and Sharon O’Brien.
The final was a fantastic game of skilful camogie.Boston got out of the blocks first and raced into a 3 point lead with a strong wind behind them.Despite Lisa Brick dominating in the Boston defence, Belgium struck back with two points, one following an inspirational run from the backline by Elaine Kennedy who exploited the space created for her by Laura Schneebacher.Great defending by Belgium captain Laura Whiskerd alongside Christine O’Gorman dropping back from midfield allowed Boston only two further points before half time.
At the start of the second half Boston stretched their lead with a further point but Belgium were exerting a lot of pressure and were rewarded with an early goal from Irene Kirwan.Boston, with Fiona Gohery and Niamh O’Neill playing well, replied almost straight away with a goal of their own but from the resulting puck out Niamh Kennedy struck over a point to steady the Belgian nerves.Kennedy and Kirwan then proceeded to work the ball well together to engineer 3 further goals between them, with Casey Troy adding a point.
The Boston forwards never gave up but met with great resistance from Katy Hambrook and Maeve McDaid who pulled off the save of the tournament as the clock ticked down. So the intrepid (and broke) Belgium players, who this year have travelled to play camogie in The Hague, Budapest, Zurich, Leuven and New York, added the Helen and John Kerry O’Donnell Cup to the European Championship title won earlier this summer.Congratulations to all involved.
Final score 4.5 to 1.7
Scorers: Belgium – M McDade, E Kennedy, C Troy (0.1 each), I Kirwan 3.1, N Kennedy 1.1.
The Belgium team (and where they are originally from):
Captain - Laura Whiskerd (Wales)
Niamh Kennedy (formerly St. Lachtains, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny)
Elaine Kennedy (Fethard, Tipperary)
Christine O'Gorman (Shannon, Co. Clare)
Laura Schneebacher (New Jersey, USA)
Irene Kirwan (formerly Ballyboden St. Endas, Dublin)
Casey Troy (formerly DC Gaels, Washington)
Katy Hambrook (Toronto, Canada)
Maeve McDade (formerly Ballinascreen, Co. Derry)
Tired bodies and minds then hauled themselves to Gaelic Park on Sunday 2nd October to play an exhibition game before the men's county football final.
For a weekend, Belgium was the home of hurling and camogie. In Europe, at least. We even had Joe McDonagh to serenade us with The West's Awake from the pulpit of De Valera's.
Some early organisational glitches aside (to be dealt with before the Pan-European Football tournament goes down in September), it was a day for Belgium GAA to be proud of. The hurlers, although well aware of the fact that they had not retained the Championship for a third year running, found the strength deep within them to win the home tournament, and did not allow their competitors, Den Haag, Luxembourg or Zurich to have an easy day. This all counted at the end of the day, when captain Phil Cushen lifted the cup, and Darragh Cotter earned himself a deserved Player of the Tournament trophy.
This fighting spirit was repeated on the next pitch, where the Belgium camogiers strove to continue the great acheivements they have gained in recent tournaments. Let it not be forgotten that prior to last year's home tournament, Belgium had never even won a tournament, let alone a European Championship. It is a credit to the efforts of Niamh Kennedy and Irene Kirwan, the dedicated and ever-so patient trainers, that there were two camogie teams representing Belgium GAA on Saturday. Both are in need of a gentle puck-around to wind down from the year.
(photo courtesy of Anna Bates)
Thanks as usual go to De Valera's for hosting the evening celebrations, but special thanks go to Clare Brennan, Eleanor Brennan and Maria O' Brien, for their hard work on the day. No visitors should have to spend their time running around collecting money, giving out sandwiches and making sure that everything goes according to plan, but we are extremely lucky to have ones that do. It is wonderful that we can do so well as a club on the pitch, but just as important that we should work well together on the sideline too.
The following is a piece written for hoganstand.com by Belgium GAA Chairman, Kevin Keary:
The 2011 European Hurling Championship is coming down to the wire on the final tournament of the year in Leuven, Belgium, this Saturday July 23rd, from 9am - 6pm.
2009 and 2010 Champions Belgium GAA are hosts, but it is between Den Haag and Zurich to see who will take the title in 2011. Den Haag claimed the first tournament on home soil in April and followed it up with a victory in Budapest in May. Zurich bounced back however, with a famous victory as hosts in their own tournament against Den Haag in June, setting up an epic showdown for this Saturday in the sports grounds of the Catholic University of Leuven.
The hosts will be hoping to upset the apple cart, fielding their strongest team this year, but it should ultimately come down to a head-to-head duel between the hurlers of Den Haag and Zurich. Luxembourg, champions in 2008, will also add a competitive bite to proceedings in what should be the most exciting finale to European hurling in 5 years - it is the first time in over half a decade that the championship will come down to the final tournament.
The Camogie tournament will feature 2010 and 2011 champions Belgium GAA seek to take a clean sweep of tournaments on home turf, facing a stiff challenge from Luxembourg, Zurich and Paris. The Belgian ladies have already wrapped up the 2011 title, winning the Den Haag, Budapest and Zurich tournaments to date.
There is plenty to play for, as the ladies of Luxembourg, Zurich and Paris will all be out to take the hosts' scalps, so it will be a fascinating battle in a competition that is seeing the biggest growth in standard and participation of any of the Gaelic Games on the continent of Europe.
The tournament was officially launched recently by Sean Kelly MEP at the European Parliament, Brussels.
