Mickey Harte; World Series

Agus

http://www.ireland.com/sport/gaelicfootball/Harte_calls_GAA_World_Series/maxiview.ie?mx_fast_NEWS_gaasports_uuid=30651_irnewsgaa



Tyrone boss Mickey Harte has advocated a ‘world series’ of GAA to help promote Gaelic games around the globe.
Harte, a renowned critic of the International Rules series, was speaking ahead of the GAA All-Stars exhibition game in San Francisco and is adamant that his idea could have a great long-term effect for traditionally Irish sports.
The three-time All-Ireland winning manager sees international GAA competitions as a better way of promoting Gaelic games than the hybrid International Rules game and was quoted by The Irish Mirror as saying: “If we continued to promote the whole idea of internationalisng Gaelic games it would be brilliant. I hope to one day see that.
“The All-Stars is a catalyst to awaken the imagination of what is possible for Gaelic games. I think when you realise how many clubs exist around the world, a series amount of clubs promoting Gaelic games, I think we have to create the Feile type of idea of a world series at a club level.
“That is where we begin to give it that international dimension and bring people together from all parts of the world to actually compete for a world title in Gaelic games.
“If it was at club level, even at junior club level to begin with, then I think that would be great.
"That would start the process of opening our minds to this possibility that some day down the line we can raise it to a higher level, to a still further higher level, and eventually make it international in the fullest sense of the world, playing Gaelic games in their purity.”

yahoo_moe

Interesting... it's hard to argue with his logic, anyway - if we're going to try and promote the games, why not promote the games themselves rather than some bastardised version? And why not set sights a little higher than just giving the ex-pats in Australia something to watch?

As for whether it'd work or not, it'd be a long time before the standard was anywhere comparable to AI level (or even AI club level) which'd probably set interest levels back a bit. Compromise Rules don't interest me hugely but I'm probably still more likely to watch bits of those matches than I would be to watch a lower standard of ex-pat teams, no matter how logical I think a competition for the latter might be.

kodmuffin

I think something similar to this takes place on main land europe,i had friends studying on the continent this year and know that they travelled alot from city to city for matches

a good idea,but could get expensive travelwise!

Agus

There is a European continental championship all right. It's not just expats either, there are teams with nobody with any Irish connection involved.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=103065


All to play for in the European GAA Football Championship

31 October 2008

By Larry Cooney.

The eigth season of organised GAA championships on mainland Europe is heading for an exciting climax in the men’s football competition. With just one round to go - in Maastricht, southern Holland on Saturday - November 8th, there is still everything to play for among the leading contenders - Craobh Rua - Brussells and Paris Gaels. Craobh Rua, who have already clinched their first ladies football title, will therefore also be bidding for a double this weekend.



The hurling and camogie titles have already been wrapped with Luxembourg clinching the double in Zurich on September 22nd. They won the camogie title in Brussells in the previous month.

The other outstanding issue to be resolved this Saturday will be the destination of this year’s Shield title. Having missed the last round in Rennes on October 11th, Copenhagen look poised to triumph in Maastricht but Amsterdam are still in contention provided the Danish club have a bad Maastricht tournament.
The highlights of the last round in Rennes on October 11th included victories for Liffre (an entirely native Breton team) in the Shield and Craobh Rua - Brussells in the Championship while Paris Gaels were victorious in the ladies football Championship. Seventeen clubs from the main GAA centres of Europe participated in the tournament in Brittany less than a month ago and a similar registration of teams is anticipated to make the trip to southern Holland this Saturday.

Competition Formats

Football
Unlike the men’s game which became regionalised two years ago due to an expansion of over 20 plus clubs, ladies football and hurling is still played on a Pan-European wide competition format. This European GAA expansion of clubs meant that in 2005 the men’s football championship had to be divided into four qualifying regions, namely:

(1) France and Channel Islands,
(2) Iberia,
(3) Benelux and
(4) East and Central Europe.

The regional rounds serve as a seeding phase to determine whether teams will play in either the Championship or Shield at the second stage of the competition. The second stage consists of four Pan- European rounds and all men’s football teams from all regions play for the Championship or the Shield.

Ladies Football, Hurling and Camogie

Ladies football hurling and camogie have so far not been regionalised and all rounds still remain Pan-European. The hurling and championship was played over four rounds and camogie over three rounds only while ladies football was decided over seven rounds. In hurling and camogie the title is determined by the best three rounds while in ladies football it is the best five rounds that determines the destination of the title.

Results Update Summary

Football

The four qualifying regions saw some exciting competitions with three to four rounds taking place in each region with the Regional winner more often than not being decided on the last day of competition.
Approaching the fourth and final round of the Pan-European competition, it looks like being a straight fight between leaders Craobh Rua - Brussells and Paris Gaels. However Luxembourg and Budapest Rangers are also in contention should the current top two teams slip up.
Craobh Rua - Brussells and Paris Gaels played out a thrilling decider in the last round in Rennes with the Belgian team just about deserving their narrow one-point victory. With Paris just six points behind without having recorded a first place finish in any of the previous rounds, it was an important victory for an impressive Craobh Rua team.
The Brussells club also had a very competitive and exciting encounter with the Luxembourg team who were also hoping for a better placed finish in Rennes on October 11th. After a shaky start with a fourth place finish in the opening round in Munich, Craobh Rua - Brussells are in the driving seat and should they finish runners up to Paris Gaels in Maastricht on Saturday, they will still be celebrating their first football title.
Copenhagen and Amsterdam look set to battle it out for the Shield title and succeed last year’s winners - Wild Geese - Rennes, the first ever native French side to win the title.

Ladies football

Holders Paris Gaels surrendered their title to an impressive Craobh Rua - Brussells team who claimed their first title. A fancied Paris outfit paid the price for some poor results in the early rounds and before their last victory in Rennes in the last round had only record one first place at home in Round 4.
Meanwhile Brussells claimed three first places finishes in Madrid, Luxembourg and Munich and with a runner-up place in Paris and Rennes, they have already clinched the title. The Hague and former kingpins Luxembourg were out of contention by Round 5.

Hurling

Luxembourg are the new champions after recording three first place finishes in the opening three rounds. Craobh Rua-Brussells were surprising close rivals to the new champions and even claimed a victory in Round 4 in Zurich. It was a season of disappointment for the holders - The Hague who failed to record a single first place.

Camogie

In its augural year the camogie competition was a two-horse race between Luxembourg and Craobh Rua - Brussells. Luxembourg claimed victory in all three rounds including the final round in Brussells last August.

Attachments

Euro GAA Tables

Pics

(1) Winning captains from last round in Rennes on October 11th. From left the winning
captains: Emmett Dalton (Craobh Rua-Brussells - Kildare), Eileen Jennings (Paris
Gaels - Mayo) and Olivier Kowarski (Lieffe GAA Club)
(2) Croabh Rua - Brussells - favourites for football title
(3) Craobh Rua - Brussells - Ladies football champions
(4) Lieffe - Breton club that won the Shield in the last round in Rennes
(5) The Wild Geese - Rennes - Hosts of a very successful tournament in the last round.
(6) Poster for Rennes Tournament.





European GAA Roll of Honour
(2001-2008)


Football Hurling Ladies Football Camogie

2001 Paris Gaels - - -
2002 The Hague The Hague Luxembourg -
2003 Paris Gaels The Hague Luxembourg -
2004 Munich Zurich Luxembourg -
2005 Paris Gaels Munich Paris Gaels -
2006 The Hague Zurich Luxembourg -
2007 Paris Gaels The Hague Paris Gaels -
2008 ? Luxembourg CR Brussells Luxembourg

Agus

The potential for development does exist it seems, was looking at this thread on another GAA forum and a guy in San Francisco was saying they have 23,000 children playing in the Bay Area alone.

http://www.anfearrua.com/db.asp?a=topicdisplay&tid=575660