Week 13: Organising the North Asian Games starts with finding a pitch

Preparations for the North Asian Games have been picking up pace recently. We have just one training session left before the competition and less than ten days left to iron out the finer details of the event.

Fortunately things are beginning to fall into place. For most of us, it is our first time organising such an event. To run an International GAA competition in Asia takes time and commitment. We are all just players, and volunteers, too. Preparation begins months in advance and there are many factors we have had to deal with along the way.

The first and most important thing was to find a suitable venue capable of holding a competition with over a hundred players. In Korea, finding one pitch for weekend training sessions has proven difficult over the years. So finding two pitches, side by side, which we could book for the day was one of our biggest challenges. We started the search early and fortunately, we secured Namyangju Sports Center, at the beginning of March. It is less than an hour by bus from central Seoul where most teams and players will be staying. With two pitches parallel to each other plus covered stands on both, it was exactly what we were looking for. Soon afterwards our proposal to host the tournament was sent in and accepted by the Asian County Board.