Week 14: Preparing for the first hurling game in South Korea since 2011

On Saturday we had our final training session in the run up to the North Asia Games. As has been common, this year, we trained on the US military base in central Seoul, this time the ladies going first for two hours followed by a two hour session for the men.

It was a beautifully hot day, the clouds in the sky overhead were sparse and there was a gentle breeze which swept through the field. It wasn’t too humid either, which, is fortunate enough for Korea at this time of year.

Still, it was a tough session. For one drill, especially, the supply of ball coming from the middle of the pitch was relentless. Forwards worked tirelessly on movement and creating space, while, defenders had to track each run, and then track the next run and the next run when each phase broke down. When the time came to be swapped out it was a huge relief.

Between drills most of us would swarm around the sideline near the middle of the pitch.

Here we put on new layers of sun-cream, and guzzled back water and Gatorade to keep our energy levels up before taking to the field again.

It didn’t help that some of the men had entered the base with the women at 1.30pm and had been on the field, since 2pm, two hours before the men’s session was due to begin at 4.

This was because for the first time this year we had managed to assemble enough hurlers to get in a decent session, do some striking and shooting drills and generally work on our touch, which, we hoped was still there.

The exhibition game this Saturday will be the first hurling game there has been on Korean soil since the Asian Gaelic Games, in Suwon, in 2011.

Growing the sport over here is difficult due to the equipment and skill level needed to play the game. At the moment, it’s just about increasing the interest in the game and trying to provide an outlet for hurlers who are over here.

The aim eventually would be to send a Seoul Gaels hurling team abroad to compete at the Asian Gaelic Games, or perhaps, even a stand-alone hurling tournament. That is unlikely to happen this year though, hopefully, this week’s hurling exhibition will be the first step to working towards that in the future.

In any case, we did ninety minutes of hurling on Saturday allowing for a twenty minute break at the end before Football started. It was no surprise, therefore, that my legs were beginning to cramp up at the end of the day.

Luckily, in Korea, a Jjimjilbang (Korean spa) is never too far away and a quick visit to the hot and cold baths greatly helped my cause.

It was also good to see our coach back on the field after a successful surgery on his jaw, which, will however, be wired shut for the next couple of weeks. It’s an unfortunate injury considering it is the one thing a teacher or coach needs to do their job. If not quite barking out instructions he was more than able to quietly get his point across through grinded teeth.

With the North Asia Games now upon us, things like player packs, trophies, medals and extra footballs have all been arriving in the last couple of days.

Teams have been finalized and the schedule has been drawn up. Most importantly, players will begin arriving in the next day or so, from Japan, China and all around Korea. Referees have been arranged.

Some non-playing club members and some friends of the club have agreed to volunteer on the day. Early Saturday morning, player tents will be erected and goalposts will be put up.

Before that, on Friday night, teams, captains and referees will meet and be debriefed on the weekend ahead. A weekend, which, promises to provide many challenges but just as many good moments.

Let the games begin!