Far away fields are greener as GAA goes global
“US growth
Many Americans are falling in love with hurling — they see the beauty and skill of Ireland’s greatest sport and want to take part in it
Team-mates rush to celebrate with Quynh Nguyen Ngoc, a guest player from Vietnam, after he had kicked the final penalty during the 2009 All-Stars (white) v 2010 All-Stars (red) game in Kuala Lumpur in 2010. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving from Ireland in the last 12 months?
“Last year the North American County Board (NACB) had 162 inter-county transfers and nearly every club that has a website received inquiries from numerous players in Ireland looking for details about playing and living in the USA. The USA is certainly not in a great economic state and young GAA players moving here will be hard pressed to find work, especially if they do not have the proper visas, though in places like Boston, New York and Chicago they may well find work with local Irish-American owned businesses.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
“Again, we had only 162 inter-county transfers, so we are certainly not seeing thousands coming over.”
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
“Certainly, with the Irish economy falling apart it would not be surprising to see more young Irish players looking to come over to the USA. And while the economy is sluggish here, there are plenty of signs that it will pick-up with companies like Ford and General Motors due to add hundreds of jobs to their operations and some smaller local companies also experiencing some measured growth.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in USA?
“Only time will tell. The major focus of the NACB is to develop and expand the youth programmes, so our clubs no longer have to rely on players from Ireland. Additionally, clubs no longer have the means to bring players over or help them get established as was the case in the 1990s and early 2000s. If those who come to the USA from Ireland stay here permanently, they will most likely make a long-term, beneficial impact on the GAA here and that is priceless.””
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in USA?
“Huge network of senior or higher level people from not just ireland but a multitude of countries who love Ireland, its culture but most importantly its games. The GAA in the USA has some measured growth each year, but we can certainly do better in our efforts to strengthen our existing clubs. However, one bright spot is that many Americans are falling in love with hurling — they see the beauty and skill of Ireland’s greatest sport and want to take part in it. There have been some new hurling clubs established over the past couple of years and the driving force behind this seems to be Americans and Irish-Americans, as opposed to native Irish. However, the failure of Croke Park to allow the free to air showing of Gaelic games in the USA has hindered our ability to promote and expand the games and the GAA beyond the Irish and Irish-American communities. As long as people have to pay $20 (€13.90) per person each week (man, woman, and child) to see one GAA match broadcast from Ireland, we will not see any significant gains in the promotion of the GAA in North America. We must have free, live viewing access to Gaelic games as the people of Ireland and the UK do.
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving to Europe from Ireland in the last 12 months?
A: “We have seen a trickle over the last year or so but we are not seeing the numbers that the likes of Australia and the United States seem to be getting. We have 48 clubs around the continent spread from Norway to Spain to Hungary. Our clubs tend to be small, with about 150 people on average involved. We see a different type of emigrant here in Europe as we get qualified people or people getting experience. However, as most of our clubs are in the EU, they tend to stay a bit longer than they would in the likes of Australia or America.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
A: “Overall we would have 2,500 members around the continent. We would have seen about a 20% growth in recent years which is partly due to players from Ireland but also due to our own work in developing indigenous players. Ladies football is hugely success while the men’s game is more difficult to develop. We are making great strides in the north west of France. There are eight or nine clubs in Brittany that are almost entirely made up of French natives.”
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
A: “I live in Holland where things are pretty stable while Germany is likewise. You will find Spain is still popular with the Irish as there is work in bars and the like. But we are seeing Irish people popping up in more unusual places. I was on a trip recently in the Balkans and met up with a few Irish there. We have no presence there yet but are working more closely with the Irish embassies in these places. We are not going to promise work or anything like that but we are keen to develop clubs which may benefit people a long way from home.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in Europe?
A: “It is always great to get new players. One of our newest clubs is in Stockholm which hosted our annual convention though the temperatures were -20. We have three clubs in Sweden and two in Norway, one of those is in Bergen which is almost in the Arctic Circle.”
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in Europe?
A: “Growth has been phenomenal. This is the strongest it has ever been.”
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving to Australia from Ireland in the last 12 months?
A: “Absolutely, there’s been a major jump across the board, across all clubs in all states and in New Zealand as well. While there was actually a decrease in the season ended September of the number of players lodging Sanctions from 747 to 621 compared to the previous year. But we fully expect to see it go in the opposite direction – and by some distance — when the new season starts. The number of teams – men’s and women’s football and hurling and camogie — has doubled across the board.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
A: “There has been almost a 200% increase in the number of registered players over the past decade but a huge chunk of that would have been since the recession hit back home. Our 2010 total was 2700 registered players but once the 2011 competitions are really up and running, we expect to see another big increase on that. For example Wolfe Tones in Melbourne in recent times have had almost 50 lads at training for the senior men’s team. That’s just one club so they are the kind of numbers we are seeing in the past couple of years.”
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
A: “Well the obvious answer is yes. But by no means do we expect it to continue over an extended period of years. Whereas maybe during the 80s, people came out here to settle, most of the young Irish that are coming out here now very much see it as a temporary thing. It may be on the longer side of temporary — two or three years – but they are still planning to go home because Ireland will rebound whereas in the ‘80s, there was no prospect of that. In one way we’re suffering because of that in the sense that the men and women who are joining our clubs in general aren’t interested in taking on committee or organisational roles.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in Australia?
A: “It’s great to have all these new Irishmen and women at our clubs but it’s going to make a very big year or two for us down here in terms of how the game is run and how we can cope with such an increase. This has caught us on the hop in a lot of ways because we had those ‘lost years’, if you like, during the Celtic Tiger. The majority of players coming out here now go where the construction work is — Western Australia, Queensland and then Sydney and Melbourne obviously too. So while that boosts numbers, it obviously brings with it an instability or an element of unreliability, if you like.”
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in Australia?
A: “ Prior to the jump in numbers over the past couple of years, Australians and Kiwis made up approximately 60% of participants across the board. At one stage, my own club in Queensland would have had nearly 90% Australians on the playing side. But a separate knock-on effect of the influx is that in one sense it has really diluted that number of domestic players down.”
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving to Canada from Ireland in the last 12 months?
A: “Yes, chiefly because the government of Canada has continued to increase the number of working one year visas which can be further extended by company sponsorship to the people of Ireland over the last three years. 2,600 in 2008, 3,000 in 2009 and, over 5000 visas were granted in 2010 and another 5,000 in 2011.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
A: “In 2010 we had the highest number of sanctions and transfers to clubs here in Canada. We had over 60 full transfers and about 40 summer sanctions where students returned to their clubs in Ireland.
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
A: “As long as Canada remains open to the talent of Ireland — all from the 32 counties will benefit our country and clubs in the years ahead.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in Canada?
A: “A growing immediate impact on the GAA here in Canada is the revival of hurling first in Vancouver, British Columbia, Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. With cooperative spirits that prevail between the North American County Board and the Canadian County Board, permissions sought and granted allowed Vancouver to participate in the NACB Hurling Championships in Chicago on the Labour Day Weekend.”
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in Canada?
A: “At the end of the day, I believe our overseas units in the association need to provide even further opportunities to allow for competition and networking to take place with all of our new arrivals.”
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving to Asia from Ireland in the last 12 months?
A: “Definitely a big increase in the number of players arriving and joining our clubs. We cover the Gulf, North and South Asia and a lot of people have left home and come out in search of work in Dubai, Qatar, Hong Kong, Bangkok and in fact 25 physios left home and arrived in Singapore in the last year. All were unemployed but now employed, are playing football and adding to the growing diaspora of Irish in Singapore.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
A: “We have a total membership of 1,000 people in the Asian/Gulf region and have seen about a 10-15% increase in club membership especially in the cities of Qatar and Dubai.”
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
A: “I have no doubt it will increase in this year and 2012. As we struggle at home to come to terms with the meltdown more and more will seek opportunities overseas. Asia/Gulf is very much on peoples radars due to the opportunities that are out here, with a lot of positive press showing both Irish companies and individuals all doing well when they move out here. The taxes are low, weather is favourable, people are keen to learn from and accept Irish into their lives and companies and these days no one is really bothered by a 8-12 hour flight.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in Asia?
A: “Without a doubt very vital to our growth strategy and plans to expand our national games in the region. We are finding a huge demand for Irish coaches from International Schools all over the region and if there are coaches reading this at home and are looking for work, look east as there opportunities out here. The more people who come out with a gaelic games background can only benefit our clubs and the Irish communities overall.”
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in Asia?
A: “We are a huge network of senior or higher level people from not just Ireland but a multitude of countries who love Ireland, its culture but most importantly its games. We are open for business and keen to welcome anyone who wants to try their luck out here. The club in Seoul for example, has 60 odd teachers all working long hours and I am sure would welcome more to help grow their club and take on some of the work available. So with the newly arrived as well as long established people like myself with 18 years under my belt living out here, bringing the history and brilliance of our national sports to the different cities in the region we can expect a very bright future for the GA in Asia.”
Q: Have you seen much of an upsurge in GAA players moving from Ireland in the last 12 months?
“There has been, more so in Lancashire – Manchester and Liverpool. London has always been a stepping stone for people form Ireland. There’s more coming now and staying around. That’s the big difference, whereas before they only stayed for four or five months now they’re staying longer.”
Q: What sort of numbers are we talking about?
“In the last three months we’ve had 150 transfers in London, about 40 into Manchester.”
Q: Do you expect that trend to continue in the next year or two?
“Yes, I know the clubs have been receiving lots of calls. The players are making contact before they come over now asking about work, what kind of job they do and the clubs are sending them on contacts. I have to say the clubs are excellent to them. They help them find accommodation, jobs and get the paperwork they need to work. They provide a social network too.”
Q: How important is this increase to the GAA in England?
“From my perspective we’ve been working to get English born players playing but the influx will boost standards and draw more people into watch games. It’s sad they’ve no choice but to leave. The GAA provides an outlet, most of these people in same position 30 to 40 years ago.”
Q: Tell me about the strength of the GAA in England?
“We’ve above 85 clubs, we compete from the All-Ireland to club at all grades. One of the clubs, John Mitchells in Liverpool, lost the All-Ireland junior final this year. We are probably the only province outside of Ireland to play full 15 aside games. The structures are similar to Ireland. They’re strong and getting stronger and will make for longer lasting GAA in Britain.”
* Additional reporting by Fintan O’Toole and Terry Reilly.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
