Gaelic football the real deal in Spain

The GAA landscape was dominated last weekend by the Division 1 football league semi-finals in Croke Park but in Madrid there was another seminal event for the association.

European GAA has been characterised by development at adult level but in Madrid a foray was made into the underage game. For the first time a competitive U12 football match consisting entirely of Spanish children from the cities of Madrid and Valencia took place.

Colm Donovan is a native of Leap in West Cork and kicked ball in his underage days with Kilmacabea. Four years ago he moved to Valencia and started working in electronics before starting a course in Bio-Medicine two years ago in a nearby university. Being immersed in GAA activity in Spain has allowed him to maintain a link to home.