A Chairde, Welcome to a new season with Belgium GAA . 2010 promises to be another successful year, building on the achievements both on and off the field of play in 2009. Firstly, as incoming Chairman I would like to thank Olof Gill and the outgoing Committee for all the hard work put in last year. We could not survive as a club without all our coaches, captains and trainers so I would like to thank Davy Barrett, Willie Cashin, Margaret Francois and Martin Crowley for the enormous effort put in last year, when we retained the Ladies Pan-European Championship and won the Hurling Pan-European for the first time. Special thanks to our sponsor De Valera's Irish Pub for the continued support. This year we have already had successful fundraisers for Haiti for which €60k was raised, Mike McGurn has paid us a visit and this past weekend saw us organise another great St Patrick's Day Festival in conjunction with FC Irlande. We will endeavour to keep you updated on all the happenings in Belgium GAA with a regular newsletter. As you know well, this club is hands-on with everyone getting involved, so feel free to contribute with your own articles or ideas. We already have one willing volunteer so the more the merrier! We have a busy schedule of tournaments in all codes ahead this year. Check out our Calendar of Events for 2010. Next up is Clare Island this weekend (20 March), followed by the Benelux Regional Championship in Amsterdam (27 March). Your code officers will keep you informed of training sessions, tournaments and other events via the weekly email on Monday afternoon. We also have some other interesting initiatives this year, including a special gym membership deal and an honorary membership scheme for high profile club members in Belgium. Finally, it is you, the players, who make this great Continental GAA-odyssey happen. The fact that Belgium GAA fielded two teams at many tournaments, including places where our rivals couldn't even field one, is a huge credit to the commitment and passion of the members of this club. Long may it continue. Roll on another memorable year of Continental GAA! Is mise, Kevin Keary, Chairman, Belgium GAA. Message from the Chairman March 2010 In this issue you can read about: Players Updates & News The Mike McGurn Training Weekend How Belgium GAA teamed up with FC Irlande to raise 60K for Haiti Earthquake Victims Tournament Reports and the club's playing activities A unique caption competition... ...and more! Volume 1, Issue 1 BELGIUM GAA NEWSLETTER Updating members and non-members alike on the activities of one of the best and most ambitious GAA clubs on the European Continent Brought to you by Belgium GAA Committee and De Valera's Pub, Place Flagey www.belgiumgaa.com
Transcript
A Chairde,
Welcome to a new season with
Belgium GAA. 2010 promises to
be another successful year,
building on the achievements
both on and off the field of play
in 2009.
Firstly, as incoming Chairman I
would like to thank Olof Gill and
the outgoing Committee for all
the hard work put in last year.
We could not survive as a club
without all our coaches, captains
and trainers so I would like to thank Davy Barrett, Willie Cashin, Margaret
Francois and Martin Crowley for the enormous effort put in last year,
when we retained the Ladies Pan-European Championship and won the Hurling Pan-European for the
first time.
Special thanks to our sponsor De Valera's Irish Pub for the continued support.
This year we have already had successful fundraisers for Haiti for which €60k was raised, Mike
McGurn has paid us a visit and this past weekend saw us organise another great St Patrick's Day
Festival in conjunction with FC Irlande.
We will endeavour to keep you updated on all the happenings in Belgium GAA with a regular
newsletter. As you know well, this club is hands-on with everyone getting involved, so feel free to
contribute with your own articles or ideas. We already have one willing volunteer so the more the
merrier!
We have a busy schedule of tournaments in all codes ahead this year. Check out our Calendar of
Events for 2010. Next up is Clare Island this weekend (20 March), followed by the Benelux
Regional Championship in Amsterdam (27 March).
Your code officers will keep you informed of training sessions, tournaments and other events via the
weekly email on Monday afternoon.
We also have some other interesting initiatives this year, including a special gym membership deal
and an honorary membership scheme for high profile club members in Belgium.
Finally, it is you, the players, who make this great Continental GAA-odyssey happen. The fact that
Belgium GAA fielded two teams at many tournaments, including places where our rivals couldn't
even field one, is a huge credit to the commitment and passion of the members of this club. Long
may it continue.
Roll on another memorable year of Continental GAA!
Is mise,
Kevin Keary, Chairman, Belgium GAA.
Message from the Chairman
March 2010
In this issue you can
read about:
Players Updates & News
The Mike McGurn
Training Weekend
How Belgium GAA
teamed up with FC
Irlande to raise 60K for
Haiti Earthquake Victims
Tournament Reports and
the club's playing
activities
A unique caption
competition...
...and more!
Volume 1, Issue 1
BELGIUM GAA NEWSLETTER
Updating members and non-members alike on the activities of one of the best and most
Gaelic Football Ambition for the year is to become
European champions again.
Preparations have gone well so far with
a Mike McGurn inspired fitness regime.
The mantra of taking responsibility for
our own decisions is being drilled into
us. Turnout has been good in training,
mood is positive in the camp.
The team opens the year in the exotic
island in the middle of the Atlantic
ocean, Clare Island. No, it is not a team
building exercise. We are going there to
win and use that as a platform for the first
tournament of the year in Amsterdam -
truly a city where memories are made.
Also, the Belgium GAA would like to wish
Phil Roche all the best as he recovers from
a successful liposuction/tummy tuck/
cruciate ligament operation.
Players Updates & News
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Hurling Benefiting from the fitness training from
with the footballers, the year has seen a
couple of new debutants with hurling
training proper up and running.
The plan for the year is to retain the
European trophy, win every game in
every tournament and every
ball in every game.
Any hurlers are asked to get
training soon enough as with
the shorter year this year there
won't be anytime to shake the
rust off.
Ladies Football 2010 could be the most difficult year yet for
the Belgium Ladies, as we try to retain our
title as European Champions 3 years in a
row, failing to do this would no doubt be a
bitter pill to swallow as, bar some rare
(but not forgotten) exceptions, victory is
pretty much all we've ever known.
But, even without our fearless leaders of
2009, we enter the year positive and ready
for a fight, having already played our first
Invitational tournament , making it to the
final, and ready to take on the Clare
Islanders this weekend - we'll be fighting fit
come our first tournament in sunny Valencia
on 17tApril.
We also aim to send 2 teams to as many
tournaments as possible again this year, with
the eventual goal of playing 11 a-side as often
as possible - what can we say? So many
women.....!
On the other hand we go into the year minus
some of our star players, some whom have
left our shores and some who have been
struck down by injury - Míde you will be
missed, Laura, Steph and Ana - we look
forward to playing side by side with you before
the season is out. Allez les Belges.
Camogie “No pressure, but the club is looking to the
camogie team to catch up with the rest of
the club this year. Silverware and all that.
You'll be grand." In December, the meaning
behind these words from Olof Gill was
laughable. In March, anticipation and deter-
mination are taking precedence. Waiting to
return to Parc 50e, waiting for a coach,
waiting to actually get out on a pitch with a
hurl, instead of just reading emails about it.
Enthusiasm on the part of our potential
players is encouraging. Last year, we had a
great surge of players from the football team.
These players have not been scared away, in
fact they want to push camogie to the same
heights as ladies football. New players to the
club and sport are in contact every week.
We are losing one of our players before she
even began. Irene impressed us all with her
football skills last year, but camogie is her main
sport. We will miss the skills and training that
she could have brought to the team.
The camogie season is short (even taking into
account possible invitationals). Let‟s make it
great!
Any Other Business The club would like to congratulate Stephen "Cluxton" Kearney and Emily O'Reilly on the news that they will
become parents this coming September.
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To Be Mike McGurned? Continuing on our ambition as a club to the best of the best in Europe, the club enlisted the help of
elite sports coach Mike McGurn. The Enniskillen man is best known for his work with the likes of the
Irish rugby team as player conditioner, physical trainer for Bernard Dunne and is currently the
conditioner for Armagh senior football team. A training weekend that became knows as the "Mike
McGurn" weekend. His philosophy is simple, make training so hard that playing is easy. See Dr. Dave
Barrett's (player coach with the footballers) account of being "Mike McGurned"
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Mike McGurn‟s visit to Brussels lasted well short
of 48hrs but the initial indications are that his
influence will last a lot longer.
As we sat in Friday afternoon traffic on the way
down from Amsterdam, he was cursing not hav-
ing taken the early morning Dublin Brussels
flight. I laughed deviously inside as there was no
place I would have been happier to be than sat
stationary on the Utrecht ring road picking the
man‟s brain.
When it comes to people who are quite well
known, we all have our perceptions of what they
are like from what we hear and read. Naturally I
had some of Mike. From what I‟d read it seemed
clear he was a top man in his line of work. I
expected him to be a motivator and an all round
hard nut. Also, based on the experience he had
when the IRFU suspended him for speaking his
mind, i expected him to be direct, straight for-
ward and a man of principles. Finally, considering
the fact that he was coming over to Belgium GAA
for a weekend, I figured he must be a genuine
guy who is passionate about his area of work.
It‟s reassuring to know that sometimes the
perceptions are spot on.
The first event of the weekend was a talk on the
physical needs for Gaelic Football, held in the
European Parliament. Holding a meeting there is
quite an operation and it isn‟t the norm to have
non-EU type events. With that in mind, the
official title of the meeting was „The use of
nanotechnology in sport‟ with top notch guest
speakers like Dr. Kevin Keary and Dr. Dave Bar-
rett. Jim organised the room and managed the
logistical issues to a tee. Maria, Kevin and Olof
looked after the door, dished out the badges and
ushered the crowd in. They were uncharacteristi-
cally efficient for Parliament types.
The talk went very well and people asked some
very good questions. It covered all the hot topics
from weights through to nutrition and Mike used
video clips and himself to demonstrate what he
was talking about. One aspect of the talk which
told us a bit more about him was the way he
engaged the crowd. He had soaked up the little
bits of info I had given him about the group. For
example, he knew there were people from the
soccer club, he knew there was a physio in the
room etc etc and he engaged them accordingly.
It struck me all weekend how enthusiastic he was
to meet everyone and the interest he showed in
people when he was introduced to them.
From the talk we went out to BUC rugby club.
Their facility is excellent and was ideal for the
weekend. The session however was a disaster in
some ways. Our handling was shocking, our
grasping of the drills (me being chief culprit!) was
slow and we were as quiet as mice. The football
side was practically non contact. I could nearly
Dr. Dave Barrett, Mike McGurn & Johnny Phelan in the European Parliament
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To Be Mike McGurned?
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
feel Mike starting to bubble up inside but he con-
tained himself. I was nearly embarrassed after-
wards when I brought him home. I know we
aren‟t world beaters but we aren‟t that bad either.
We were on again on Saturday at 9. While Mike
was laying out the drills outside, we gathered eve-
ryone in the dressing room and had a few words
about Friday night‟s session and what the expec-
tation was to be from ourselves for the morning
session. It helped a lot and was noticeable from
the first whistle. The prompt can‟t always come
from me though, guys need to step up from here
on.
The session was more physical and less skill
based than Friday and that probably helped also.
It was all action and there was plenty of contact
drills which is an area that we badly need to im-
prove on. By the end we were hanging but the
feel good factor was beginning to return. The two
sessions lasted 47mins and 51mins respectively
and I don‟t think too many of us were asking for
more!! It goes to show, use time properly and you
can save a lot of time.
That evening I met him for about an hour in the
hotel where he was very generous with his time,
answering my questions and sharing information
with me. From there we met Kev, Colin, Johnny
and Conor for a bit of grub in de Valera‟s and in
fairness, Mike continued to answer everything
that was thrown at him. What ensued afterwards
was the first „official‟ club night of the year and
it‟s safe to say that the physical benefit of the two
sessions was seriously undermined in what fol-
lowed.
The feedback from the weekend has been way
above my initial expectations. The buzz and the
energy created from it has been great to see. In
the past, as footballers, we have tended to spend
a lot of time reflecting on successes like the Euro
C‟ship win or the Dubai experience, rather than
putting them to bed and focussing on the next
goal. Mike McGurn is gone now and it is up to us
to drive ourselves on to better ourselves. The
weekend cannot be seen as a highlight of the
year, it is merely one of the initial steps we must
take towards our teams winning a European
Championship in 2010.
Mike said he doesn‟t generally do one-offs like this
trip to Brussels and his explanation is understand-
able. You don‟t put a programme in place over a
weekend. It is a process that needs to be followed
and monitored. I agree with this but also can‟t
underestimate the impact his visit has had on me.
I lay in bed this morning, sore from training and
dying from drink but my mind was totally
invigorated. All that was going through my head
was how to use what he taught us this weekend.
The „torture triangle‟ will get its debut on
Thursday!!
We said our farewells last night and this morning.
It‟s safe to say Mike McGurn left his mark on
Belgium GAA.
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It was Jonny's idea to bring Mike to Brussels. I think we all agreed Mike's the Man.
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Can You Beat Us? Irish GAA & Soccer Clubs Raised 60K for Haiti in 2 Weeks
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Two Irish sports clubs have thrown down the
gauntlet of volunteering fundraising by raising a
whopping €60K for Haiti earthquake victims.
The money came from a joint initiative organised
by the Brussels-based Belgium GAA club and
soccer club FC Irlande.
Both sports clubs combined their efforts to make
posters, organise karaoke events, bake cookies
with the ladies teams of FC Irlande even posing
for and selling their own calendars.
Aid organisations, Haven and Medecin San
Frontiers have described the money as being
"critical" to the people of Haiti.
The fact that Cork man and club sponsor,
Conchur De Barra, agreed to match every euro
raised by the 100 or so volunteers meant that all
fundraising efforts were doubled.
"I was just in Haiti in November and I knew it
was the last place on earth that could deal with
such a disaster," said Conchur.
"When we suggested organising something
everybody got on board and was willing to pitch
in. It was amazing to see the entire Irish
community in Brussels put their shoulder to the
wheel. We had people from all political parties,
from all parts of Ireland coming together to help
out,"
"It was amazing and something we can be proud
of. It was not a uniquely Irish event but we
spearheaded it and encouraged others to get
involved. It was just a great achievement," added
the Rathcormac man.
The fundraising effort culminated in a massive
night out in De Valera's Pub in Brussels, where
owner Conchur, convinced his own staff to work
for free and for the suppliers to donate their
booze for the night so all money spent went to
organisations in Haiti.
The organisations that benefited were Medecins
sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) and
Haven.
Belgium GAA would like to thank all those who
helped make the fund raising efforts for Haiti
such a success.
A special congratulation must also be given to Conchur De Barra who spearheaded the initia-
tive.
See below the press release issued at the time. It is a demonstration of the spirit of both Bel-
gium GAA and FC Irlande that such a successful
imitative was possible.
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Conchur in Haiti last year.
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Another year, another tournament…
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
….another cold Saturday morning, shivering
outside ING on Schuman roundabout. There was
a tension in the air, mingled with a tingle of
excitement and anticipation. Some mused upon
the 2009 Den Haag invitational (mud and misery)
and the 2009 Den Haag tournament (sunburn
and victory). Others pondered the changes since
the finals in November. In Maastricht, we were on
the crest of a wave, European Champions for the
2nd year running. Now, we appeared to be back at
square one – sans Willie, sans Ana, sans Steph,
sans Míde…sans Laura pitch-wise, but she made
up for her absence by stepping into the fold as
our coach. The rest of us looked forward to coffee
and the Top Gun soundtrack. Highway to the
Danger Zone indeed.
In Den Haag, a sharp breeze blew across the
pitches, tugged at airborne balls, coaxing them
into the canals. It flicked at the hair of this brave
bunch of Belgian belles, as they traipsed towards
their vantage point on the rugby/soccer grounds,
overlooking both ladies and mens football
pitches. Prowling the sideline in a Willie Cashin-
esque stance was the Whisk, making smooth
substitutions and yelling incoherently. Keeping
the captaincy in the family, Caoimhe Ní
Shúilleabháin led the team for the first time, ably
supported by Vice-Captain Gráinne Ní Fhlatharta.
We even had supporters, the family Brennan,
visiting from Cork for the weekend, shouting,
umpiring and saving seats for the rugby match in
the club house afterwards.
“Do we know who we are?” asked Caragh in a
lady-like manner at the start of our match
against Holland Ladies, but it was clear from the
beginning that no such identity crisis was at
hand. Holland Ladies are strong competitors on
the European scene, but we won well, showing
that in spite of changes to the squad (and playing
11-a-side for the first time), we had developed
new strengths. It was a good start to the day.
Clare B defended her goal valiantly, with Gráinne
patrolling the back line, supported by Jane,
Rosine and Irene in the half back line. Cuba and
Caragh swarmed around midfield, while the
forward line consisted (at different stages) of
Ciara, Jo, Christine, Laura R, Barbara and Maria.
This match also marked Becky Mattes‟ first outing
as a referee, and after a couple of goes, she
nailed the throw-in, and the day went
swimmingly.
“Who the f**k are we?” asked Maria in a less-
than lady-like manner at the beginning of our
game against Fingallians Ladies, a Senior team
from Dublin. These girls were serious. Not for
them the few drinks on the flight over from
Ireland. They hit us, and they hit us hard. The
closest this correspondent got to her player was a
kick in the knee as she chased after the tall
forward. Although they beat us well, we became
stronger in the second half, only conceding one
point as we recovered our balance.
The last round match was against Rathagarogue-
Cushinstown (a.k.a. the Yellow and Green team
from Wexford). These ladies nudged the other
end of the spectrum. They had the moves, but
also had the booze, recovering from their own
beating at the hands of Fingallians by going to
the bar for a drink. By the time they got to us,
they were sobering up nicely and were ready for
a challenge. We met it though and fought back
with fervour, bringing us to the final to face
Fingallians once again.
There is nothing like being slapped around a pitch
by a team like Fingallians, not once but twice, to
give any team a good dose of humility to start off
the season. I have no idea of the score in the
end, but suffice to say, this may have been the
toughest match of the year. We can only learn
from the experience, which will hold us in good
stead on Clare Island on 20 March. A day like this
gives us plenty of options, putting people into
different positions, testing out new players. Roll
on the weekend.
Sylvia McCarthy reports back from the first game experience of the year for the
Belgium Ladies footballers. The worst is over now - we hope.
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Surprisingly, no-one brought a camera. This is an uncommon occurrence
for the ladies—appreciate it while you can!
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Player Profile - Olof Gill
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Who are you?
Olof Brendan Peter Gill
Where are you from?
Clare Island, Co. Mayo & Gothenburg, Sweden.
Where do you work?
EU affairs journalist at EurActiv.com
Why did you join Belgium GAA?
Because commuting for games with Clare Island was just getting too difficult. Also because Dave
Barrett promised me fame, fortune, pizza and free haircare tips.
What is your favourite European GAA tournament and why?
I like any tournament hosted by ourselves in Belgium, because we get to show off our fantastic set-up
and compete against Europe's finest on home turf.
Who is your Belgium GAA hero and why?
Mikey Keane, because training is temporary but class is permanent. Also Phil 'The Crusher' Cushen,
Laura Whiskerd and Stephanie Dunn because they've all played through the pain barrier on numerous
occasions, fought their way back from serious injury, and their dedication and competitive ferocity is
absolute.
Who is your overall GAA hero?
Willie Joe Padden (Mayo): the greatest fielder, the greatest point-kicker, the greatest moustache and
the greatest burshtosaurus ever to grace a football field.
What words of encouragement would you give a new member to join our esteemed club?
Don't eat too much pizza - it's not conducive to being all you can be.
If you had choice of celebrity Bainisteoir for Belgium GAA who would it be?
Anyone famous from Cork because it would obviously lead to a player strike within weeks, and then I
could stay home and eat pizza.
Olof is considered to be one of the more exotic members of Belgium GAA with his
Swedish/Clare Island connections. A 'Hardy Buck' on the field, Olof shows us his lighter side in this profile and shows that behind his tough exterior there is inside him an inner child
inside who just wants to eat pizza.
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St Patrick's Day Festival in Brussels - A Great Day Out in the Parc!
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Belgium GAA and FC Irlande hosted our third
annual St Patrick's Day Festival in Parc
Cinquantenaire on Sunday 14 March 14 last.
The day began with the arrival of the St Patrick's
Day Parade in the Belgium GAA fortress. Club
stalwart Conchur de Barra did his parish proud as
Grand Marshall of the Parade. His great work in
the Haiti appeal was recognised by the presence
of the Haitian Ambassador to Belgium (pictured).
A succession of demonstration games in hurling,
football and soccer, as well as the egg and spoon
race and the three-legged race for children
ensued.
His Excellency Brian Nason, Irish Ambassador to
Belgium, threw in the sliotar for the hurling
game.
Of special note was the excellent and highly
competitive game played by our young Belgian
Gaels under the aegis of Liam Breslin - with the
two teams, kitted out in the colours of Limerick
and Clare respectively, playing out a keenly
contested match in front of the large crowd.
The organisers exceeded themselves once more
with a real sense of festivity in the air.
Sandwiches, burgers, cookies and taytos were on
sale as well as the ubiquitous black stuff.
Belgium GAA merchandise was also on sale.
Later that evening the crowds move on to Bar
1898 on Rond Point Schuman. A lively night of
traditional Irish music and dance, lubricated with
even more of the black stuff, ensued and all
present had a great time, especially the winners
of the Tombola!
The organising committee will shortly announce
the final total raised by the Festival.
Thanks to all involved in the organisation of this
successful event which is the main fundraiser for
both Belgium GAA and FC Irlande.
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Caption Competition
March 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1
www.belgiumgaa.com
Playing the Gaelic games is a rare privilege and,
as anyone with a camera will testify, a game
where your face and body pull some very
unusual poses.
Belgium GAA newsletter will be holding a funny
caption competition. We will publish one photo
per month and it will be up to you the reader to
caption it.
The funniest caption will be their choice of drink
