Gaelic Games Europe

Europe
Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael na hEorpa
Province: International unit
Nickname(s): GGE
County colours: Blue with Yellow trim
Ground(s): Sportspark West,
Negenputruwe 1-5,
6218 RA,
Maastricht,
Netherlands
Standard kit
Regular kit

The European Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael na hEorpa) or Gaelic Games Europe is one of the international units of the GAA (outside Ireland), and is responsible for organising Gaelic games in continental Europe. Gaelic Games Europe is also responsible for the European Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies' Gaelic football teams which compete every three years at the GAA World Gaelic Games.

The first evidence of Gaelic games in Europe dates back to a hurling match in 1774 in Belgium, various games were played across the continent after that with their frequency increasing in the late 20th century. While sporadic attempts were made to form clubs and organise competitions, the first four clubs were organised into a ‘County’ Board at a meeting in 1999 organised by Joe McDonagh, the then President of the GAA. Since then, rapid growth has resulted in almost 90 clubs spread across 20 countries, catering for over 4,000 players who play camogie, hurling, men’s & ladies football, handball and rounders competitions from Oulu near the Arctic Circle in Finland to Gibraltar beside the Mediterranean and from the tiny Channel Islands to big cities such as Moscow in Russia. The European County Board (ECB) changed its name to Gaelic Games Europe at the Annual Convention in Leuven (Belgium) in November 2016.

Structures

Gaelic Games Europe governance structures promote inclusion, democracy and a volunteer culture. Every member is equal and every registered club can influence policies. Any member can submit a motion to their club's annual general meeting suggesting new policies, amendments to an existing policy or propose changes to the playing rules. If approved, the motion is discussed at the Gaelic Games Europe Annual Convention.

Annual Convention

Every club can send delegates to the Annual Convention which is the main decision making body for gaelic games in Europe. Delegates discuss issues, decide on motions and elect the Management Committee. Motions to change GAA playing (or other governance) rules, if approved, are then submitted to the Annual Congress of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association or the Camogie Association which take place every year in Ireland.

Management Committee (MC)

Meets monthly by video conference and has responsibility for implementing policies and managing all activities between Annual Conventions. Many other work groups and sub-committees report to the MC. The 20 members are elected/appointed at Annual Convention and each has a specific role and responsibility for certain tasks.

Executive Committee

This is a sub-committee of the MC and is responsible for dealing with important correspondence and any issues that may arise between MC meetings where urgent action is required. It also prepares some items for the next MC meeting, pays close attention to financial issues and the MC may delegate tasks to it. The Executive Committee must report on any decisions it makes at the following MC meeting. The Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer are 'ex-officio' members with two others being elected.

Work Groups & Sub-Committees

There are also other sub-committees and groups, some of which are in the process of being established. These include:

Work Groups

  • Finance Work Group (Chair, Treasurer, Asst. Treasurer + 2 members)
  • Sponsorship Work Group (Sponsorship Officer + 5 members)
  • Development Work Group (Vice-Chair and the Games, Club and Youth Development Officers)

Sub-Committees

The sub-committees will assist various MC officers who will lead the relevant sub-committee, along with one other member appointed by the MC and one representative elected/appointed by each of the five Divisions (regions). The MC Chair & Secretary are 'ex-officio' members of most sub-committees.

  • Coaching & Games Development Committee *      
  • Club Development Committee*
  • Youth Development Committee *
  • Public Relations & Marketing Ctte
  • Health & Well-being Committee
  • Culture Committee
  • Referees Administration Committee
  • 'code' committees for camogie and hurling.

(*=coordinated by Development Work Group)

Competitions Control Committee (CCC)

The Competitions Control Committee (CCC) is responsible for all aspects of running our competitions and games, including planning dates and venues for fixtures, appointing referees, dealing with disciplinary issues and transfers. The CCC is chaired by the Vice-Chair of the MC, the Secretary of the CCC is the Asst.Secretary of the MC. Other members are the 'code' officers (handball, football, hurling, camogie and ladies football), along with a representative from each Division (region).

Hearings Committee

This committee deals with discipline issues when a party does not accept a penalty proposed by the CCC. They request a 'hearing', where the CCC presents their case, the defending party responds, witnesses are heard and then the Hearings Committee makes a decision. The committee has five members who cannot be members of the MC or CCC.

Appeals Committee

If a defending party is not satisfied with a decision of the Hearings Committee, they can submit an appeal to this committee. The Appeals Committee hears from all parties and witnesses as well as considering any other evidence before making a decision which is final. The committee has five members who cannot be members of the MC, CCC or Hearings Committees.

Divisions (Regions)

Currently, clubs across Europe are assigned to one of five 'divisions' (regions). During 2018/19, clubs in each Division will set up a 'Divisional Committee' which will be responsible for organising competitions and developing gaelic games in their own region. The Management Committee (MC) may also delegate other tasks and each Division will appoint a representative to the CCC and most MC sub-committees. Currently there are five Divisions, two of which are divided into 'sub-divisions' :

Benelux: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany (western lander)

Central-East: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany (eastern & southern lander), Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland

Nordic: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden

Iberia:

  • Andalucía: Gibraltar, Spain (Andalusia);
  • Galicia: Spain (Galicia);
  • Central: Portugal, Spain (rest of country)

North-West:

  • Bretagne: France (Brittany);
  • Federal: Channel Islands, France (rest of country)

Competition formats

In GAA terms 'Europe' comprises all of continental Europe (excluding Ireland & Great Britain) with great distances between each team, so Gaelic Games Europe has various competition formats. Since 2006, men's and ladies football competitions have been played on a regional basis. Europe is divided into five regions: Benelux, East and Central, Iberia, North West and Nordic. Each team plays in its regional competition with the top teams qualifying for the European Senior Championships. Some regions also have sub-regional structures with their own local competitions (Brittany, Galicia, Andalusia).

All men's and ladies football teams can also play in the European Championships (11-a-side) held as a one-day event with teams seeded into different grades (Men: Senior, Intermediate and Junior / Ladies: Championship, Shield & Plate). The 'Premier' championships are for 15-a-side teams in men's and ladies' football played over a number of weekends in Maastricht, where there is a full-size GAA pitch, with the winners representing Europe in the All Ireland Club Championships. Other matches such as internationals (which have featured France, Italy, Germany, Galicia and Brittany) are also played, along with 'Cup' competitions usually confined to teams in one country e.g. Finland and Germany. The European camogie and hurling championships are organised with teams from across Europe playing together on a 4/5 'round' basis.

Many competitions feature a system of 'rounds', with each round played in the form of a one-day tournament, with three to five rounds played annually to determine the new champion in each region (football/ladies football) as well the European Camogie and Hurling Championships which are played over five rounds. A tournament is competed in a single day with teams playing in groups before moving to knock-out stages (or in a round-robin format) leading to a final. Semi-finals and other ranking games can be played if needed to determine the rankings of every team present on the day. Each team gains a number of points depending on its ranking at each tournament (25 points for the winner, 20 points for the runner-up, etc.). After each tournament, points gained are added to those accrued in previous rounds and after the final round the overall rankings determine the competition winner for that season.

Officers

The principal officers and the year of their election/appointment at the Annual Convention are as follows:

Year Chairperson Club Secretary Club Treasurer Club GAA Central

Council Delegate*

 Club
2017 Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels JJ Keaney Madrid Harps Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Marie-Therese Dockery GSC Luxembourg
2016 Brian Sheehy München Colmcilles Deirdre Kelleher (from Feb.2017)

JJ Keaney (to Feb.2017)

 Den Haag

Madrid Harps

 Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels
2015 Brian Sheehy Zürich Inneoin Marie-Therese Dockery GSC Luxembourg Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels
2014 Brian Sheehy Zürich Inneoin Marie-Therese Dockery GSC Luxembourg Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels
2013 Brian Sheehy Zürich Inneoin Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels
2012 Brian Sheehy Zürich Inneoin Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels
2011 William Cashin Belgium GAA Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles
2010 William Cashin Belgium GAA Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Daire Kivhehan München Colmcilles
2009 William Cashin Belgium GAA Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2008 Eileen Jennings Paris Gaels Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2007 Eileen Jennings Paris Gaels Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2006 Stephen Dillon Amsterdam GAC Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2005 Stephen Dillon Amsterdam GAC Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2004 Stephen Dillon Amsterdam GAC Tony Bass Maastricht Gaels Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2003 Herve Guichard Ar Gwazi Gouez Ciaran McGuill Paris Gaels
2002
2001 Eamon O'Brien GSC Luxembourg
2000 Ann Donnelly Paris Gaels
1999 Mark Scanlon Paris Gaels Ann Donnelly Paris Gaels

Note: * Europe were granted representation on the GAA Central Council from March 2013

Gaelic football (men)

European Senior Football Championship (11-a-side)
Founded 2001
Title holders Cumann_Warszawa (1st title)
First winner Paris Gaels
Most titles Den Haag (4 titles)
GSC Luxembourg team v Amsterdam GAC, Berbourg, April 2011

Senior 'A' Championship (incorporating Champions Cup)

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 Cumann Warszawa
2016 GSC Luxembourg Jersey Irish
2015 Paris Gaels
2014 Belgium GAA
2013 Guernsey Gaels Belgium GAA "A"
2012 Belgium GAA
2011 Guernsey Gaels Den Haag
2010 Den Haag Paris Gaels
2009 Den Haag Paris Gaels
2008 Belgium GAA Paris Gaels
2007 GSC Luxembourg
2006 Den Haag
2005 Paris Gaels
2004 Munich Colmcilles
2003 Paris Gaels
2002 Den Haag
2001 Paris Gaels
European Intermediate Football (formerly 'Shield') Championship
Founded 2006
Title holders Irmindinhos a Estrada (1st title)
First winner Maastricht Gaels
Most titles Copenhagen (3 titles)

Intermediate "A" Championship (formerly 'Shield')

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 Earls Of Leuven Den Haag
2016 Liffre Eindhoven/Maastricht/Hague (combined team)
2015 Vienna Gaels
2014 Amsterdam GAC
2013 Vienna Gaels Amsterdam "B"
2012 Malmo
2011 Amsterdam GAC Copenhagen
2010 Copenhagen Frankfurt Sarsfields
2009 Copenhagen Frankfurt Sarsfields
2008 Copenhagen
2007 Ar Gwazi Gouez (Rennes)
2006 Maastricht Gaels Amsterdam GAC
European Junior Football Championship
Founded 2012
Title holders Lorient (1st title)
First winner Frankfurt Sarsfields GAA
Most titles Augsburg, Clermont, Frankfurt, Lorient, Rennes, Slovaks (1 titles)

Junior "A" Championship

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 Lorient GAC Munich Colmcilles
2016 Clermont GFC
2015 Rómhánaigh Augsburg Óg
2014 Ar Gwazi Gouez (Rennes)
2013 Slovak Shamrocks Belgium "B" (*disqualified)

European Premier Football Championship (15-a-side)


European Premier (15s) Football Championship
Founded 2013
Trophy Croke Park Hotel Cup
Title holders Luxembourg (1st title)
First winner Guernsey
Most titles Amsterdam (3 titles)
Year Winner Runner-up
2017 GSC Luxembourg Amsterdam GAC
2016 Amsterdam GAC
2015 Amsterdam GAC
2014 Amsterdam GAC
2013 Guernsey Gaels Zurich Inneoin

Ladies' Football

European Ladies Gaelic Football Championship
Founded 2001
Title holders Belgium GAA (10th title)
First winner Belgium GAA
Most titles Belgium GAA (10 titles)

Past winners

European Ladies Gaelic Football Championship

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 Belgium GAA A Coruna
2016 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies
2015 Belgium GAA
2014 Belgium GAA
2013 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies
2012 Belgium GAA
2011 Belgium GAA Munich
2010 Belgium GAA
2009 Belgium GAA Paris Gaels
2008 Belgium GAA
2007 Paris Gaels
2006 GSC Luxembourg
2005 Holland Ladies
2004 GSC Luxembourg
2003 GSC Luxembourg
2002 GSC Luxembourg
2001 Belgium GAA

European Premier ladies Football Championship (15-a-side)

European Premier (15s) Ladies Football Championship
Founded 2014
Title holders Belgium/Munich (2nd title)
First winner Belgium
Most titles Belgium, Belgium/Munich (2 titles)
Year Winner Runner-up
2017 Belgium GAA / Munich Collmcilles (combined team) Holland Ladies
2016 Belgium GAA / Munich Collmcilles (combined team) Holland Ladies / Luxembourg (combined team)
2015 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies
2014 Belgium GAA Holland Ladies

Hurling

European Hurling Championship
Founded 2002
Title holders Luxembourg (2nd title)
First winner Den Haag
Most titles Belgium (6 titles)
Sponsors Cultec

Past winners

European Hurling Championship

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 GSC Luxembourg Belgium GAA
2016 Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg
2015 Belgium GAA
2014 Belgium GAA Den Haag
2013 Belgium GAA
2012 Den Haag
2011 Inneoin Zurich Den Haag
2010 Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg
2009 Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg
2008 GSC Luxembourg Belgium GAA
2007 Den Haag GSC Luxembourg
2006 Inneoin Zurich Belgium GAA
2005 Inneoin Zurich Munich Colmcilles
2004 Inneoin Zurich Munich Colmcilles
2003 Den Haag Inneoin Zurich
2002 Den Haag Inneoin Zurich

Camogie

European camogie Championship
Founded 2008
Title holders Belgium (6th title)
First winner Luxembourg
Most titles Belgium (6 titles)

Past winners

European Camogie Championship

Year Winner Runner-up
2017 GSC Luxembourg Belgium GAA
2016 Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg
2015 Belgium GAA
2014 Belgium GAA
2013 Belgium GAA Paris Gaels
2012 Paris Gaels Belgium GAA
2011 Belgium GAA Zurich Inneoin
2010 Belgium GAA GSC Luxembourg
2009 GSC Luxembourg
2008 GSC Luxembourg

Affiliated Clubs

These are the affiliated clubs as August 2018.[1] Brittany (France), Galicia and Andalucia (Spain) have their own competitions. Teams hailing from these regions play both locally and in their regional competitions (North-west and Iberia).

GAA Clubs in Europe
Club Colours City Country Region Website
Vienna Gaels          Vienna  Austria Central-East www.gaavienna.at
Belgium GAA          Bruxelles  Belgium Benelux www.belgiumgaa.com
EC Gaelic Club (Junior Club) Bruxelles  Belgium Benelux www.playgaa.be
Earls of Leuven          Leuven  Belgium Benelux Facebook page
Prague Hibernians GFC          Prague  Czech Republic Central-East praguegaa.com
Copenhagen GAA          Copenhagen Denmark Nordic www.copenaghengaa.com
Helsinki Harps GAA          Helsinki  Finland Nordic www.helsinkiharps.com
Jyväskylä GAA          Jyväskylä  Finland Nordic
Oulu Irish Elks GAA          Oulu  Finland Nordic
Azur Gaels          Antibes  France Northwest azurgaels.com
Burdigaela Gaelic Football          Bordeaux  France Northwest
Gaelic Football Bro Leon              Brest  France ( Bretagne) Northwest brest.footballgaelique.com
Clermont GFC          Clermont-Ferrand  France Northwest clermontgales.fr
GFC Pays de Coutances          Coutances  France Northwest monclub.net/FRCPCoutances
Gwenrann Football Gaélique          Guérande  France ( Bretagne) Northwest
Kerne Football Gaélique          Quimper  France ( Bretagne) Northwest
Gaelic Football Bro-Dreger              Lannion  France ( Bretagne) Northwest Facebook page
EGHB Liffré              Liffré  France ( Bretagne) Northwest footballgaelique.usliffre
Lille GAA          Lille  France Northwest Facebook page
Lorient GAC          Lorient  France ( Bretagne) Northwest lorientgac.com
Lugdunum CLG          Lyon  France Northwest afil.fr/football_gaelique
Nava Gaelic Football              Naives-Rosières  France Northwest Facebook page
Nantes Football Gaélique          Nantes  France ( Bretagne) Northwest nantesgaa.org
Niort Gaels          Niort  France Northwest niortgaa.com
Paris Gaels          Paris  France Northwest parisgaa.com
Provence GF              La Fare-les-Oliviers  France Northwest gfprovence.fr
Ar Gwazi Gouez          Rennes  France ( Bretagne) Northwest rennesgaa.wix.com
GF Bro Sant-Brieg          Saint-Brieuc  France ( Bretagne) Northwest brosantbrieg-gaa.fr
Tolosa Gaels          Toulouse  France Northwest tolosagaels.fr
Gwened Vannes          Vannes  France ( Bretagne) Northwest vannes-football-gaelique.com
Rómhánaigh Augsburg Óg          Augsburg  Germany Central-East Facebook page
Berlin GAA              Berlin  Germany Central-East Facebook page
Cologne Celtics          Cologne  Germany Central-East Facebook page
Darmstadt GAA          Darmstadt  Germany Central-East Facebook page
Dresden GAA Club          Dresden  Germany Central-East dresdenhurling.wix.com
Düsseldorf GFC          Düsseldorf  Germany Central-East Facebook page
Frankfurt Sarsfields GAA          Frankfurt  Germany Central-East www.frankfurtsarsfield.com
Hamburg GAA          Hamburg  Germany Central-East Facebook page
München Colmcilles          München  Germany Central-East munichgaa.de
Setanta Berlin GAA          Berlin  Germany Central-East
Stuttgart GAA          Stuttgart  Germany Central-East Stuttgart GAA
Gibraltar Gaels          Gibraltar Gibraltar Iberia gibraltargaels.com
Guernsey Gaels              Saint Peter Port Guernsey Northwest
Jersey Irish Saint Helier Jersey Northwest
St. Stephens Budapest          Budapest  Hungary Central-East
Padova Gaelic Football          Padova  Italy Central-East padovagaelicfootball.altervista.org
S.S. Lazio Calcio Gaelico          Rome  Italy Central-East Facebook page
Ascaro Rovigo Gaelic Football          Rovigo  Italy Central-East rovigogaelic.altervista.org
Gaelic Sports Club Luxembourg          Luxembourg  Luxembourg Benelux luxgaa.lu
Amsterdam GAC              Amsterdam  Netherlands Benelux amsterdamgac.nl
Eindhoven Shamrocks GFC          Eindhoven  Netherlands Benelux Facebook page
C.L.G. Den Haag          The Hague  Netherlands Benelux denhaaggaa.com
Holland Ladies (only ladies)          The Hague/Amsterdam/Eindhoven  Netherlands Benelux
Maastricht Gaels          Maastricht  Netherlands Benelux maastricht-gaa.nl
Oslo GAA          Oslo  Norway Nordic
Cumann Warszawa          Warsaw  Poland Central-East Facebook page
Moscow Shamrocks          Moscow  Russia Central-East Facebook page
A Coruña Fillos de Breogán          A Coruña  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia Facebook page
Ártabros de Oleiros          Oleiros  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Barcelona Gaels          Barcelona  Spain ( Catalonia) Iberia
Gaelicos do Gran Sol Barcelona  Spain ( Catalonia) Iberia
Bráithreachas              A Estrada  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Irmandinhos              A Estrada  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia irmandinhos.com
Dorna GAA Illa de Arousa  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Herdeiros de Dhais Lalin  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Madrid Harps          Madrid  Spain Iberia madridgaa.com
Madrid Youths (only youths)          Madrid  Spain Iberia
Costa Gaels              Marbella  Spain ( Andalusia) Iberia costagaels.com
Mecos Fútbol Gaélico          O Grove  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Auriense Gaelic Football Ourense  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Pontevedra GAA          Pontevedra  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia Facebook page
Compostela FG          Santiago de Compostela  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia compostelafg.wix.com
Estrela Vermelha          Santiago de Compostela  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia Facebook page
Éire Óg Sevilla          Sevilla  Spain ( Andalusia) Iberia sevillegaa.com
Sitges Eagles Sitges  Spain ( Catalonia) Iberia
Celtic Tres Cantos Tres Cantos (Madrid)  Spain Iberia
Sant Vicent GAA          Valencia  Spain Iberia valenciagaa.com
Keltoi Vigo Vigo  Spain ( Galicia) Iberia
Slovak Shamrocks          Bratislava  Slovakia Central-East Facebook page
Gothenburg GAA          Gothenburg  Sweden Nordic gothenburggaa
Malmö GAA          Malmö  Sweden Nordic Facebook page
Stockholm Gaels          Stockholm  Sweden Nordic stockholmgaels.com
Viking Gaels amalgamation for hurling only  Sweden Nordic
Basel   Switzerland Central-East
Geneva Gaels              Geneva   Switzerland Central-East Facebook page
Zürich Inneoin          Zürich   Switzerland Central-East zurichgaa.ch

References

  1. ↑ Clubs lists by country
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.