If you are someone faced with the prospect of emigration or simply looking to broaden your horizons by working abroad, you might be tempted to continue your love affair with all things GAA once you are a member of the Irish diaspora.

The loss of players to clubs at home continues to be the gain of teams abroad during the economic downturn. While the obvious areas such as the US and Britain have traditionally been the strongholds of the Association overseas, there are also many thriving clubs in all four corners of the world.

Spain is no exception and this weekend sees the culmination of another year of the Iberian championship. Seven teams will be represented in the final tournament of the year - Barcelona Gaels, Valencia, Sevilla, Madrid Harps, Madrid O'Donnells, A Coruna and A Estrada (both Galician teams).

After a lean year last season, Barcelona's men's team have rebuilt this season with considerable results. The first tournament of the season took place in the picturesque city of Valencia. They began the day in fine style and it looked like they were going to canter to victory as they went virtually untroubled through their group games. Valencia, however, had other ideas in the final and were it not for a last minute Barca goal, the 2011 Iberian champions would've taken pride of place in their home tournament.

On to the Celtic city of Galicia and for the second tournament in a row, both Barcelona ladies' and mens' teams were victorious. A sending off did not help Valencia's cause in the men's final but Barcelona, playing an impressive brand of football, under the tutelage of manager and club stalwart Steven Fee, coasted to victory. With two wins under their belt, a home victory would virtually ensure a doblette. The home side didn't disappoint, making it three out of three in both codes for 2013.

Valencia and Madrid had won the Iberian Championship in the previous two seasons. With victory most likely going to Barcelona this time, the Iberian Championship continues to thrive as success has spread to various clubs in the Spanish region. Moreover, with two registered teams in the Coruna region taking part in Madrid this weekend, there is little reason to believe that any Irish player cannot find a place called home through a GAA club abroad.

Moreover, one of the appealing characteristics of this championship is that it features an abundance of Spanish players. Several Spanish players will form the backbone of the Madrid A and B team to take centre stage at Campo de Las Naciones, Madrid, this Saturday. Spanish players have also proven themselves particularly enthusiastic throughout teams in the Galicia region.

While club competitions at home may almost always feature Irish players, the spread of our native games to Iberia gives would-be Irish emigrants the opportunity to keep fit, enjoy their native games and have fun whilst abroad. Moreover, it gives Los Españoles the opportunity to sample a truly Irish experience. Tweet

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