Dubai Celts to Host Annual International Gaelic Games Tournament
March 20, 2014
The biggest GAA tournament in the Middle East
Emirates SEVENS Sports Complex
Friday 28th March, 2014.
On Friday 28th March, the Dubai Celts GAA Club, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, will play host to the annual Dubai Duty Free Gulf Gaelic Games, a Gaelic football and Hurling tournament, at the state-of-the-art Emirates 7s Sports complex. Over 110 competitive GAA games will take place in one day across the 6 pitches at the venue. With a rise in the popularity and participation in these sports across the Middle East and the rest of the world, player numbers for this event are soaring towards one thousand.
"The tournament is very important to the Irish community living in this region. It also opens its doors to welcome all our overseas guests to, what has become, a highly competitive, highly entertaining, action-packed weekend. Players from over 70 teams will take part in our tournament this year" comments Sean Staunton, President of the Dubai Celts and Vice President of Operations for Dubai Duty Free. "This year's tournament has succeeded in attracting numerous teams; we even have visiting teams from South Africa. The newly established Middle East County Board will also be heavily represented by 4 clubs in the UAE as well as Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia."
This year's tournament will see rivalry intensifying between established clubs from Ireland and the growing strength of the Middle East, including Dubai Celts. Experienced referees are being flown in from Ireland to offer their professional and objective rulings. Specializing in both ladies and mens' Gaelic football, as well as Hurling and Camogie, they will further add to the rising recognition of this international tournament.
For those new to Gaelic sports, football and hurling are both exhilarating and fast-paced field sports. Hurling, being the oldest and fastest team field sport in the world, has taken its time to gain popularity outside of Ireland, but playing host to the first ever International Hurling Festival in September 2013, the home country has ensured that the word has travelled far and wide. Returning victorious from the festival, the Middle East Hurlers will partake in the second Annual Dubai Duty Free Hurling Tournament with a number of teams competing for honours. Since the skills involved in Gaelic football lend themselves to a number of sporting disciplines, a number of clubs around Dubai are adapting their rugby, football and Aussie rules skills to partake in social events on the day; a team of jockeys will even be trying their hand at something new.
The youngsters of Dubai, as well as other Gulf countries, will be competing in the first ever international juvenile competition on the day as the Middle East Board works hard to promote the future stars of the GAA in the Gulf. Having adopted the national sport as part of their extra-curricular timetables, some international schools in Dubai will also be competing; workshops and training courses have provided Dubai based GAA players with the qualifications needed to bring the game to students from a wide range of backgrounds. This year also continues the tradition of the 'Veterans Competition' for the over 35s who, although getting on in years, are still young at heart! To coincide with the GAA Games, there will also be Irish music and dance, family entertainment as well as nightime entertainment, following the conclusion of the finals, to carry the celebrations of the day right through into the night.
"Last year's tournament was a huge success; we expect 2014 to be bigger and better again with close to 60 teams participating this year. The Gulf Gaelic Games is one of the premier international events in the GAA calendar; travelling teams from Africa and the Middle Eastern region give it an added dimension this year. There is no doubt that every team will thoroughly enjoy the spectacle of the Dubai Duty Free Gulf Gaelic Games, the celebrations in the Irish Village... and that's before they see the rest that Dubai has to offer " commented Seamus Begley, Chairman of Dubai Celts.
The Dubai Celts GAA Club, founded by a group of enthusiastic Irish players working in Dubai in 1995, has gone from strength to strength in the last two decades, growing in size and success thanks to dedicated players and coaches, commited sponsors (Dubai Duty Free, The Irish Village, Mcgettigans, Fibbers and Kelly Steel) and support from Croke Park, the home of GAA. Free admission for all, the 9th Gulf Gaelic Games is set to be a huge success.
Further details are available on the club's website: www.dubaicelts.com. You can also contact the club directly through the Chairman, Seamus Begley, or Vice Chairman, Brian Egan: [email protected] Tweet
