‘I’m really glad I found this community’: Halifax Gaels recruiting players for new co-ed league

Gaelic Football is finding new life in the Maritimes with the Halifax Gaels GAA Club.

A small community of Irish and Canadians are coming together to play traditional Irish sports.

The Halifax Gaels focus on two sports – football and hurling.

“One being Gaelic football, which would be a cross between basketball, soccer and rugby,” explains Eugene McCabe, with the Halifax Gaels.

“The second, hurling, which would be similar to ice hockey, where hockey originated from, was the sport of hurling when Irish moved out here hundreds of years ago.”

Hurling is a stick (called a hurley) and ball (called a sliotar) game that is played between two teams of 15 on a pitch similar to the size of a rugby field.

“It’s the fastest field sport in the world, so it’s pretty interesting when you’re playing out there. You’ll feel it after your game, I’ll assure you that,” said Galvin O’Niell, with the Halifax Gaels.

The primary objective of the game is to score by putting the ball “between the opponent’s goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points,” according to the U.S. Gaelic Athletic Association’s website.

Gaelic football is played on a rectangular grass pitch with a round football (slightly smaller than a soccer ball) which can be caught, kicked, and hand passed. The game is played between two teams of 15 players.

“To score, you put the ball over the crossbar by foot or fist for one point or under the crossbar and into the net by foot or the hand / fist in certain circumstances for a goal, the latter being the equivalent of three points,” reads the Gaelic Athletic Association’s website.

Brigid Prouse’s mother is Irish. She started to play Gaelic football to stay connected to her cousins in Ireland.

“That’s how I first looked into getting involved here in Nova Scotia,” she said.

“I’m really glad I found this community.”

As the only Gaelic Athletic Association club in the Maritimes, the players usually have to travel to compete in a tournament. While at home in Halifax, the men’s and women’s football teams play together.

“Right now, the closest team to us is Quebec City, which is obviously a very long journey away,” said O’Niell.

“We don’t get very much competitive action. In order to combat that, we decided to try and start our own league here in Halifax.”

The plan is for a seven or eight-a-side co-ed league playing out of the BMO Centre in Clayton Park.

“For the league itself, it’s going to be free for non-members, because we’re really trying to recruit here and get some new players in,” said O’Niell.

“We are a little bit short of what we want right now, so if anybody is looking to try something new, more than welcome to have them here.”

In addition to the new league, the club is looking forward to playing in two tournaments this year: the Montreal May Tournament and the Eastern Canadian Championship. They also hope to have players from their men’s and women’s teams selected to represent Canada at the GAA World Games in Ireland next summer.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jim Kvammen.

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