By Fiona Mclean
My best description of Gaelic football is a combination of every ball game you’ve ever played; football, rugby, volleyball, netball – you name it! Gaelic football combines elements of all of these sports to create a free-flowing game played at high pace.
The game originated in Ireland and is the country’s national sport, but it can now be seen worldwide with Championships being hosted in countries across the world. The Strathclyde Gaelic Football Ladies and Men’s teams were founded in 2012 by Anna Byrne, a Strathclyde Business student from Donegal, Ireland. Together with the Captain of the Men’s team, Tommy Murphy, Anna has led the team to success, being named Best New Team at last year’s STAR Awards.
The Ladies British University Gaelic Football Championships were held on the 22nd of February in Manchester. It was the first appearance from the Strathclyde Ladies team at a national event, making them the underdogs of the competition. Across six matches the girls showed their team spirit and skill, walking away with a deserved 3rd place in their division with 3 wins, a draw and 2 losses against the finalists of the competition.
There was tough opposition in the teams they faced, many of whom are well established. It is fair to say some of our closest rivals were surprised with how far the team had come in a short space of time. The success of the team in our first championship can be attributed to the dedication all the girls showed in training every week but also the fact that the entire performance was down to a full team effort both on and off the pitch.
Strathclyde results are as follows:
Strathclyde 0-3 Imperial 0-3
Man Met 2-2 Strathclyde 0-2
Strathclyde 0-2 Stirling 0-1
Birmingham 1-3 Strathclyde 0-0
Strathclyde 0-1 Bangor 0-0
Strathclyde 2-3 Aston 1-0
Team: Anna Byrne, Sarena Duff, Roseanne Clement , Cheyney Smith , Stacey Hughes , Maria Lyttle , Emer Murtagh , Aoibheann Flanagan , Aoibheann O’Doherty , Caitlin O’Hare and Fiona McLean
If interested in joining the team or finding out more, please get in contact with the details below or through the Sports Union
Email: Strathclyde.ladiesgaelic@gaa.ie
Facebook: Strathclyde GAA Team
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