Beach Gaelic football might not seem an attractive option here in Ireland. However in some diaspora strongholds, like Sydney - the opportunity to tweak our national sport to promote and reach new audiences is very real.

Cormac McAnallens GAC staged their second annual beach Gaelic football competition last month. The club formed in 2005 in honor of Cormac McAnallen who died suddenly of a rare heart condition - aged 24 Cormac had just been appointed Tyrone senior football captain for 2004.

The club is a shining example of how Irish ex-pats have not only continued to promote GAA overseas but to creatively integrate our beloved games to appeal to a wider market. The location for the tournament was Maroubra Beach, located in Sydney's idyllic Eastern suburbs, 8k south of Bondi Beach. Maroubra is a famous surfing beach, home to the once notorious Bra Boys surfing gang. McAnallens GAC aptly named their 10 a side Beach tournament Mac's GAA at the 'Bra. Apparently the locals love it....

This year 16 mens & ladies teams competed in a sun drenched setting. While a busy BBQ served Irish sausages and treats a Limerick DJ played party tunes throughout the day. The fun day was crowned with a presentation by the NSW President to the winning teams. It all sounds a little surreal from Ireland, but over 500 local spectators turned out to watch the GAA spectacle.


Eamon Eastwood PRO for McAnallens claimed 'It's important for the NSW GAA community to build strong relationships with local councils to both facilitate our games and promote them outside of our own circles - whilst not comprising the rules of our games.' He continued. 'We were delighted with the increased participation this year and view this event as a curtain raiser and fun element to a competitive and long season'.

Whilst we cannot see Croke Park replacing grass with sand any time soon - credit must be given to the tremendous work these Gaels do for the promotion of our games regardless of the circumstances and lack of resources.

Sean Grogan, Club Vice President stated 'the club, while 17,000 miles from home adhere to guidelines set out by the association and in particular structures the Ulster Council have produced in terms of how clubs should be run. We have found these guidelines to be very useful in growing our club over the last number of years'.

With the continued influx of Irish arriving in Australia, Gaelic clubs like McAnallens GAC play a vital role acting as social networks design to assist settling in a great deal easier.

If you are considering a move down under and would like to play Mens or Ladies Gaelic Football, Camogie or Hurling, you can visit the Clubs website at - cormacmcanallensgac.com and follow them on facebook - facebook.com/cormacmcanallensgac . Tweet

Most Read Stories