Playing a bit of ball in Bavaria.
The opportunity for Irish people to play GAA abroad often depends on the circumstances.
In the likes of New York, London and many major cities around the globe where there are large expat communities, there are a host of clubs to choose from.
That’s not really the case in the reasonably–sized German city of Augsburg, however, or at least it wasn’t until one Longford woman took it upon herself to establish the city’s first GAA club last year.
Now with 25 members and a Junior A Pan European Championship title under their belt, Rómhánaigh Augsburg Óg GAA are on the up and giving their rivals to the south-east, Munich Colmcilles, something to think about.
We caught up with the founder of the club, Tara Skelly, who told us how the club came about, the multi-cultural dressing room and a semi-naked Tinder experience for a not so anonymous club member.
Focus on Augsburg Óg GAA
Club: Rómhánaigh Augsburg Óg (Rómhógs)
Year established: 2015
Number of members: 25
Biggest rivals: Munich Colmcilles
Most famous member: Tara Skelly. Originating from a small village called Newtowncashel in Longford, Tara started missing the Gaelic and the craic and realised that if she wanted to play it in Augsburg, there was only one way; to set up a club and train the team herself.
Don’t be fooled by her lady-like qualities. When it comes to training, if she says ‘jump’, you ask ‘how high Master?’
She is now known to everyone in the East and Central region as ‘Drill Sergeant Major‘. A light training session, she said. Be grand, she said.
Most memorable moment in the club’s history: Winning the Junior A Championship at the Pan European Finals in Vienna in October.
Most eye-catching scoreline in the club’s history: 3-10 to 0-2 against Paris in the Pan European Championships.
Player who makes the longest commute to training: Colm Egan. He’s flat out on the bicycle. Cycles ten laps a night around the city before training so that he has an excuse to arrive late and miss the warm-up.
Comes tearing up the field with his hurl and his helmet on, gumshield nowhere to be seen, shirt tucked in and chest out, only to realise that we’re not into the small ball game yet.
You can take the man out of Kilkenny…
Most dedicated club person: Simon Daeubler. After playing the game just about a year, he took on a massive challenge by setting up the club with Tara in Augsburg.
He was responsible for getting the legal and official side of things up and running and is also the club’s current acting secretary. We didn’t have goals for a long time, so Simon decided to go into Bauhaus (the German equivalent of Woodies DIY), buy a load of plastic piping and construct a Gaelic goal, which is still used at every training session.
He never misses training and when he’s not on the field, he’s on the computer or on a GAA telephone conference; a real GAA-head with a nice Longford twang to his accent.
Player who could have made it big if love/career/drink didn’t get in the way: Probably Bob ‘the builder’ Sherlock. He’s as strong as a mule, but just as stubborn.
It can sometimes get him into trouble on the pitch, but that barbaric strength helps him to kick points like Maurice Fitzgerald on Sunday morning. Surely the best full-forward ever to come out of Offaly after the great Seamus Darby, but he’s happily married, happily working and happily drinking so the poor lad never stood a chance.
Biggest character: Shaun McBride. We’ve so many nationalities on our team, but Shauny comes from such a small, secluded place and not many people speak his language.
He originates from the Glenelly St. Joseph’s tribe in the north and has a lot to say and says it with passion. Unfortunately we haven’t come across anyone else that speaks ‘Tyronese’ so all we can do is smile and nod.
Loudest in the dressing room: David Moreno-Garcia. David gets the team rallied up before we step out on the field and gets them ready for action.
But seeing as half of the team are Spanish, it sounds like the start of a Spanish revolution in the dressing room and we all join in by making up words and screaming them. A bit like when Shaun talks, to be honest. Loud and proud!
Number of romances that started in the GAA club (feel free to name names): Well it’s the opposite situation with us really, as it was Simon and Tara’s romance that started the club.
There seems to be a distinct shortage of females around Augsburg GAA club at the moment. The only explanation is that the women are afraid to approach the lads due to their ferocious good looks.
There are a few couples in the club, but where we haven’t triumphed romantically, we certainly have triumphed BRO-mantically. I’m talking about the ‘what time will you be over so that I can cook dinner?’ sort of BRO-mances. Not naming any names Adham, Shaun and David!
Duck to water award – Best new player who had never played GAA before: Adham the Eagle. Midfield.
Scored a great goal in the last tournament. Extremely competitive. Great hands, no fear, heart of a lion and always wanting to learn. All the qualities needed to make a great GAA player.
From Egypt, but his family is clearly steeped in the GAA. Not sure why the song is called ‘Walk like an Egyptian’ because this lad is certainly a runner!
Most annoying person in the club WhatsApp group: Riona. Always taking the piss out of everybody, but gets away with it because nobody is ever really sure what the hell she is going on about and she’s a girl. But she’s our very own Rihanna (because nobody can say her name right) so we love her really.
Best story involving a club member that’s fit for print: There was one man who disappeared on suspicion of hunting down a woman he matched on Tinder in Vienna during the last tournament.
Upon waking up on Sunday morning and getting ready for the long drive home, we realised that we were one man down. The search party was sent out and he was eventually spotted running majestically along the Danube, through the quiet Viennese streets, in nothing more than his boxers and Rómhógs Jersey on his way back to the hotel.
What a man. No one quite knows what happened that night. Not even the man in question. We won’t name any names. Let’s just call him Gary B.
If you’re a member of a GAA club abroad and would like to be featured on the site, feel free to send a mail to [email protected] or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
