For all the budding Jim Gavins out there.
Board games might not be as popular as they used to be once upon a time, but as long as the formula is right, the very best of them will never go out of fashion.
Timed to coincide with the football championship really kicking into gear, next week sees the release of Breaking Ball, a card and dice based Gaelic Football game with a tactical element that is suitable for all Gaelic Football fans from 10 years old onwards.
The game was created by Down man Sé Irwin from the St. John Bosco Club in Newry, son of former Down player Brian Irwin.
Sé is now a computer science student at Queen’s University and has been working on the game for the past three years.
A traditional style board game, like Gaelic Football itself, it consists of two teams of 15 players (pop-up players in this case), who occupy various positions on a board corresponding to Gaelic Football.
At this point, seeing as the game originated in Ulster, we’re struggling to resist the temptation to point out that it is not obligatory to place at least 14 of those players in one’s own half of the field.
Played with cards and dice, it closely mirrors the game of Gaelic Football itself, with kick outs, sideline balls, free kicks, yellow and red cards and even the wind all playing a role in the eventual outcome.
Players attack and defend using various card options and Breaking Ball cards help determine the outcome of a competition for the ball.
Every team features star players who can increase their team’s chance of winning, as can hidden cards, one of which is received by each Bainisteoir at the start of every game.
The game comes with a detailed instruction booklet, while there are also YouTube tutorials that explain the various elements of the game to participating managers.
Clips via GAA BoardGames
Commenting on how he was inspired to create the game on a rainy summer’s evening three years ago, creator Sé Irwin said: “I was fed up, we had a good under-16 team and wanted to keep momentum up but the weather was atrocious.
“Whilst playing a game of draughts I started moving the pieces into areas of the board to represent Gaelic Football positions and wondered could you possibly move these playing pieces in a way similar to a game of Gaelic football? That’s how it all started.”
“It’s been a hard slog,” Irwin added.
“At first there were hundreds of ‘what ifs’ and blind alleys that just didn’t work and many times I just had to walk away from the game in frustration but I kept coming back to it.
“I wanted to create a Gaelic Football board game that every current or past Gaelic football player, club member and supporter could play no matter their age or ability, no matter where they were in the world and no matter the weather.
“It all started out as a bit of fun with my younger brother and my dad but after I had completed a sample out of odds and ends and bits of other games, friends and family had a go and really enjoyed the craic.
“After some persuasion, I started work on some graphics and finalising rules. I think the quality is very good and hopefully both young and old GAA followers will enjoy the experience.”
The Breaking Ball board game is released in Ireland on June 7. For more information, check out the website.
