Fast and furious: Gaelic action to hit capital
FAST, f ur ious a nd f renet ic, Gael ic football is about to make its muscular presence felt in Cambodia on Saturday with Phnom Penh’s first a ll-day tournament.
Only founded in October, the 134year-old sport’s newest club Cairde Khmer are set to host the first Gaelic games ever held in the Kingdom.
Gaelic footba l l is of ten si mplist ica lly referred to as a cross bet ween soccer and rugby as t he goa ls have both a soccer-style crossbar and net and the tall posts of rugby, and both hands and feet can be used.
Tea ms f rom Thai la nd, Singapore a nd Vietnam, including t he Saigon Gaels, are set to take part in men’s and ladies matches.
An ex hibition match of the exciting st ick-wielding game of hurling, t he world’s fastest field sport, will also take place.
Cairde, which means “friends” in Irish, are registered members of the Asian County Board, which oversees all the clubs and tournaments in Asia. The ACB is itself af f i liated wit h t he sport’s governing body, the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland.
The club aims to double its membership and increase player numbers to be able to field men’s and ladies A and B Gaelic football teams.
One of their main goals is to increase the number of Cambodian players on both the ladies and men’s teams, so they represent a minimum of 25 percent of Cairde Khmer players.
“I f irst hea rd of t he GA A f rom a f riend. I didn’t rea lly k now what to expect not having even heard of Gaelic footba ll before,” Cheth Kanika, a 28-year-old female player, said of the game. “I found the sport quickly growing on me. Back in school I always liked sport, but I never worked out if I was more into football or basketball. This is what makes Gaelic so great – you don’t have to pick!
“You need to combine t he sk i l ls required for both, with the bonus of r ugby t hrow n i n. During t he f i r st training, I was pleasant ly surprised and engaged with how easy it was to pick up the game’s basics.”
Cairde Khmer is supported by SCOOP Foundation, a registered Irish free education and community development charity that has been working in Cambodia since 2008, and popular backpacker hostel chain Mad Monkey.
This year Cairde plan to organise four inter-club mixed games (two in Phnom Penh and two in Siem Reap); t wo internationa l r ules (a hybrid of Gaelic a nd Aussie r ules) ga mes i n Phnom Penh; and host one international tournament in the capital.
The club also has international aims, with plans to participate in the Indochina Cup in Vietnam, the South Asian Gaelic Games in Singapore and the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok
Joe Trolan, t he chairperson of t he Asian County Board, said: “I am ver y excited about watching the first ever official GA A event in Cambodia. The GA A president has been briefed about the event as well.
“It is amazing to see what ever yone has done in Cambodia to promote Gaelic games. What is even better to see is the outreach to make the team diverse and welcoming.”
The first ever first Gaelic games in Cambodia are set to start at 1pm at the ISPP fields on Saturday, with the games lasting until 7pm as the finalists battle it out under f loodlights. An after party a nd presentation ceremony will be held from 7pm-8:30pm.
Entry to the tournament is free, and burgers and refreshments will be on offer all day. Full details can be found on Facebook.