Sultanate’s Gaelic Football Club eyes World Games 2016

MUSCAT: Aiming to participate in the Gaelic Athletic Association’s (GAA’s) World Games 2016 in Ireland, Oman GAA, the Gaelic Football Club, are hopeful to make the country proud being the only non-Irish majority in the region.

Gaelic Football is the Irish national sport, which combines football, rugby and handball where the players carry, bounce, kick, hand pass and solo the ball (dropping the ball the toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands. Played with 15 players on each team, they have to score either by kicking or fisting the ball between two posts and over the crossbar for one point, or shooting it inside the goal for three points.

More non-Irish players

Since Oman’s number one sport is association football, as it is in the world, Oman GAA has surprisingly seen more non-Irish players joining the club where 80 per cent of them are of different nationalities.

“This year is a big year for Ireland; it’s the 1916 anniversary so we (Ireland) are holding a big world games in Croke Park in August this year. We are trying to enter the first ever Omani national football team into it,” said Steph McQuaid, chairperson of Oman GAA.

Although Oman GAA was formed in July 2012, not many people know about the club or Gaelic Football and that is one of the main challenges the club is facing since then.

“The biggest challenge is that not enough people know about us and about the club because though we can get them to see it, love it and really enjoy,” said McQuaid.

“It’s just a matter of getting our name out there a bit more and letting people know the opportunities related to this sport; to travel around the region and travel internationally,” she added.

The club currently has 50 active members and consists of a Junior Men’s Team, Senior Men’s Team and a Junior Women’s Team.

She said it is also difficult to find members to join the club, adding that football players would adapt easily to it since it requires the same mentality and strategy, as well as it being a team sport.

Oman GAA is competing in several tournaments in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Looking to get sponsors

Oman GAA is currently looking to get sponsors to help them participate at the GAA World Games in Ireland.

“We are looking to get some sponsors on board. We’re hoping to talk to some companies around Oman that would be interested because there will be global media coverage there and it will be a great opportunity to get their brand out there as well,” said McQuaid, adding, and without revealing, that some sponsors have already expressed an interest.

Members interested in joining the club can do so by visiting Oman GAA’s Facebook page: h t t p : //www. f a c e b o o k . c o m / omangaapage