GAA Abroad: Gaelic football taking off in Spanish province

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galicia

The northwestern province of Galicia in Spain has become a stronghold for Gaelic football.

The town of O Grove played host to two international friendlies between Galicia and Ireland last Saturday. A men’s and a women’s selection from the Spanish province took on their Irish counterparts, and the men especially came close to victory.

The Irish side eventually won 3-21 to 5-10, while the Irish women were victorious on a scoreline 3-22 to 2-8. The Irish teams were made up of club players from across the country, and they took on the best players from the 8 mens and 7 ladies football teams in Galicia.

There are Gaelic football teams located in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla. However, the growth of the game in Galicia, which has a population of some 2.7 million, has been quite something in the past four years.

Carlos Seco is one of the founders of the Galician Gaelic football League, and was manager to the Galician teams at the weekend. He said:

“And above all, it’s (Gaelic football) a very dynamic sport, attractive and addictive for spectators and also for players.

“With our new spectators, we try to focus in the knowledge of goals, points and basic skills. We just try to keep it simple and fun for people.”

Thanks to ‘Pablo Ayagarim’ for the video