UK Forum

Moving to London ? Please just join the local team

(Oldest Posts First)

To all true Gaels who have moved to this town or intend to do so in the near future. Do everyone a big favour - when you have moved into your new abode. Type into google - GAA clubs In London - see where your closest one is and just join them. Simple as that, don't listen to some old codger in the local bar , don't listen to some lad on a building site - promising you a few pound to play, don't listen to your club mate from home who lives over the other side of the city or any other prominent members of London GAA who also has no business contacting you.

The men's and women's football and hurling scene in this town , has been ruined for too long by glory-hunters or just crowd-followers , happy enough to travel stupid distances each week, just so they have a chance to pose with a trophy at the end of the year,along with the other 35 lads or lassies who have each played the equivilant of an hours ball all season. And if you are good enough to have county aspirations then it will suit you even more to play for a lower team, as the demands will be a little less and don't mind those who say that you have to be playing senior club to play for the county. Pure and utter nonsense !

And for those of you who have been travelling silly distances or is only making up the numbers of a senior team. Ask for a transfer , it's not too late to save your soul .

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 30/09/2014 20:37:50    1658774

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Whatever about the football over here the hurling makes no sense whats so ever. Gabriels and Kilburn are like Chelsea and Man City!
Why not put a cap on the amount of players a club can sign and encourage other teams to start up and enter a team - Michael Cusacks could start up again!

It no good for hurling for us Gaels as it stands and I'm sure the same is true on the football side..

chanceit (UK) - Posts: 38 - 01/10/2014 08:15:34    1658817

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posted this before, map of all the teams http://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/gaa-clubs-london-training-times-contact-details-locations.

Although in an ideal world lads will join their nearest team, but a lot of lads come over with the notion that they will only play senior when there is a junior or intermediate team five minutes down the road. I remember we had two guys coming over who lived two mins from where we trained, came down training a couple of nights but wanted to play senior. So decided to join one of the big senior teams, travelled all the way across London twice a week to train, played in some of the league games, but come championship never kicked a ball. Both would be in the pub every Sunday night and said they never once went out to socialize with the team they played for.
Think Sean Kelly is one of the best examples of a player to look at in London, could have played for any team he wanted but decided to play for his local team Cuchullainns, helped them win junior, then almost got them up to senior. Even though playing for a Junior team was picked to play for London. As the Cuchuallainns have gotten better they began to attract better quality players and they are now playing a much higher level than they were 3/4 years ago.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 1999 - 01/10/2014 11:56:55    1658914

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Totally agree. Sean Kelly has been a great example for the GAA in London and shown great loyalty in his local club. Marcus Miskelly and Chris Eastwood too.
They changed the perception in London where by a "junior" player isn't good enough for the county panel.
I hope other players moving over also follow in their footsteps. Would make the competitions more competitive also!

Cockneyreject (UK) - Posts: 28 - 01/10/2014 13:43:24    1658978

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Absolutetely - you can understand the stronger teams wanting to have as much strength in depth as possible, especially with the amount of lads away on many weekends. So it's up to the lads and lassies to do a bit of research before they put pen to paper, because in too many cases they are left to rot on the bench come championship whilst weaker teams are struggling to field all year round.

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 01/10/2014 20:35:05    1659171

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