We are just under two weeks from the Dubai 7’s and we haven’t been able to kick a ball in anger since the turn of 2009. Our last tournament was on November 8th in Maastricht. Since then some lads have been tipping away in the gym and a small few others playing soccer, hockey or cycling.
Being in Brussels, the majority of lads headed home for Christmas so it was not possible to get everyone together. We returned from our holidays to find Belgium covered in snow and temperatures struggling to get anywhere near 0 degrees. All pitches and even indoor facilities have been closed and thus our preparations seriously hampered.
The Dubai idea came out of a very successful first year for Belgium Gaelic Football. We were crowned European Champions in Maastricht, in our first season. A few of us had mentioned the idea of Dubai but I didn’t think it was realistic. Lads had travelled to up to 12 tournaments at their own expense in 2008 and it seemed Dubai would be a bridge too far. However, Eoin Seanoin and Gearoid Sayers started pedalling the idea at the end of year dinner and it caught on.
The following week those two, myself and Club Chairman/Player Conchur de Barra met in the James Joyce in Shuman to discuss it further. We had a burst of enthusiasm and Eoin said he’d organise a poker night. By the time the event occurred, interest was already on the wane with holidays & cash becoming issues. The idea was dead when Conchur sent an email with a proposal to get additional sponsorship to back-up what Eoin made from the Poker night. This help made it a bit more affordable and the need for only two days holidays swung it. Within a day or two we had a formidable squad booked to go.
We have a squad of 11 going. Club Secretary Becky Mattes is also travelling and is doing an excellent job of taking care of all the logistics. Anay Rios who plays with our girls team is also the other member of the travelling party. It should be an epic trip. We have entered the A section but have no idea where we stand against the opposition. Our squad is formidable enough for an expat team. We have lads who have played Sigerson, Fitzgibbion, Senior Club and a limited amount of inter-county experience.
Our strongest asset is our team spirit though. The team only formed on March 1, 2008 and last year 45 different lads played in tournaments. It indicates a phenomenal turnover and indicative of life in Brussels. The integration into the group is rapid and without bias. The social scene amongst the lads is strong but we are by no means dependant on each other. Becoming European Champions last year sealed a strong bond between the lads.
Hopefully we will see some action Thursday night in the indoor hall of the British School. At this stage we aren’t going to improve our fitness too much but the psychological effect of having something done would be beneficial.
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