The Ultimate G.A.A. Odyssey

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Brussels, Belgium
A journey of triumph and despair across the roads, railways and skies of Europe, sharing in the relentless mission to develop, sustain and grow a G.A.A. club in the backwaters of the Association.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Players Meetings

The impact the automotive crisis has had on me is that in the company I work for, Toyota, we have all had to take 16 days unpaid leave this year. This on top of my normal holiday entitlement has left me with much time on my hands. As a result, I've come home alot more and stayed more closely in touch with whats going on.

On Sunday, the Kinsale footballers will have a players meeting to thrash out all sorts of issues. When I was naive and more militant I'd have been a ringleader for this type of activity. I think in 2000, I chaired such a meeting and had a detailed agenda. I used to think that you could influence people and gain their buy-in this way. We held it in a meeting room in Actons Hotel and no-one was allowed bring alcohol in. It was a constructive meeting and we all went away feeling reasonably good about things.

As the year rattled on though, it was obvious that you can't sway some lads. Committments get forgotten and standards start to slip. There was another year where we had the meeting in The Greyhound. Having it in a pub in the first place, sends out all the wrong messages. With each passing year though, you had the token gathering. Rarely did they bring about meaningful change.

This year we had a very well attended one for the Belgian Footballers and not knowing the track record of the group, I left energised. I had forgotten some of the guff that fellas (not all in fairness) come out with when given the floor. Weeks later you'd be left scratching your head when the same fellas are doing the bollocks.

From Kinsale's perspective, opportunity knocks. There is a core of well trained and disciplined young fellas who have graduated from Gearoid Condon's Minor set-up. They have been coached and have expectations of what is to come. Alongside them, there is a sprinkling of other talent, enough to make a right go of things. I'm interested in what the tone of the meeting will be on Sunday. Unfortunately, I have no business there so will have to wait till after to hear how it went.

It can go two ways. The first is it will be riddled with negativity; fellas getting at eachother for screwing around this year, others may give out about the training and more about their general 'treatment'.

The other way is that fellas will come up with some very constructive ideas about training and the set-up in general. They'll put together the formula that can produce the best results for them given their own personal situations. I don't think it should be about any grand statements of committment, it should merely be about trying to get the players to agree what can work best for them. Their awareness of the respect they need to show the club should be heightened as well. By this i mean things like paying Membership, wearing the right gear to matches etc.

How to bring the message from the meeting to the trainers and the committee is key to its success and failure. Those two bodies never like feeling like their being dictated to and if they get a hint of that then you can be sure your voice will fall on deaf ears. In this era of player revolts, sensitivity levels are at an all time high and change can be ground hard earned.

I'm still confused about the value of these meetings. Nevertheless I hope Sunday goes well and it can be the first step towards landing an Intermediate football title or a Junior Hurling one.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Goodbye 2009. It Was Emotional.

A blockbusting social scene has played a major role in the development of our club over the last two years. Saturday night was our end of year dinner and the jewel in the social circuit of Belgium G.A.A. Attendance jumped to 80 and even at that we missed some usual stalwarths like Alan, Caragh, Conchur etc. The session is always cunningly discussed as a 3 course dinner and our hosts in de Valera's pull out all the stops to ensure the pub is prepared suitably.

We had fourteen trophies on display; 7 ladies football, 5 men's hurling and 2 men's football. Despite arriving less than enthusiastic about the prospect of another big session, I quickly found my feet. Some of the FCI seconds remained in situ after the post-game food so we again told each other how wonderful we were after our 2 0 win. Keary, Olof and co were busily fixing their ties, rehearsing their speeches and generally trying to look well. People filtered in gradually in an assortment of costumes. Hudson wore a vest whilst Philip Roche presented himself in a tightly fitting suit and accompanying moustache. There is no dress code but equally no problem wearing whatever you want. The girls always go the extra yard though and on Saturday night they may even have bumped Munich out of my 'top twenty things that are great about Belgium G.A.A.' and bettered their 5th place ranking in the process.

I sat with Enda and his wife Mia (spelling?). Hartey was there too and then Seamus and Clare A. We had good banter and stuck to our disciplined approach regarding eating; not too much, not too little. Olof grabbed a hold of the mic after the main course and proceeded to hand out the awards. The hurlers were up first and Martin was ushered up onto a chair so the masses could see him. The 25 man panel were all presented with their County Championship medals and Conor Aylward deservedly received the 2009 Player of the Year award, restoring the credibility to the prize after Eoin Sheanon's victory in 2008.

Ladies Camogie was next. Unfortunately no medals but the Player of the Year prize was handed out to Cork woman Sylvia. Colin Byrne managed to claim more stage time than anyone else despite having no medal to hand out. He did have to present the Football Player of the Year prize though. It was a tough call this year as we had two teams and thus many people to choose from. We asked for the opinion of everyone and in the end it boiled down to a couple of lads. It was Cluxton who received it though; his performances in some key games like the Exiles Cup sealing it. He is small in stature for a keeper but shows great bravery and one on one shot stopping ability. He won it because he deserved it but it also doubles as a nice parting gift before he leaves Belgium with his wife Emily at the end of the month.

The Ladies footballers had much to celebrate, winning all their tournaments and the County Championship for the second successive year. They also had two teams and have an enviable array of talent at their disposal which will make the other clubs in Europe wonder how to stop their three in a row bid. Laura received their Player of the Year award.

The final award was for Club Person of the Year. It went to the 2008 Footballer of the Year, Phil Cushen. Crusher, as he is better known, suffered a horrible knee injury back in May which will sideline him into next year. However, he didn't disappear and was always on hand to help with training or any other jobs that needed doing. He is a wonderful example to all.

What ensued afterwards is hazy. These nights provoke almighty emotion, with everyone proclaiming the greatness of the G.A.A. and what our club has done for them in Belgium. It really is unbelievable to see 80 people in de Valera's, in Belgium, at a G.A.A. do. One of the great losses to G.A.A. members at home is that so many of them will never experience the energy and passion which people have for it abroad. They can never understand the obstacles which clubs face here as they try to build their club in an environment where it has no grounding, no foothold, no history. Unlike clubs at home, you cannot be passive; you must stand up and contribute. Saturday is the pinnacle of it all, when we sit amongst each other and celebrate the successes of the year. It is a wonderful occasion.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Year In Review III - Logistics Man

Lads being lads, they need a bit more minding than the ladies and so the amount of work that goes into organising the team is significant. It's all so straight forward at home because the pitch never moves and the venues for matches are well known to all. You might get the odd text with an update on meeting times but that’s it. Here, the need to keep everyone in the loop is constant. Hotels need booking, flights need arranging, money needs collecting and numbers need confirming.

We used over 50 players this year and help was going to be required to coordinate everyone. I'd be very hesitant about bringing too many people on board because it makes things messy with many opinions flying about. However, Conan and I knew we needed help. We wanted to fill the position of Football Officer (on the committee) with someone other than ourselves. We drew up a responsibility matrix and went after Colin Byrne. He joined the club in September 2008 and has been a constant ever since, in all senses; training, playing and socially. He was happy to support so we brought him in to help with communication and logistical issues.

He was an ideal candidate because he was organised and respected by all. Maybe more importantly, he lives over by Rue Bailli which is in the heart of the girls football camp. From there, he could monitor their activities and pull them into line when they needed to be! His patience was also key as dealing with myself and Conan was always going to test him. In the early days, he used to gather splinters in his arse cause he sat on the fence so much. However, as he found his way to navigate through the often heated debates, he climbed off the fence and would freely offer his valued two cents.

In addition to that, he liaised well with the committee on all matters. Conan and I appreciate greatly the efforts the committee put in and the difficulties they have keeping everyone happy. We maybe aren't the best lads to be in the thick of it though. Colin can filter what we want to say well and knows how to deliver news we may not like, adjusting the tone and the message to appropriate levels. He also provides a different angle of attack to allow us prick the conscience of the players. It worked well this year. It’s a job that fills a part of each day. There is that amount of organising, liaising and cajoling involved.

As with everything though, you need to do it at least twice. The first time to learn and the second time to use your learning to improve things. With that in mind, I hope we can keep him on board in 2010.

Just as I finished this blog I received a mail from one of the lads. Plenty of fellas would always be very quick to say thanks, but for others it’s just not their way but it doesn't mean they don't appreciate it. A line in the email just received summed it up; "Remember, we're all Irish, so gratitude is normally expressed inversely - the more whines and slaggings, the more lads are trying to say cheers! So Freud says anyway in his chapter on GAA." There can be no doubt; the work of the Football Officer this year didn't go unnoticed.

PS Of course, for every Football Officer, there is a Hurling Officer. Although this was officially Martin, the job I describe above was largely carried out by Adrian. So Mr. Hiel, we salute you too!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Year in Review II - Fantasy Football It Was Not

Where to start? What tone to take? Depending on the stage of the year you asked me this, the response may have been different. For now I remain philosophical. With so much infighting gripping so many G.A.A. teams, we can draw hope from the fact that our squad of 30+ players departed Maastricht on the last day of the season disappointed but together. Here is my take on it...

Training
In terms of drills, we moved on a bit this year, creating more game-specific situations; one on ones and that kind of craic. Also, we added a few more conditioned games and focused alot more on these, especially towards the end of the year. Fitness wise, I tried the approach of 'running with the ball' but found the intensity drops in many of the drills due to poor handling. One thing i'd like to do better is have a more orderly structure to the training as a whole. I varied it alot this year to keep things fresh and also because there was no point in doing things in blocks because fellas weren't there consistently enough to get the benefit from it. We'll look to improve this next year but will also look to lads improving their attendance and concentration levels.

Challenge Games
We had three main events in this regard. Dubai provided the backdrop for the early season 'training camp'. It was a whistle stop tour, but had that trip of a lifetime feel to it. We travelled through the night but made every minute there count. On the football side, we beat Abu Dhabi and Clonmel to top our group but fell to a strong Dubai side in the semi-final. On a social side, we partied away the Sunday night and most were at their desks in Brussels on the Monday morning.

Next we welcomed Mitchells from Coventry and the famed Clare Island to our modest surroundings in Parc50. Victory on the day was especially sweet as Chairman Gill was in opposition. At the tail end of the year we took on Tir Chonnail Gaels in a match borne out of the creative thinking of Conan. The idea was to pit the 2008 European and British champions against eachother. We won, 1-20 to 2-16 in a real hum-dinger in the Parc. These games provided the highlights of the year and showed us that we can compete with lads who play more regularly.

Benelux Tournaments
There is a school of thought that said these are only a series of extravagant friendlies and we should keep the powder dry for the Pan-E Championship. I disagree though and feel that doing well in them is important in building things up during the year. We flopped and went out at the semi-final stage at each tournament. The most galling was in the final round when the referee got the scores wrong in the semi against Amsterdam and forced us into extra-time. We capitulated and were beaten. It was at this point of the season when I was most twisted up with frustration. We always had decent numbers at training but the 'A' players were conspicuous by their absence. The 'B's, who endured a difficult Benelux section, were proving the more enthusiastic bunch.

Pan-E Tournaments
This section saw some improvement as players started to become more available although not to the extent which I would have liked. We didn't qualify automatically for the Championship section and so had to apply to be allowed in. Before applying, I sent everyone an email telling them of the need to do this and highlighting the fact that we would need to increase the effort if we were to be competitive. If fellas replied and said they wanted to play Championship, it would imply they were going to give greater commitment.

I received some animated responses. Those who know me best appreciated the element of devilment and gave more thoughtful responses. Some attacked me sighting a 'loser mentality' and the like. This goaded me no end and the exchanges became a little hot. Crusher was the only one who said the A team should enter the Shield and his reasoning was simple, we didn't deserve to be in the Championship based on what went on this year. Of course, deep down I don't believe he meant this. Also, as long as I am in charge or still playing, we will always enter the Championship. Win or lose, a club of our size should always compete for the top prize and want to play at as high a level as possible. Amsterdam opted to go into The Shield even though they finished ahead of us in Benelux because they thought they could win it. However, they discovered that The Shield is minefield and their season deteriorated.

The responses mad a hard bed for lads to lie in and whilst there was some improvement afterwards, what was said in the emails was not always matched afterwards. This pissed me off no end. If a fella is straight up with me then that's ok but hiding or avoiding telling me something isn't on.

In Munich we qualified for the final and we would have led at a crucial stage had it not been for a missed penalty. Copenhagen saw us needing to beat Paris in gail force conditions to get to the final. They got some fortunate goals which gave us a mountain to climb. It still wrangles with me because we peppered their goal in the second half but fell just short. We were the better team that day. It was a different story in Rennes though. We faced them again in the final but on this occasion they had all the momentum and deservedly beat us. The final tournament in Maastricht was the highest standard we faced all year and we went out after losing to the Hague and Budapest. Whilst losing is always disappointing, they were good tough games and we weren't a million miles of the pace.

Comings and Goings
There were many. Gearoid Sayers and Micheal O'Flynn are as good, if not better than there is in European and they were massive losses. Others made fleeting visits but those who stayed were the likes of Ciaran Hudson, Dave Bourke, Johnny O, David Collins and Paul Quinn. Phil Cushen was a massive loss because he is a low maintenance, reliable and determined defender. He just gets on with it and needs little watching. We didn't see as much of Emmett as we would have liked but have no complaints. Naturally, his new baby girl, Ruby, would take more of his time. To his credit though, he travelled to the Pan-E tournaments, even if he needed a little extra pressure to go to Rennes!! Unfortunately, when there, he damaged his ankle and that finished his season. Who knows what our squad will look like next year but if we keep what we currently have, it will give us a good basis from which to attack.

The Killer B’s
Their formal formation was a big achievement this year. Conan, Johnny and Ruairi led a committed group who can be proud of their dedication in travelling around Europe and following a steep learning curve. Being the only B team is a major disadvantage as they will lack the handful of class players that every A team has. There will no doubt be some simmering annoyances with myself and Conan about how we handled selection and the like but by and large fellas understood the difficulties we also faced. The improvement in play was visible during the year and now the challenge is to continue that into 2010.

Final Comment
I found this year very frustrating for many of the reasons outlined above. In addition, I had to deal with a mystery throat problem as well as ankle and back problems right up until the Rennes tournament. Against the back-drop of the training ground irritations, it made it very demoralising. Over a pint in The Hairy, Olof confirmed what I knew already; that my mood and the enjoyment fellas will get from training, are heavily linked. It is unlikely I will change so to remedy this, I would urge fellas to have a think about what they need to do!!! Of course, I might tinker with a few things too!!

In the end, I loosended the grip and was less demanding in terms of the little things. I handed over the warm-ups, mostly to Olof, to bring a fresh voice to training. However, by not chasing fellas to the same extent, you see their standards drop and whilst in most cases they don't recognise it, it all matters. In the end, my perspective changed slightly and I focused more on the enjoyment I wanted to get out of it. It worked and the last two months were some of the most enjoyable trainings and I felt it in how I played in Rennes and Maastricht too. The hunger started to come back and the legs started to move again.
Already, I'm thinking of next year and how to improve things. If someone else were to put their hand up and say they wanted to take over than I wouldn't take it to heart. It's not ideal to be training the lads you play with and drink with. I'm still up for it though and the challenge we face now is enticing. If we can get lads in the right frame of mind next year and understanding how they can best contribute to the team then we'll be in good shape.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Year in Review I - Hurling Heroes

As with all of the upcoming reviews of the year, I'll try not to repeat what was already said. We start with the new and first time European Hurling Champions.

Led by the balding eagle, Martin Crowley; his second year at the helm brought home the cup that we hadn't even come within touching distance of previously. We had finished 2008 on a high, winning the Zurich tournament and started 2009 with a steady arrival of new blood.

Cork provided us Eoghan Kelly, Daire Cotter and Dominic King. Later Tipperary (and Cavan) would send us Jim McGrath. The Cats sent Pearce and the Dubs gave us one of its filthiest (obviously that should read finest) sons, Fergal Mythen. These additions combined with the fact we retained the guts of last years squad meant we were always going to be a formidable force.

Paris, Brussels and Den Haag were won convincingly and showed a gulf in standards this year. We recognise that luck (who comes and who goes) plays a big part in the success and failure of teams in Europe. This year we got the rub but there were two tournaments where we really had to stand up and earn our spurs.

The first, in Arlon, was the Luxembourg tournament. Its been well documented in earlier blogs and in my mind, it still holds its place as one of the greatest games I've been involved in. It had everything; two totally committed teams, hard hurling, wounded players ploughing on through the pain, three periods of extra-time and a score fit to split any pair of teams.

We defeated The Hague and one of their players summed up the feeling after the game when he was talking to Dec last week. He said it was a game where there was no bitterness at the end. Both teams gave it their all and matched eachother step for step. There had to be a winner and the loser would have to accept it and appreciate the spectacle in which they too played a starring role.

The second occassion was in Zurich. 12 players drove seven hours the Saturday of the tournament. The squad missed a plethora of players but still rustled up the necessary. The tournament was won but the club demonstrated more that day. We didnt need to go to claim the overall Championship but we have always travelled, in the good days and the bad. We understand the importance of travelling to Zurich and honouring our committment to the competition.

Everyone played their part through the year. Conor Aylward was a standout player. Eoghan Kelly did a significant job on many occassions. Our Canadians Adrian and Jarrett also contributed handsomely. The season was not without its cruel moment though. Crusher's knee injury and roar down in Arlon is hard to erase from the memory. He's on the mend though and we can expect him back next year.

So, 25 years after claiming a Dublin Senior Hurling Championship medal with Erins Isle, Martin Crowley led Belgium to its first European Hurling title. He carried on the work of the likes of Aine O'Regan, Cian O'Lionan and Willie Cashin which started back in 2004. Its one of the most thankless jobs in sport; training a hurling team in Europe but he fulfilled it with enthusiasim and success.

We also hosted Na Fianna in a challenge game back in February and won it convincingly. In March, myself, Rochey, Hough, Eoin and Keary played in the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship with County Europe. Today we can say Hurling in Belgium is on a high and we should enjoyed every minute of it.

Opening The Closet

With the main G.A.A. activity of the year over, attention now turns to filling in those dark winter evenings. Many people may have misinterpreted my feelings about foreign games so the following admissions may be a disappointment to them!

In recent years, I've spent my free time playing for FC Irlande. Soccer is not a game that comes naturally to me but the sport and the club helped me settle in Brussels. I spent most of my first season on the seconds and held down a first team spot for most of last year, my endeavour rather than skill being my key atribute.

This year I've been minding myself and have not really engaged with it so much due to the G.A.A. I have played a few games for the seconds though and enjoyed each one. It's a very compatable squad this year and the team finds itself topping the league heading into this weekends game against British United. It will surely occupy a fair share of my winter but I'm not sure how much yet.

This is mainly due to my interest in another sport for which regular readers will have picked up on previous references. For those who haven't, I must disappoint you and confess to being an enthusiastic hockey player! The back has curtailed my activity in recent years but I'm determined to give it a good go this winter.

I played in school and also occasionally with Bandon Hockey Club's third team in 6th year. After that I spent six years playing with U.C.C., often in opposition to my brother, who plays with Bandon. When at home in August, I joined in a Saturday afternoon training game with them. Their current captain, Andrew Kingston, is a former teammate from school and UCC. I asked him to sort my release forms from College so I could be available to play for one of their teams when I'm home.

He duly did and last weekend provided the first such opportunity. His brother Mark is captain of the seconds and I sneaked into that squad for last weekends clash with C of I. The environment was very familiar. Mark would have been a year ahead of me but was young enough to captain my teams on the way up. I'd know Horse and Fordey well from school also. Trevor Martin would have been a regular sparring partner. Jason and my brother John were all too familiar defenders. The rest of the squad was a younger generation who I knew little of except that they were blessed with some talented skills.

Before the game, the lads were asking me was I playing much in Belgium. To keep my chances of getting a game high, I told them I was tipping away alright. However, I was quickly found out as I was sprung from the bench early to replace an injured player. There are two new rules in hockey which only came in this season. One allows a player who has won a free to restart the game by moving the ball one yard and then continuing play himself. I didn't know this and was not impressed when my man took advantage.

I rotated in and out for the rest of the game and enjoyed every minute of it. Its the first time I have played on the same team as the bro so that was a bonus too. While I didn't always appreciate Bandon's maverick approach to their play when I was with UCC, I always appreciated the effort they needed to put in to keep their club going in the face of the significant pulling power of Quins and CofI. If I was still in Ireland, I would have returned to play with them without doubt. The ease at which I could blend back in last weekend demonstrates why.

Of course, all through my hockey days I was ridiculed for playing this overly prodestant sport. It was always just banter though and plenty of our lads spend their winters playing other sports like soccer & rugby during and we're always interested in how eachother are getting on. I gave hockey as much committment as I gave the G.A.A., even playing a hockey league game the morning of a Championship match on one occassion. Of course, there would only ever have been one winner if I had to choose but fortunately I didn't.

I head back to Belgium tomorrow night enthused about finding a team and getting back into it. If I'm realistic, I know that my back won't hold up to it but while it does, I'll enjoy every minute. I've two more weekends where I'm available for Bandon before Christmas so hopefully I'll don the black jersey again soon. This is how I spend my winters.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Down But Not Out

We will leave the reflections on the season as a whole for another week. For now, a brief report on the last tournament of the year in Maastricht. Our strongest team travelled to play in the toughest of groups with Den Hague and Budapest.

First up were Den Hague. They travelled en masse and had a few unfamiliar recruits in their ranks. They're a big physical team and the tight pitch was definitly in their favour. We lost 2-6 to 1-5, conceding two poor goals in the first half. The tackles were uncompromising but again our discipline was poor as we conceded silly frees. Its been our achilles all year. Sheanon gave us hope with a goal after some quick thinking from David Collins but the gap was too great. It was not to be and it left us needing a win against Budapest to quaify.

So, we moved to the open spaces of the main pitch for the next fixture. Where Den Hague were big, Budapest were their equals if not bigger. We opted to play Rochey as a third midfielder and leaving Eoin inside on his own. Enda and Olof were to break ball and myself and Rochey were to hoover it up. It was working a treat as we got ball forward and men followed quickly. There was a point in it just before half-time when Rochey landed on a straight leg and joined a growing list of our team who have been carted off to hospital during the year. To add to that, we already had to withdraw David Collins before the game even started.

Budapest hit us early in the second half and we were left chasing the game. Rochey's absence disrupted our plan and we had no replica to put in his place. We created lots of chances though but may have sought goals to early. The defeat left us in a 5th/6th place playoff against Rennes which we won at a canter, despite some awful defending in the first half. Cluxton was sprung from goal and delivered a green flag at the opposite end with the last kick of our season and maybe his Belgian sojourn.

As I said, we can reflect later on the season as a whole but one plus this year has been the team spirit. We've had no defections (permanent anyway!), no big fall-outs and left Maastricht with a solid basis to build upon next year.

The Hague won it overall and they deserved to. It was a competitive year and they can be proud to have come out on top. Our Ladies took the their tournment and overall trophy, thanks in a large part to a flurry of goals from their sharp shooter Caragh O'Connor.

Our B's had their strongest team of the year and must feel they underachieved somewhat. Narrow defeats could easily have been narrow victories and the story could have been told very differently. The spirit on their side of the camp remains upbeat too and they will look with optimisim to 2010.

On Saturday, there were over 60 people in Maastricht from Belgium G.A.A. There is no doubt that results and winning are important but as Mide alluded to in her victory speech, the club hasn't just won trophies in the last two years, it has built a community. The evidence of that was clear to see straight through from 7am at Shuman roundabout on Saturday morning until 6am in Celtica in the early hours of Monday.

Roll on 2010.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Cherishing Competition

So, the European Football Championship came to an end as the floodlit Maastricht G.A.A. grounds fell away into the winter's darkness. The season review will follow in the coming days but for now we must wallow in defeat and decide between bitterness at a season that could have delivered so much or the graciousness which is deserving to the victors. Of course, we choose the latter and must congratulate Den Hague, who deservingly took hold of the cup which we dug so deep to win in 2008. I've yet to be told of a team who has retained the European Football Championship and this year has been no different. I knew from the beginning it would take a titanic effort to overcome the obstacles that would stand in our way and I was not wrong.

This cannot be seen as a bad thing, however disappointing. I received a link from Johnny P last week which brought me to an article in The Times newspaper. It was about Nadal, the Spanish tennis player. He had just been beaten in the French Open after a stretch of 30+ games undefeated. He made a simple pronouncement to the waiting media vulchers; saying that sometimes, 'You need a defeat to give the value to your victories.' How right he is. Our results this year make me value last year’s triumph even more.

Our Hurlers swept all before them in 2009, winning 5/5 tournaments and maintaining an unbeaten run which stretches back to September 2008 in Zurich. Like the football, it’s a difficult Championship to be retained. Zurich were all conquering when their 3-in-a-row started back in 2003. Since then Den Hague and Luxembourg have swapped seats at the top table. We've knocked on the door in the last few years but couldn't sneak in until now. An avalanche of hurlers arrived to transform our fortunes and now it’s our turn. I think we lost one game all year, in the group against Den Hague down in Luxembourg. With barely a team to field, we regrouped and won that truly epic final after three periods of extra time, against the team who beat us earlier in the day. Still, we wished for more enduring battles but they were not to come. If the trend of recent seasons continues than we expect the rest to stand up and come roaring out of the blocks next year.

The football has not been such a one horse race up to now. Before our arrival, Munich, Paris, Den Hague and Lux were all eager contenders. Throw in the wild card that is Budapest and you have the makings of a competition which anyone could win on a given day. This year, Paris have won two, Den Hague two and we contested 2 finals. It is hard when at the end of the day's games there is no cup to take home. What would be harder though, is waking up on a Sunday morning, your body missing the cuts and bruises and stiffness that comes with hard fought games. The European Football Championship provides this and in doing so it provides fantastic competition for its players. There are no walk-overs, there are no games which pass without incident or are won without sufficient guile. Long may it continue.

This year, defeat has given value to our previous victories. I hope it will be the stimulus for future ones.