But There Were Good Days Too

Does that importance of building the community that our friend Mide talks about supersede the importance of winning? Is it the victories that bring about the community in the first place? I wonder would Belgium G.A.A. really have kicked on if it were not for the success of 2008? The last blog is more about frustration and disappointment but there is a bigger picture that needs to be acknowledged and on a whole, the year was an overwhelming success.

From a participation point of view, we got record numbers. We fielded two teams in every tournament and a third team in Belgium and Maastricht. We did so with relative ease. On each occasion we could field two distinct panels and didn't have the issues of tight panels and movements of players up and down that we had in 2009. I reckon we used over seventy players in total and training attendance probably averaged around 18-20. They are numbers most adult sections of a club at home would be delighted with.

The first half of the season saw the A team dominate Benelux with some powerful displays. In the Nations Cup in July, the A and B teams merged together to claim that title at the first attempt. For those who went on to compete in the Shield, it seemed to give them confidence in their abilities. Their performances in Budapest and Maastricht were some of the most gutsy put on by any team in the club in the last few years. Amsterdam denied them in Maastricht and went on to take the title but our lads knocked hard on the door against other club's first teams.

We maintained our unbeaten record in the Parc too. Kilmacud visited for a mini tournament which saw our two Belgium teams getting to the final. The final was played on a roasting day and in competitive and aggressive fashion. Then Heston Gaels came calling in October and were also sent home defeated.

The Intra-Club league was a huge success too, even if it gave Hudson and The Dubs a few sleepless nights. Ringergate was riddled with hypocrisy but we all ended friends. Munster claimed the title with a Romanian in goal and a Kenyan floating around the backs. Those games filled the gaps that the summer schedule left and are certainly something we will consider again next year.

In my opinion training improved as did the general organisation. When I look at the improvement points that the players highlighted at the end of last year, we can say we ticked all their boxes.

In the end, it is winning and competing to win that drive things on, whatever way you dress it up. We often neglect the importance of participation in the GAA though and focus only on the marquee teams in a club. I've seen it in my own club in the past, where unless you make the grade, you are left to feed of scraps on sh1tty winter days when the stars can't be arsed. Down in Maastricht, Eoin highlighted the fact that over 45 guys got the opportunity to play football on the day. The club is a big part of everyone's life here but they are only part of the club because they are given an opportunity to play.

To acknowledge the importance of that does not mean we are accepting defeat to be ok.