Nearly never won the race

A quick summary of the weekend's events, before more in depth reporting later in the week.

A few clichés to start. It's a results business and at the end of the day, neither of our team's cut the mustard. On the face of it, that is indeed correct. However, dig beyond that simple assessment and you will uncover a solid trail of hope.

The Shied team were very unfortunate. Convincing wins against Niort and Luxembourg A were offset against a 0-3 to 0-2 defeat to Amsterdam A. Because of the number of groups (3), it meant only group winners qualified directly for the semis. The second place teams in the two groups of four teams would have to have a points shoot out to determine the fourth semi-finalist. We lost out to Liffre and so our hopes of a first Shield win were dashed.

Amsterdam A, pre-tournament favourites, went on to claim victory in convincing style, beating fellow Benelux side Frankfurt in the final. The fact we came so close to beating Amsterdam ourselves is a good indicator that the lads weren't so far off the pace. The team can move confidently forward knowing it is on the right track.

Over to the Championship and the expectation in the build up was that it was going to be very competitive this year. We were grouped with Lux A and Jersey (The Hague, Guernsey and Stockholm were in the other group). After a slow start against Jersey, going 0-2 to 0-0 down, we kicked into gear and recorded a 1-6 to 0-2 victory. The margin didn't feel that big out on the pitch though.

Next up was Lux. We had reasonable control of the early exchanges but a goal after half-time gave them a lead. We didn't panic and went up to claim a goal of our own. That would be the key score as we ran out 1-6 to 1-3 winners to top the group.

Our semi-final opponents were reigning champions The Hague. Leading 0-3 to 0-2 at half-time, we were well placed to kick on. It didn't happen though and we reverted to an old habit of taking ball into contact and being dispossessed. I counted about five instances and we can nearly directly attribute our downfall to this factor. In the end we ran out two point losers. The Hague went on to win the final at a canter.

As both our squads were at capacity, we had to 'loan' out a couple of lads to other teams. Adrian played with Amsterdam B whilst John Harkin and Paul Hagan lined out for Paris. Armagh native Hagan showed some Stevie McDonnell qualities to bag the decisive goal in his adopted teams placing game.

The Ladies won again, defeating Paris in the final. Further details escape me as our pitches were a distance away so we only saw their final where they battled through the mud to claim their win.

On a more general note, it was the first time we hosted a Pan-Euro Football round. I'm not involved in the committee but can easily recognise the work that was needed to pull off Saturday. There were fifty four games played over four pitches and controlled by just four refs. All of the approx twenty five teams needed to be registered and fed. The pitches needed to be lined and the goalposts transported out to Leuven. Dinner for nearly 350 people needed to be organised for the Saturday night. These are just a few of many examples of things that need doing.

Some lads took time off work on Friday, others were up at the crack of dawn on Saturday. The volunteer effort is/was incredible (and is the same in every other club when they host an event). Parents flew in for the weekend, friends who are not involved in the G.A.A. club manned stalls and took over the administration. Even past players returned; Eoin Sheanon flying in to help myself and Conan manage the lads. Alec Elliott flew in from the States the morning of the tournament, played for the day and flew out to Asia Sunday morning.

The highlight of the day though? Without doubt, it was having Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh in town. He commentated brilliantly on both finals and hearing his voice echo around the Leuven sports complex will rank high in my list of G.A.A. memories. To make sure I didn't get the spelling wrong, I put his name into google when writing this. The first site that comes up is his wikipedia profile. It introduces him as 'an Irish Gaelic Games commentator'. If ever an intro didn't do a man justice. He is so much more than that. Mícheál is an icon in Irish sport and any intro should address his status appropriately.

He was still going strong as the clocked ticked towards midnight and the trophies were being handed out. He must have talked for a half hour or more. I say talked but I mean entertained. The restaurant was located at the corner of the Grand Place, which is always thronged with tourists. Mícheál's voice was carried by the PA system and drew a healthy crowd towards the premises. Everyone inside sat in silence and awe. Incredible man.

So incredible that he managed to auction a Mick O'Dwyer signed Wicklow jersey for €200, a signed Dublin Hurling jersey for €350 and a signed Kilkenny jersey for nearly €500. That will cover any loss on the day and also boost the club coffers, which is badly needed considering our homeless status at the time of writing.

The after party moved around the corner to 'Six Nations'. Plenty of pints were drank and not without their own bit of significance. The pub donated 50c from every pint bought to the Mark McGovern fund. Mark is the Fermanagh player who, after an incident in a G.A.A. match in San Francisco in June, ended up in a coma. His medical costs are spiralling out of his family's control. Whilst the gesture of Six Nations may not put a significant dent in those costs, if the global G.A.A. network rallies, a lot can be done to help Mark and his family.

Round 2 of the Pan-Euros’ moves to Guernsey in October and with the competitive nature of this year's competitions, it is still all very much to play for.

More ‘analysis’ of Saturday to follow later in the week…