France GAA competed in the FRS Recruitment GAA World Games 2023 last year. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
A France GAA team features in three challenge games in Dublin in the coming days.
Matches against Portobello, Na Fianna, an Beann Eadair have been organised by the travelling group, comprising of players from France.
Stephen Hegarty, France GAA secretary, explains the passion that exists for Gaelic Football. “It's only French born players, I usually play, but I'm still injured, unfortunately, I'd have been the only one with some sort of Irish connection,” Hegarty, who lives in Caen, says.
“All the rest of the guys are 100 per cent French, they all started playing in France. We don't get a chance to play 15 a side that much in France. You only have two 15 a side pitches in continental Europe.
“Basically every three years there is a European Championship, the following year there will be the World Games, like last year in Derry.”
This trip to Ireland was viewed as an opportunity to develop, affording footballers a chance to demonstrate their ability. “This year we said if we want to improve and to play 15 a side format, this is the year to do it,” he adds.
“It is something we had in mind for a while, and it is the perfect year to do it, to get games against Irish teams, the experience especially.
“We have 23 players from around 10 clubs. We have one guy, who plays in county Mayo, he has been living in Ireland for a year. He plays for Burrishoole. We've a lot of players from Brittany.”
In March the players gathered for a training camp in Le Mans. “We were supposed to play a 15 a side game against Galicia back in June, but unfortunately we didn't manage that, the pitch wasn't available,” Hegarty says. “Instead of two training camps, we only had one.
“It keeps growing, every year we move up by about 10 per cent in terms of members. We are really willing to push it, as much as possible, to get recognised by the French Ministry of Sport.
“We do a lot of things behind the scenes to promote it. With the Olympics too in Paris, we will try to take advantage of that, to organise some promotion. You can see that there is something happening in France GAA at the moment.”
Hegarty is encouraged about the future, and is hopeful links can be forged with schools, to boost the numbers further. “Especially in Brittany, you'd find a lot of clubs where you only have French players,” he says.
“In the bigger cities like Paris, you'd have ex pats. It would be almost half and half, maybe a bit more French. In the other clubs you'd just have the odd Irish person here and there. We calculated that you'd have barely 10 per cent are Irish players in France.
“Our national team coach is a PE teacher, that is what he has been doing for the past three years. Now, we've got to the point, that if we really want the game to grow, it goes through schools and youth.”
Hegarty believes progress can be made. “It is something we are going to work on, to have a plan in schools, to make it grow,” he says. “I'm going to be involved myself at that level. So, it is definitely something we are looking into, to keep improving.
“As an example, we had the French Championship in Bordeaux, we had some young lads, who have played the game for nine years, they are now 17 or 18. They are playing in the French Championships, they are even playing with their Dads, which is pretty cool.”
