Middle East GAA - Round 4 Review - 2022/23

February saw the conclusion of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce Middle East GAA Leagues, with Hurling & Camogie played on Saturday 11^th February, and Football played on Saturday 25^th February 2023.

Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club was the location for the final round of Hurling and Camogie, with the tournament hosted by Sharjah Gaels. A great day of action was promised, with many divisions still up for grabs as 22 teams and over 300 players took to the field in the on a warm, sunny day.

Games took place throughout the day where in Junior Camogie, Sharjah Gaels completed a clean sweep of tournaments to be crowned League winners. Elsewhere, in Intermediate Camogie, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna held off a strong challenge from Dubai Celts and Jumeirah Gaels to win the tournament and, ultimately, the League. At the top end of the Camogie league, Dubai Celts also pulled off a clean sweep of tournaments, securing their title as Senior Camogie League winners.

In Hurling, Dubai Celts entered the final round of the League with a small margin of safety in Senior and Intermediate divisions but knowing that any slip-up would see them under pressure from their challengers. In the end, the club did the double, as both teams came through safely and won their respective tournaments, thus ensuring Dubai Celts were crowned Senior and Intermediate Hurling League winners on the day.

Middle East GAA were delighted to welcome Ahmad Younis, Secretary-General of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce, who was on hand to present trophies and medals to our League winners on the day. Middle East GAA thank Ahmad and the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce for their support over the course of the 2022-23 season.

For the last weekend in February, the Sevens Stadium in Dubai played host to the final round of Football, with the tournament being coordinated by Dubai Celts. 86 teams and close to 1,400 players came together to ensure an exciting end to the football leagues, were a total of 10 divisions were up for grabs. The attendance of Ambassador Milton was a welcome presence on what was a momentous day for the community.

In Ladies Junior D, Clann na hOman completed a clean sweep of tournament wins to be crowned League winners. In a closely fought Ladies Junior C division, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna Junior D came out on top following a tournament win in Dubai, pipping their teammates and RAK Ropairí to the League title.

In the Ladies Junior B division, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna Junior B prevailed, with their first tournament win of the year narrowly securing the league title ahead of Qatar GAA. The Junior B Men’s division also went right down to the wire, with Dubai Celts Junior B winning the tournament and pipping the strong challenge of Jumeirah Gaels and Laochra Gaels, who followed closely behind.

The Ladies Junior A division was secured in emphatic fashion by Kerry Middle East GAA on the day, with their promotion ensuring that they will compete in the Ladies Intermediate division next year for the first time. Elsewhere, the Men’s Junior A division saw its fourth different tournament winner when Kerry Middle East GAA saw off the challenge of Al Ain in the final. In what was an extremely competitive division all year, the consistency of Sharjah Gaels was rewarded in the end, as they secured their place as League champions at the end of the tournament.

The Intermediate Ladies division saw Al Reem Shamrocks win the tournament on the day, with the icing on the cake being their promotion to the Senior Ladies division for the first time. The Intermediate Men’s division was won by Abu Dhabi Na Fianna, secured in good fashion by their tournament win on the day.

In Senior Ladies football, all eyes were on Sharjah Gaels and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna as they faced into the last round, having competed in each of the previous finals to date. In the end, a victory by Abu Dhabi Na Fianna over Jumeirah Gaels in the tournament final ensured that they would be crowned Senior Ladies League winners for the second year in a row. In the Senior Men’s football division, a lot was left to play for with numerous teams chasing league glory. Following a couple of tense semi-finals, Jumeirah Gaels got the upper hand over Dubai Celts in the tournament final to ensure that they were crowned Senior Men’s Football League winners for the first time in their history.

Middle East GAA wishes to thank all teams and members for their efforts throughout the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce Middle East Leagues this year. Round 4 represented the culmination of a long year of training, travelling, and competing, with a small number of social events in between!

Next up, the P4ML Middle East GAA Championship will take place in Zayed Sport City, hosted by Abu Dhabi Na Fianna. This event represents the biggest event in the annual calendar, where all hurling, camogie and football teams will descend on the same venue over the course of a weekend. Close to 120 teams and 2,000 players will take to the field for competitive adult games, while more than 150 juvenile members are also expected to showcase their skills.

Cup and Plate divisions for the P4ML Championship will be seeded based on final league standings and circulated to clubs shortly. Every game counts as clubs go head-to-head in search of Championship glory. Middle East GAA wish to acknowledge the support of PJ Moloney, P4ML, as Championship sponsor for the weekend. Good luck to all teams competing on the day!