MEGAA Juvenile Tournament - February 2024
February 20, 2024
On Saturday 3rd February 2024, the second Middle East GAA juvenile tournament of the 2023-2024 season took place at Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club in the UAE. After a fantastic first tournament hosted by Oryx na hÉireann (Qatar GAA) in Doha, it was now the turn of Dubai Éire Óg to host, organise and run Hurling and Gaelic football games for players aged between 5 and 16 years old.
With over 220 players participating including international visits from Arabian Celts (Bahrain) and Oryx na hÉireann (Qatar), and the local UAE-based teams of Abu Dhabi Na Fianna and Dubai Éire Óg, this year’s tournament built on the inaugural tournament of last year.
The day started with a player parade where a lone bagpiper led the 4 participating clubs around the main stand while hundreds of parents cheered on our young juvenile players. Games began at 9am and ran until 1pm, with the event following the guidance of the Go Games model for all under 12 players. The over 12s football tournament was won by the talented team from Oryx na hÉireann. There is a heavy focus on growing juvenile hurling in the region and this tournament saw plenty of hooking, blocking and striking of the sliotar. We finished with a fun, yet competitive, parents’ game which saw some fine scores and lots of action.
Medals were presented by team coaches and MECB officials. We were delighted to have the Irish Ambassador H.E. Alison Milton from the Embassy of Ireland, Abu Dhabi with us on the day and we wish to thank her for the ongoing support the GAA receives from the embassies in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
A huge thanks must go to the four clubs involved in the tournament (Arabian Celts, Oryx na hÉireann, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna and Dubai Éire Óg) and to their coaches and parents who committed so much time and effort in participating in the event. As always, Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club were very helpful in the running the tournament. Thank you to Dubai Éire Óg for hosting the tournament and for running a very successful event. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.
The photos from the tournament will be added to the website soon. You can also view a selection of photos and videos on the Middle East GAA social media channels.
We all look forward to more Middle East juvenile events in the 2024-2025 season.
Ger Madden
Juvenile Development Officer
Middle East GAA