AICC MEL Round 4 Review and February Updates

Round 4 of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce Middle East League took place over the month of February, with all Senior, Intermediate, Junior A, Junior B, Junior C and Junior D divisions of Hurling, Camogie, Ladies Football and Men’s Football up for grabs.

AICC Middle East League, Round 4 (Hurling & Camogie)

Our final round of hurling & camogie took place in Doha, Qatar on February 10^th. This was the first time that such a tournament was hosted by Qatar GAA for these playing codes.

The tournament, hosted in Doha Sports Park, coincided with the Qatar Masters Golf Tournament, which took place next door at Doha Golf Club adding to the already carnival atmosphere. On the day, Dubai Celts were crowned Senior Camogie champions, completing a clean sweep of tournaments after an impressive year on the road. Similarly, Al Ain GAA toasted a successful year in Intermediate Camogie, having boasted a strong winning streak in the division since their initial home tournament win in Round 1.

Overall, the tournament offered a good opportunity for the continued development of the game of camogie in the region, where teams from all divisions came together in a hybrid tournament format to play against each other also.

Elsewhere, the hurling divisions offered plenty of intrigue for the final round, with Dubai Celts and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna both eying the top prize in the Senior division, while Abu Dhabi Na Fianna and Sharjah Gaels were set to battle it out for Intermediate league honours. In the Intermediate division, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna came through the tournament decider against home side Qatar GAA, who boasted considerable support on the side-line. In doing so, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna were crowned Intermediate Hurling champions for the 2023-24 season. In the Senior division, it was a memorable day for Jumeirah Gaels who took home their first Senior hurling tournament win with an impressive victory over Dubai Celts. However, it was Dubai Celts who were rewarded for their consistency and impressive displays over the course of the 2023-24 season, when they were crowned Senior Hurling league champions. Congratulations to all participants on the day and special thank you to Qatar GAA for their efforts in hosting the tournament. Comhghairdeas libh go léir.

AICC Middle East League, Round 4A (Football)

Next up on February 17^th was the final round of Junior B, C and D football divisions which took place at the newly redeveloped pitches at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah, hosted by RAK Ropairí. Middle East GAA was delighted to welcome Ahmad Younis, CEO and Secretary-General of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce, to the event, and acknowledge the generous support of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce towards Gaelic Games in the Middle East. This tournament saw approx. 30 teams and over 350 players make the trip to the most northern emirate of the UAE, with warm temperatures noted on the day. 

On the pitch, Laochra Gaels took home the spoils in the Ladies Junior B division with an impressive tournament win, but it was Sharjah Gaels who saw the fruits of their consistency rewarded when they were crowned league champions. In the Men’s Junior B division, it was Laochra Gaels once again to the fore, with the men joining the ladies as Junior B tournament winners and being crowned as league champions following an impressive clean sweep of all tournaments this year. In Ladies’ Junior C, RAK Ropairí and Kerry Middle East were neck-and-neck coming into the final round, with the higher placed team in Round 4 all but guaranteed to claim league honours. On the day, it was the home side RAK Ropairí who got the upper hand by overcoming their Dubai-based rivals in the final and guaranteeing a long night of celebrations for the home crowd. 

In the Men’s Junior C division, it was Dubai Celts who confirmed their position as league champions with a tournament win over home side RAK Ropairí, finishing out an impressive year for the team. In Ladies Junior D, travelling team Naomh Alee Riyadh also finished their year on a high, completing a clean sweep of tournament wins and a very impressive season when they overcame the valiant efforts of Clann na hOman in a tournament final for the third time this year. Thank you and congratulations to all participants on the day who made the effort to travel to Ras Al Khaimah to make the tournament a success, and to host club RAK Ropairí for all their efforts behind the scenes.

AICC Middle East League, Round 4B (Football)

The final tournament of the month took place on Friday 23^rd and Saturday 24^th of February, with almost 50 teams and over 600 players travelling to Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club for the Senior, Intermediate and Junior A leagues, hosted by Sharjah Gaels. Friday saw the playing of all Intermediate divisions, along with the Ladies Junior A division. In the Ladies’ Intermediate football division, Qatar GAA saved their best performance for the final round of the league, when they overcame Dubai Celts in the final to win their first Ladies’ Intermediate tournament of the year. However, it was the impressive and consistent results of Kerry Middle East throughout the year that saw them being crowned Ladies’ Intermediate champions, guaranteeing the club their exciting first foray into the Senior division next year. 

In the Men’s Intermediate division, Qatar GAA capped a remarkable year in the league by winning the tournament and taking home the league honours. This win sees Qatar GAA make an eagerly awaited return to the ranks of Senior Men’s football and promises an exciting year ahead next season. In Ladies Junior A, Al Ain GAA finished off a memorable year for the club when they brought home their second league title of the year, winning the tournament and consolidating their place at the top of the division with their third tournament win of the season. 

On Saturday, the tournament continued with all Senior divisions, and the Men’s Junior A competition. In the Men’s Junior A division, it was a case of Abu Dhabi Na Fianna running out of road, where their strong finish to the season and second tournament win of the year was not enough to overcome Laochra Gaels at the top of the Men’s Junior A division. For Laochra Gaels, their consistency throughout the league was rewarded, with their third tournament final appearance bringing about an impressive end to the club’s league campaign and guaranteeing a third league title in a week. The Senior football divisions brought great excitement into Round 4, in the ladies’ division, all four teams in the senior A group - Abu Dhabi Na Fianna, Sharjah Gaels, Jumeirah Gaels and Dubai Celts - had a mathematical chance of taking league honours on the day. In the end, it was Abu Dhabi Na Fianna who were victorious, overcoming Jumeirah Gaels in the final and ensuring that their strong finish to the league this year, by winning the final two tournaments, was rewarded. 

In the Men’s Senior Football division, it was Jumeirah Gaels who entered the tournament in the driving seat, with Abu Dhabi na Fianna chief among those hoping to cause an upset on the day. This division saw some incredibly tense knockout games, with all semi-finals involving Jumeirah Gaels, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna A & B, and Dubai Celts, requiring golden score to determine the winners. In the end, it was Jumeirah Gaels who overcame Dubai Celts in extra time to take home their third tournament win of the year and secure league honours. We thank all clubs for their support in running the tournament over two days, and to host club Sharjah Gaels for their efforts.

Congratulations to all our Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce Middle East GAA League winners for 2023-2024:

GAA Annual Congress

Lastly, while teams were taking part in Round 4 competitions in Sharjah on the last weekend in February, Middle East GAA were also active off-field when present at the GAA Annual Congress in Newry, where Jarlath Burns was installed as the new Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. We wish Jarlath every success as he embarks on his tenure and offer our appreciation to outgoing Uachtarán Larry McCarthy, who, on the occasion of the Middle East GAA 10-year anniversary, attended the 2023 Middle East GAA Championship, and visited Naomh Alee in Riyadh. 

At Congress, World GAA launched a 3-year strategy which charts a strategic direction for 7 international units, 475 clubs and almost 25,000 players around the globe. The four key themes of the strategy are Coaching & Games, Health & Wellbeing, PR & Communications, and Officer Training, with additional objectives such as achieving recognition with the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also featuring.

Gearóid Cronin and Robbie Corcoran presented a token of appreciation to Niall Erskine, who was a constant source of support and guidance to Middle East GAA during his 6-year tenure as Chairperson of World GAA Council. We welcome Ciaran McLaughlin (Tyrone) as the new Chairperson of World GAA, who will be supported by our own Gearóid Cronin, who was ratified as Vice-Chairperson of World GAA.

We look forward to finishing the season’s on-field activities on a high with our Championship round, scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi. Bígí linn!

-ENDS-