Jumeirah and Abu Dhabi clinch senior football league titles

Jumeirah Gaels and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna claimed the Middle East senior men’s and women’s league titles at The Sevens Stadium on Saturday (25 April).

Abu Dhabi’s ladies have been the standout team all season, winning Rounds 2, 3 and 4. Their 2-4 to 0-7 win over Jumeirah Gaels in the final underlined that form and sealed the league crown.

There’s class right through the side from 1-12, but special mention goes to Cliodhna Blake (Clare), Bronagh Murphy (Galway), Orla Swail (Down), Aisling Frawley (Waterford) and Julie Dennehy (Cork), who all stood out in the final round.

Swail, in particular, was excellent across both the semi-final against Sharjah and the final against Jumeirah, with goals and key points in both matches.

It also marked a sixth successive senior league medal for the inspirational Murphy, who has been a majestic presence for the team over the past six years.

In the senior men’s competition, Jumeirah Gaels had already secured the league title before throw-in in the final, following Al Reem’s upset over Abu Dhabi in the semi-finals. Al Reem carried that momentum into the decider, playing an open, attacking brand of football and posting 4-4, with two goals from captain Paul White (Limerick), to run out seven-point winners for their first-ever senior men's tournament victory (4-4 to 0-9).

It’s a big result for an Al Reem side that has been knocking on the door in recent years, consistently playing good football and finally getting their reward in the last tournament of the season. Brian Shaughnessy (Galway), Kieran Sheridan (Westmeath), Ciaran Doyle (Offaly) and Aaron Kelly (Tyrone) have been key figures in that group over that period. Sheridan has now won tournament medals across all Middle East GAA grades for Al Reem, from Junior B to Senior, over the last six years.

For Jumeirah, it brought the curtain down on another impressive year, with Sean Bambrick (Carlow), Evan Duffy (Galway), Peter Acheson (Tipperary), Colm Hyde (Cork) and Eamon Kiely (Kerry) all in strong form throughout the campaign and deserving recognition for their leadership and contribution. It also marks a third league title in four years for John O'Shea and James O'Connell's side.

In Division 2, Donegal Dubai secured promotion to senior men’s football for the 2026/2027 season with a 1-5 to 0-4 win over Dubai Celts in the final. In the Division 2 ladies’ competition, Laochra Gael also made history, earning promotion to senior league for next season for the first time.