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Sports

Wednesday September 28, 2005

Gaelic football gains flavour among the Chinese women

SHANGHAI: Gaelic football, a cross between football and rugby, is carving out a niche for itself in China, not only among expatriates but also among Chinese women.

A group of young Irish living in Taiwan are responsible for developing the game in Asia over the past decade, and last weekend Shanghai hosted a regional tournament involving 35 teams from 10 countries.

Competition was fierce, with the men's team from Hong Kong knocking out Dubai in the final, while Beijing defeated Dubai in the women's final.

Hugely popular in Ireland, Gaelic football is unlikely to make much headway into conventional football's market here, but it is attracting a few converts.

“I have never even seen this game before,” said Chang Yingzhi, a 23-year-old student who came along to watch the tournament.

“It is a strange-looking game, a mixture of rugby and soccer, I think. I don't like it as much as soccer, but I would come again because it is new and interesting.”

Although very much in its infancy in China, Gaelic football clubs have sprung up in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen over the past few years.

Local women make up half of the women's teams, while the men's teams are mainly filled with Irish expatriates.

Ronan McGowan, a founding member of the Shanghai Saints, said he, like other Irish nationals living overseas, wanted to continue playing the game they grew up with back home.

“I just wanted to keep it going, to be able to keep playing Gaelic in China,” he said.

“The Irish Consulate General for Shanghai gave us the contact list of Irish nationals in Shanghai. After ringing around and putting up fliers in pubs, we found we had enough support to start up a Gaelic club within the Shanghai Cricket Club.”

Mick Bowens, another Shanghai stalwart, said China was the sport's fastest growing market outside of Ireland.

“I really think the game is going to take off here,” he said. “I think the future looks bright.” – AFP

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