GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 35 – October 6, 2015 | Page 9

second round though when Eire
Og went to Madrid and beat Madrid Harps in the final. But the
cost of travel as an individual
club began to take its toll on the
young club and its players as the
team could not afford to go to
any more tournaments that year.
“It was shame that we couldn´t
travel to any more rounds that
year because we had a great team
and had a great shot at winning
the league, the problem as always
was money,” the chairperson
said.

Action on the field. Photo: Eire Og Seville.

“Travelling to an Iberian round costs close to 200 euros per
player and isn’t viable for a small club. At the moment the
Iberian clubs are in discussion to change the format because
there are too many clubs now to play in one day tournaments.”

Adding to the growth of teams has been the introduction
of Galician sides from the northwest where some 11 men’s
local teams now play. It was decided in the past two years
that in order to reduce costs a combined team from Andalucía would represent the region at Iberian championship
rounds for the foreseeable future.
ANDALUCÍA LEAGUE
In order to facilitate travel costs and at the same time increase playing time the three southern Spanish clubs decided to do things for themselves and so in 2012 formed
the Andalusian league consisting of Marbella’s Costa Gaels,
Gibraltar Gaels, and Eire Og Sevilla.
“It was started to give the clubs an alternative to the economically draining Iberian league and to keep the clubs ticking over and has gone on to being our main source of games
and craic,” explained the Seville chairperson.
Eire Og won the Andalusian league in 2013 and hope to
do well again this season. The three clubs meet up in Gi-

Ladies. Photo courtesy of K