Score a goal the Gaelic way
2007-05-31
Gaelic football
Whether weary of rugby, sick of soccer or simply looking for new kicks on the pitch, Gaelic football offers a rare sports opportunity in the Land of the Rising Sun. And as the 12th Asian Gaelic Games approach, Japan Gaelic Athletic Association is eager to share.
This year the regional meet is June 22-24 in Singapore, and Japan GAA has stepped up its training. Club members usually meet weekly from summer to early October in Tokyo's Futako Tamagawa for practices that culminate in packing their bags and traveling to compete with 10 other teams in the Gaelic Athletic Association's Asia region.
"Now that it's closer to game time, we meet Saturdays and Sundays, and occasionally in mid-week," says Emily Ward, 27, an events producer from Seattle who doubles as Japan GAA's social officer. "We also had to start a bit early because this year's tournament is in June (instead of October). Our playing season will be over after that but we'll finish the season with (local) mini tournaments and social events."
Gaelic football predates both soccer and rugby, though it's often described as a cross between the two. It's actually more akin to hurling, another fast-paced Irish sport, and said to be a derivative of caid, a rough-and-tumble form of Irish football dating back to 1537. The rules of modern Gaelic football, however, date back to 1887.
Fifteen players per team square off on a 137 x 82 m pitch, using goalposts similar to those in rugby but lower (and slightly higher than in soccer). The ball is round and slightly smaller than a soccer ball. It can be carried in the hand for a distance of four steps before it must be released, passed, kicked or struck with the hand or fist. Shoulder-to-shoulder tackling is allowed, as is knocking the ball from an opposing player's hand.
Like Ward, Derek Titterington, 35, played soccer, or football, in his youth and admits he never heard of Gaelic football until joining Japan GAA in 2002. After leaving Japan the following year, the software managing director returned in 2006 and now coaches the women's team. It's similar to soccer, he concedes, but not the same.
"It's definitely a lot more active - you have a lot of stand-around time in soccer when you can take a breather while playing a 45-minute game," Titterington explains. "Gaelic football is a lot more fast-moving; there's not a lot of time to celebrate a score. When the ball goes out it's thrown right back in. In that respect it's like basketball.
"Your fitness level is extremely high in Gaelic football. It's a good combination of hand and foot workout," Titterington says, offering the example of "soloing," when a player repeatedly drops the ball from hand to foot then toe-taps it back to the hands while advancing on the pitch. "You also have to pass with the hands and the feet."
Affiliated with the Ireland-based Gaelic Athletic Association, Japan GAA formed as a non-profit organization in 1996 to promote Irish/Gaelic-Japanese cultural exchanges. While the club is involved in sports clinics for local schools as well as Yokohama's St. Patrick's Day parade and Irish Sports Day, its annual highlight is when its football team squares off with teams from like-minded GAA chapters in the Asia region.
Japan GAA consists of two women's and two men's teams; currently there are about 15 men and 10 women, Ward says. But on average, about 50 members travel to the host country of the Asian Gaelic Games annually to represent Japan in the ad hock league. "A lot of people who have left Japan come back to play with us in the tournament," she adds. "Also, people who live in other parts of Japan and can't come to practices in Tokyo may join us for the tournament." The competition can be stiff.
"I like to think we're not too bad," Ward says. "Last year, our women's team won the plate (third-place trophy)." Women's team coach Titterington also favors cautious optimism: "We have a good squad," he says. "Unfortunately, like (mostly ex-pat teams) in any city in Asia we had a lot of turnover this year as people leave Japan for personal reasons or jobs. We lost a lot of key members but we also gained a lot of good players who are new to Gaelic football. This tournament will be good for them and next year I think we'll be a competitive team."
Japan GAA is also about camaraderie which, just like the competition, can stretch beyond boarders: "It's a good group to join; you have a lot of people from all over the world, including Japanese," says Titterington, who also coached the local GAA women's team while living in Hong Kong. He adds that a former Japan GAA member recently moved to Singapore, where she was able to quickly acclimate and take to the pitch thanks to her Gaelic football connections. "This is also a good network not only for getting to know people in Japan but in the region."
In fact, Ward says that during the off season Japan GAA is a full-fledged social club with trips, nights out and cultural events. She encourages the interested to e-mail queries or simply show up for a practice. It only costs 5,000 yen to become a member. "Everyone is welcome," she says. "We have people who used to play soccer (or rugby) and those who recently learned here. ... If they're really good that's great; if they're not a sports person at all that's OK, we'll teach them."
To learn more about Gaelic football and Japan Gaelic Athletic Association visit: http://www.japangaa.com/index.html?section=home or e-mail: japangaa@gmail.com. Full details on the annual Asian Gaelic Games are at: http://www.asiancountyboard.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php.
