This Saturday 21st of April Zaragoza G.A.A travel to Sants- Montjuic, Barcelona to compete in Round 2 of the Central Eastern Region of the Iberian Championship. What the hell is that, you might ask! Zaragoza G.A.A were founded in 2016 by a group of native Irishmen living in Zaragoza. Ok, but what´s Gaelic Football?
One of the most popular sports in Ireland, it has been defined as a mixture of soccer, basketball, rugby and volleyball. A round ball similar to soccer is used but it is slightly smaller and heavier. Teams can field 15 players and a game is played over two fast paced halves of 35 minutes. Played on a grass pitch there are H-shaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section, 3 scores are awarded for a goal and 1 for getting the ball over the bar but within the posts.
Gaelic Football in Ireland dates as far back as the 13th century with the modern version being born out of the formation of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884.
Seven teams will be competing this Saturday in Sants- Montjuic. Barcelona Gaels, Madrid Harps, Stiges Eagles, Valencia Sant Vicent, Zaragoza, Gran Sol and St. Endas Barcelona. Madrid Harps are usually red-hot favorites but with Barcelona Gaels having home advantage and a rapidly improving Zaragoza team it should make for an interesting competition.
Zaragoza will be competing in the Men's and Women's competition, and have players from Ireland, England, Spain, Argentina, USA, France, Germany and Australia. They train every Saturday morning at 10:30 in Parque Tio Jorge and are always looking to recruit new players.
Head on over to the Zaragoza GAA Facebook site for more info!