London 125: Feile success of the 2010s
London 125: Feile success of the 2010s
April 22, 2021
This year, London GAA celebrates its 125th anniversary and we look forward to marking the occasion with a series of commemorative events once restrictions are eased. In the meantime, each week we will share a story from yesteryear to highlight our county's rich history
This week's delves into the extraordinary success our U14 sides have achieved against teams in Ireland over the past ten years
The last big outing for London's youth came in 2019, the season before the pandemic cut activities completely. That year also happened to be the pinnacle of many years of hard work for our three U14s sides, who take place in the annual Féile competition in Ireland each year.
The north London team claimed the Div.3 title, our south London team got to the final after beating the strongest clubs from Ireland, and our girls topped their group in the qualifiers.
Brief history
London's youth scene is made up of 14 active clubs at present, and some 44 clubs have been represented during its 53-year history. The Féile results of recent years show that the commitment of the county's volunteers and players is paying dividends, as displayed by how competitive the contests are when facing off against their Irish-born counterparts.
Féile is one of the GAA's biggest success stories (and also chaired by London's Brendie Brien), bringing clubs from all over Ireland and Britain to engage in competitive games at a crucial age grade, while also fostering links with clubs from other counties, making friendships with the host players that they stay with, and celebrating a festival of our games.
Each division is composed of 16 teams – eight host clubs, and their eight visiting teams.The number of host teams will determine the number of divisions that will be scheduled (13 for boys and seven for girls in 2019).
The competition continues to grow from strength to strength with the 2019 seeing 104 host teams hosting visiting teams from 27 Counties, plus Britain, Europe, North America, and Australia. In total, 13 overseas teams traveled to take part. In the girls football event, there were 64 host teams, with 64 visitors travelling from across Ireland, Britain and North America.
South London
The team has grabbed attention on both sides of the Irish sea due to its sudden explosion on the GAA scene and quick ascension through the ranks of the Feile competition. Managed by Michael Maher, who took over the role as the county's senior football manager for the 2020 season, the team has won six titles in a decade, getting promoted from division to division year on year.
In both 2017 and '18, the side exceeded all expectations when they claimed the prestigious Div 2 title, and were entered into the top tier of the competition for 2019. Here they faced massive names in club GAA, such as Austin Stacks of Kerry and Corofin of Galway to come out top of their group and eventually secure a final place.
They lost out narrowly to Dublin's Kilmacud Crokes but it was a performance that cemented the huge respect they have earned over the past decade plus, in holding their own against the creme da le creme of Ireland's club teams.
The credit given to Maher's side is not least because its players are from predominantly African, and not Irish, backgrounds. The majority of the team attend St. Paul's Academy in south London, where Maher teaches and alongside Youth secretary Pat Winston, where the boys were introduced to the world of gaelic games.
Speaking to the Irish World afterwards, Maher said: "“The lads have done themselves, London GAA and their families proud. I hope they go forward as a group now over the next few years and take the next steps in their football development.”
North London
The north London team have had a more steady road to success, as they have continued to build and develop with a large number of clubs to select from in the top half of the county. They waited ten years to win any silverware before winning the strong Div.4 league in 2018.
In a huge show of strength in the year directly afterwards, the side went on an unbeaten run in 2019 and won the even stronger Div.3 league in their first year of entering.
Girls side
The London girls U14 side produced their strongest ever performance by reaching the quarter final stage of the Division.7 cup, and coming out of the group stages with a perfect record of three wins from three. They too are steadily strengthening, having won the Div.6 shield in both 2017 and 2018. They also claimed the All-Britain Feile championship in 2019, beating Lancashire and Scotland to take the title.
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Why not...
Enter our Youth poetry competition? It will showcase the best of U11s and U17s interpretation of what it means to be a part of London GAA, as we celebrate our 125th anniversary this year. Find out more here:
https://www.londongaa.org/news-details/10070664/
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