On 30 May 2009, Shanghai and the Shanghai Gaelic Football Club played host to the Seventh edition of the All-China Gaelic Games at the Shanghai Rugby Football Club in Waigaoqiao. ‘The Paris of the East’ was at its picturesque best, as the tournament was blessed with warm sunshine and a cool breeze, making for perfect conditions for a weekend of Gaelic Football action.

Arriving from around China was a wide array of challengers with lofty ambitions of All-China glory. Representing the best Gaelic players in the land, were teams from Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Dalian, plus debutant entrants Suzhou and Changsha. With official GAA referee, Martin Sludden, flown in from Ireland, Over 200 players from more than 15 countries made the trip to Shanghai and when Saturday dawned, a day of strong competition was assured.

After a long night of stretching and warming up at the Blarney Stone Irish Pub and other nocturnal locations, there were some bleary eyes when the Games kicked off on Saturday at 9.30am. But before long, the tackles were flying thick and the passes were zipping fast.

In Pool A of the Men’s Competition, the Shanghai A team and Hong Kong team made strong starts against Beijing, Suzhou and a valiant Changsha that undoubtedly proved the crowd favourite before lunch. Meanwhile in Group B, Shanghai B, Shenzhen, Dalian and the Shanghai Invitational team provided each other with some aggressive competitive football. The Semi-Finals saw Shanghai take down a Dalian team that continues to show marked improvement every year. Then in the other Semi-Final, Hong Kong put away a tough challenge from their South China rivals Shenzhen. Thus, the comp had the Men’s Final people had been waiting for – last years champions Shanghai, against the All-Asian Champs Hong Kong.

As the football raged in the Men’s draw, the competition was no less intense for the Women. All teams played well and in good spirit. The Beijing girls looked strong throughout their group, while the Shanghai women also looked competitive. The Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai B and Beijing B teams all played strong football, illustrating the continued improvement in the standard of play at all clubs around China. With Shanghai defeating Hong Kong and Beijing defeating Shenzhen in their respective Semi-Finals, the All-China Games also had the Women’s Final that many people had long been waiting for. A local derby clash, pitting perennial rivals Shanghai A and Beijing A against each other.

Before the Games could progress to the Cup Finals, there were the Men’s Bowl and Plate finals. For the Plate, the Shanghai Invitational team was overpowered by a strong Beijing men’s team. In the Bowl Final, neighbours Suzhou and Shanghai B fought a close battle during the first half, with debutants Suzhou proving too strong in the end. In the women’s Bowl, Shenzhen continued to tradition of bringing home silverware by defeating Beijing B. Hong Kong and Shanghai B met in the Women’s Plate final, with the Southerners too strong for Shanghai B, wining the Plate final by 10 points with a strong performance.

By 4.00pm, the time had arrived for the business end of the All-China Games of Shanghai 2009. After a Presentation Ceremony featuring the acclaimed Irish Parade Dragons from Shanghai, the teams were welcomed to the field by a crowd of over 400 cheering onlookers. With hospitality tents serving food and drink, plus a DJ tent mixing some sounds, the players and fans were ready for the final showdowns.

The Women’s Cup Final saw the hometown Shanghai Sirens A team clashing with long-time nemesis and reigning China Champions, the Beijing A team. The two teams entered the final with an intriguing history, Beijing having defeated Shanghai in the Cup final in 2007 and 2008, on both occasions by a solitary point. With scores tightly matched 2-1 in Shanghai’s favour by the end of the first half, it looked like another close battle would ensue. But as the second half opened and Beijing drew away by 5 points with only two minutes remaining in the match, it seemed that another year as Bridesmaids\ beckoned for Shanghai. That was, until the remarkable began to unfold. A late goal from veteran Catherine Tulauskas, saw some hope flicker in the eyes of the girls from Shanghai. With a minute to go and in a desperate move to claw the match back from the brink, Coach Dec Sullivan stacked the forward line with goalkeeper Rosie Brennan and back Ruth Jago – in a move that proved a masterstroke from the Cork veteran. The makeshift Irish-Australian combination inspired a sudden flurry of points bringing the match back to life like a jump start to the heart. With a dead eye, Jago nailed a final point from 30m out as the final whistle blew. In the pandemonium of the closing minutes, few people knew the final score, but as the din subsided, it was clear that the Women’s Cup would go to extra time. Whether Beijing had pushed to their last or Shanghai had a new found confidence is open to speculation, but the 5 minutes of Extra Time were all Shanghai. The hometown girls stormed four points clear and as the final whistle sounded,the relief of victory after the strains of effort in past years were immediately evident on the faces of the winners. There were a few tears… and not just from the women…

Shanghai 1g 4p (7) drew with Beijing 2g 1p (7) - at end of normal time

Shanghai 1g 8p (11) defeated Beijing 2g 1p (7) - at end of extra time

As the elation subsided and the celebrations faded from the field, the final two Men’s Cup teams moved on to centre stage. The Shanghai Saints A team were seeking their third straight All-China title and had made solid progress through to the final. However, despite making the Final, Shanghai had already clashed with Hong Kong in the group stage and the memories of a solid loss were still raw. The silky skilful Hong Kong team on the other hand, were reigning Asian Champions and in white hot form, yet to be seriously tested throughout the tournament. From the throw of the ball, both teams played with tempo and intensity, thrilling the crowd as the Guinness flowed with equal viscosity. Each team exchanged rib-rattling hits and skilfully-taken points in the first half.

At the close of the first stanza, Hong Kong was first to strike with a goal, running off with a handy 4 point lead. Despite the best efforts of Shanghai and the cheers of a home crowd, the second half provided much of the same. Hong Kong ran away with their first All-China title in 4 years, winning by 10 points. After winning all matches at a canter, Hong Kong had proved worthy All-China Champions for 2009 and will represent China strongly at the Asian Games.

Hong Kong 3g 8p (17) defeated Shanghai 1g 4p (7)

The festivities continued into the night for all teams. The Irish Consul-General for Shanghai, Mr Conor O’Riordan was well received as he was on hand to present medals and trophies to the winning and runner’s-up team. After several hours of free food and beer, players made their way from the ground – and with or without medals, players were unanimous in their enjoyment of another competition in Shanghai.

And thus, the All-China Games came to an end for another year. In its Seventh edition, the All-China Games proved once again that Gaelic Football was alive and well in China.

The competition had been tight throughout and numerous teams have developed to field squads that provide a schedule packed with entertainment. For another year, it was entertainment on AND OFF the pitch. After an After-Party of tapas and sangria at Spanish restaurant, Bonito’s, the crowds of revelers partied hard and only moved when they literally drank their Iberian hosts dry. The alcohol lubricated some charity donations, as a Shenzhen-based syndicate paid RMB 10,000 for two tickets to the All-Ireland GAA Final at Croke Park later this year. As the party continued into the night, there was chatter about the bigger fish to fry. With competition moving to the All-Asian Championships in Bangkok in October, the teams were already discussing new tactics, and in many cases revenge. Bring it on we say!