The 2016 European Gaelic football season comes to an end on 24 September with the Pan-European Finals in Maastricht, Netherlands and Vienna Gaels will be represented in both men’s and ladies’ competitions.
The men’s team are hoping to defend their Intermediate A title, won in impressive fashion last year at home. Vienna also won the title in Athlone back in 2013, so victory would cement their place at the top of this level.
A few recent injuries mean that Austria’s representatives will be travelling with the bare minimum, but that won’t stop the team which has faced this situation many times over the years.
Spain’s Irmandinhos and French club Liffre provide the opposition in Group B, while local rivals and friends Munich are among the sides waiting in the other group.
Joining forces
The ladies have improved their standing in regional competition massively over the past two years and hope to continue that improvement this weekend by emulating their seventh place finish at home in 2015.
Vienna will team up with Belgium ‘B’ for the eight-team competition, which sees them in Group A alongside Belgium ‘A’, Holland and France Barbarians.
The top two sides in the group will progress to the championship rounds, while third and fourth will play for the shield.
Historic months ahead
The football finals mark the beginning of a massive three months for Vienna’s dedicated Gaels, as they plan to be the only club to participate in all three major European club events this year.
Next month Vienna will take part in their first hurling/camogie tournament in Dresden, followed by their second participation in the GAA handball club championship in Nizza Monferrato, Italy in November.