British University Gaelic football Championship
Kevin Fallon Trophy | |
---|---|
Current season or competition: 2015/16 Kevin Fallon Trophy | |
Irish | Kevin Fallon Trófaí |
Code | Gaelic Football (British University Championship) |
Founded | 1990/91 |
Region | Third-Level Institutions (GAA) |
Title holders | Liverpool Hope University (3rd title) |
First winner | Crewe & Alsager College of Education, now Manchester Metropolitan University |
Most titles | Liverpool John Moores University (9 titles) |
Official website | [1] |
The British Universities Gaelic football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament held for universities in Great Britain. It is organised by the BUGAA which is a branch of the Higher Education GAA committee which oversees Gaelic Games in Universities. The competition is also overseen by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). In GAA in Ireland trophies have tended to be named after Irish patriots or long-serving officials or heroic players, whereas the Irish diaspora at British Universities have perpetuated the names of young students who died soon after helping to establish Gaelic Games in British Universities. The Gaelic Football Championship Trophy, The Kevin Fallon Trophy, commemorates a Crewe & Alsager student who helped to organise the original competition in 1991.[2] See also the British University Hurling Championship.
History
The first attempt to start a British colleges Gaelic football tournament was in 1989, but it lapsed the following year and was revived in 1991 by the University of Crewe and Alsager who hosted and won a five-team tournament.[2] In 1992 Newcastle and Sunderland Universities hosted a ten-team event on converted rugby pitches, and St. Mary's, Strawberry Hill (London) took the first of its titles. The British Universities' Gaelic football Championship - as it then became - started back in the 1992/93 academic session. Twelve teams congregated on Páirc na hÉireann, Catherine-de-Barns Lane, Solihull, Birmingham, with Swansea recording Wales' first and only club championship success thus far. The competition had found its true 'home', both in terms of geography and facilities, and there it has remained ever since.[2]
The number of participants had risen to sixteen by 1994, but in 1995 an uncharacteristically heavy snowfall rendered the Birmingham pitches unplayable, and the competition had to be cancelled. The experience led to a championship review, arising out of which it was decided to divide Britain into four regions. Thus from 1996 the regions held their own qualification schemes, each sending two qualifying teams to the finals weekend.
The quota was raised to three teams per region in 1997, thus making for a 12-team weekend. In 1999 Joe McDonagh became the first GAA President to attend the British Universities' championships, and his lead has been followed by his successor, Seán McCague in 2001 and 2002.
In 2011 the University of Glasgow fronted by Mickey Hicks and Rory McKeever won the Division 3 Championship.
In Division B, The final was won by Bangor University. They were in jerseys of pink.
Division A was won by a Liverpool John Moore's who took their 7th title in the British University GAA's 20-year history back to Merseyside.
In 2012 Liverpool Hope University avenged previous final defeats by claiming their first ever title, beating their city rivals John Moores in a scoreline of 1-8 to 0-9 after extra time, With Hope's Paraic McGuirk being named MVP for the championships.[3]
Previous Years
Championship (Division 1)
The winners of the Championship (Division 1) qualify to play in the Trench Cup - which is the Division 2 Championship for universities in Ireland - at the semi-final stage. In 2004 St. Mary's Strawberry Hill, London won the Trench Cup competition. In 2007 Liverpool John Moores University qualified for the final of Trench Cup by beating University of Ulster Coleraine 1-9 to 0-9.
§ Incorporated in Manchester Metropolitan University in 1992
* Cancelled due to heavy snowfall in Birmingham
Roll of Honour
- 9 - Liverpool John Moores University
- 8 - St. Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
- 3 - Liverpool Hope University
- 1 - Swansea University, University of Abertay, University of Dundee, Edinburgh Napier University, St Mary's University (Twickenham), Manchester Metropolitan University
Championship (Division 2)
Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004/05 | University of Glamorgan (now University of South Wales) |
2-4 | Bangor University | 1-1 |
2005/06 | UCLAN* | 3-9 | University of Glasgow | 0-10 |
2006/07 | University of Sunderland | 2-13 | UCLAN | 1-3 |
2007/08 | Glasgow Caledonian University | 1-13 | University of Chester | 0-11 |
2008/09 | Liverpool John Moores University 2nd Team | UCLAN | ||
2009/10 | University of Edinburgh | 3-17 | University of Liverpool | 0-6 |
2010/11[5] | Bangor University | 0-4 | Liverpool John Moores University 2nd team | 0-3 |
2011/12[10][11] | University of Glasgow | 3-6 | Liverpool John Moores University 2nd team | 1-9 |
2012/13[12] | New York Colleges | 1-5 | University of Aberdeen | 0-7 |
2013/14[8] | Robert Gordon University | 5-12 | University of Cardiff | 0-11 |
2014/15 | University of Glasgow | |||
2015/16 | Bangor University | 4-9 | ||
* University of Central Lancashire
Championship (Division 3)
The prize for the third division of BU Gaelic football is the plate. The following are the winners and finalists of this tournament:
Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002/03 | University of Glamorgan (nowUniversity of South Wales) |
University of Bolton | ||
2003/04 | University of Bolton | University of Aberdeen | ||
2004/05 | University of Leeds | 3-5 | University of Brighton | 1-5 |
2005/06 | University of Sunderland | 2-7 | University of Chester | 0-7 |
2006/07 | University of Chester | 3-17 | University of Huddersfield | 0-4 |
2007/08 | Manchester Metropolitan University/ University of Salford |
2-14 | Teesside University | 1-10 |
2008/09 | Sheffield Hallam University/ University of Sheffield |
New York Colleges | ||
2009/10 | University of East London | 5-12 | University of Sunderland | 1-3 |
2010/11[5] | University of Glasgow | 1-6 | Teesside University | 1-5 |
2011/12[13] | Teesside University | 7-12 | University of Sunderland | 1-1 |
2012/13 | University of Birmingham | 7-9 | University of Sunderland | 0-5 |
2013/14[14][15] | University of Birmingham | 8-5 | University of Liverpool | 2-7 |
2014/15[16] | Teesside University | |||
2015/16[17] | Teesside University | 7-9 | University of Sunderland | 1-1 |
See also
- Gaelic Athletic Association
- Sigerson Cup
- Fitzgibbon Cup
- British University Hurling Championship
- Trench Cup
- Fergal Maher Cup
- Ryan Cup
References
- ↑ http://www.britain.gaa.ie/universities
- 1 2 3 Paul Derby & David Hassan (2013). Emigrant Players: Sport and the Irish Diaspora, Routledge, pp. 232
- ↑ http://he.gaa.ie/Latest-News/britishuniversitiesgaachampionshipfinals
- ↑
- 22 Napier finally come good to win British Universities Championship, 16 February 2010, GaelicSportsCast, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/2010/02/16/22-napier-finally-come-good-to-win-british-universites-championship/
- 1 2 3 Archive 10-11: GUGAA Championships 2011, http://m.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=16165§ionTitle=Archive+10-11
- ↑
- 317 'Hope' conquers all, 14 February 2012, GaelicSportsCast, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/2012/02/14/hope-conquers-all/
- ↑ BUGAA Men's Division One Gaelic Football Championship Final, http://www.he.gaa.ie/Latest-News/bugaadivisiononegaelicfootballfinalreport-liverpooljmu0-6liverpoolhope0-5
- 1 2 Hoganstand.com, http://m.hoganstand.com/Forum/Details/87534?county=UK
- ↑ Provincial Council of Britain GAA, University GAA@University GAA, 14 February 2016, https://twitter.com/UniversityGAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- ↑ Result: British Universities Championships, 12 February 2012, GaelicSportsCast, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/2012/02/12/result-british-universities-championships/
- ↑ GAA British University Championships: Who'll graduate from school of hard knocks?,Irish World, 9 February 2013, http://www.theirishworld.com/gaa-british-university-championships/
- ↑ http://www.hoganstand.com/usa/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=187934
- ↑ Fantastic February for Teesside University Sports Teams, Teesside Sport, 5 March 2012, http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/sport/news_story.cfm?story_id=3960&this_issue_title=May%202010&this_issue=204
- ↑ UoB Gaelic Football, 23 March 2014, Birmingham win 8-05 to 2-07 - back to back National Champions, https://twitter.com/uniofbirmgac
- ↑ Sports Fair Preview: The Alternative Sports, Gaelic Football, The Tab, http://thetab.com/uk/birmingham/2014/09/23/sports-fair-preview-the-alternative-sports-12965
- ↑ St Mary's send strong teams to BUGAA Championships, 25 February 2015, LiveGaelic.com, http://www.livegaelic.com/news/st-marys-send-strong-teams-to-bugaa-championships/
- ↑ Teesside Impress as Division 3 Champs, Gaelic Sports Cast, 21 February 2016, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/page/52/