2023 Central-East Gaelic Football Championship -Warsaw

APRIL 2023

Berlin GAA travelled to Warsaw for Round 1 of the Central-East Gaelic Football Championships last weekend.

First up, our ladies. 2023 appears to be a year of transition for the Berlin women, with the squad hit by several absences in the early months of the year. Four ladies made the trip to Warsaw however - Charlotte, Sophie, Barbara and Amelie - and they teamed up with Vienna and the Slovak Shamrocks for the day. The Berlin girls flew the flag with tremendous pride, putting in gallant displays as they helped the combine-team get to the Shield Final.

Meanwhile, the Berlin GAA men travelled to Round 1 in Warsaw seeking a fourth Central-East title in a row, having dominated the division in recent years. However, the strength of Warsaw GAA is well-known. There are over 200 Irish students in the Polish capital at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, meaning the home team are always exceptionally strong.

Yet Berlin and Warsaw have always had thrilling battles over the years. In 2019, the last time Warsaw hosted, it took a controversial injury-time penalty for them to snatch a 1-10 to 1-9 victory in the tournament final.

This year, both sides cruised into the final. Berlin GAA led 1-1 to 0-3 at half-time but Warsaw's youth and running powered them in the second half as they raced into a five point lead with five minutes to go. A quick-fire 1-1 from Berlin left 1 point in it as the game ticked into injury-time. However, Warsaw hit the final two points of the game to take a deserved 1-10 to 2-4 win.

Next up for our footballers: Round 2 in Vienna on May 27. If you're new to Berlin and want to be a part of our club, send us a message and we'll welcome you with open arms!