Continental Youth Championship

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The Continental Youth Championship (CYC) is an annual weekend tournament of gaelic football and hurling organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is contested by teams from the USA and Canada, and is a separate competition from the existing youth championships in the New York, Canadian, and NACB areas. It began in 2004, and its location rotates around various cities from year to year. The age of players ranges from from Under 8 to Under 18.

Venues:

2004 - New York
2005 - San Francisco
2006 - Boston
2007 - Chicago

[edit] Growth

The CYC has grown at a rapid rate since its inception. In 2006 it consisted of over 200 games played in three days. Reasons given for its popularity compared to the existing youth tournaments are:

Scheduling games at a time when children are not at school and when it is convenient and economical for kids and parents to travel
The whole weekend is focussed exclusively on the children rather than youth games being played alongside adult games that draw more attention
The atmosphere is a lot different from events such as the NACB play-offs because of the focus on underage games

The popularity of the CYC has led to a decline in the number teams participating in the North American Youth playoffs that run alongside the NACB adult play-offs on the Labor Day weekend.

[edit] Management

The CYC was developed by the GAA's Overseas Development Committee under Gene Duffy, and is managed directly from Croke Park by the CYC Steering Committee that consists of officials at Croke Park as well as members of the GAA in North America. At local level, the event is planned by the CYC Hosting Committee whose membership changes from year to year as the tournament moves from city to city.