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 Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (1stth 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.

Year Winner Score Runner-up Score
1990/91 Crewe & Alsager College of Further Education (now Manchester Metropolitan University)§
1991/92 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
1992/93 Swansea University now University of Wales Swansea
1993/94 University of Dundee
1994/95 Cancelled*
1995/96 Liverpool John Moores University St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
1996/97 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
1997/98 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London Liverpool John Moores University
1998/99 Liverpool John Moores University University of Abertay Dundee
1999/00 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London University of Abertay Dundee
2000/01 University of Abertay Dundee
2001/02 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
2002/03 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London
2003/04 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London 1-8 Liverpool Hope University 0-10
2004/05 St Mary's University, Twickenham formerly St Mary's Strawberry Hill, London 1-3 Liverpool John Moores University 0-5
2005/06 Liverpool John Moores University 0-7 Liverpool Hope University 0-5
2006/07 Liverpool John Moores University 1-15 Edinburgh Napier University 2-5
2007/08 Liverpool John Moores University 1-13 Edinburgh Napier University 0-7
2008/09 Liverpool John Moores University
2009/10[4] Edinburgh Napier University 0-11 Liverpool Hope University 1-5
2010/11[5] Liverpool John Moores University 0-9 Edinburgh Napier University 0-8
2011/12[6] Liverpool Hope University 1-8 Liverpool John Moores University 0-9 [OT]
2012/13[7] Liverpool John Moores University 0-6 Liverpool Hope University 0-5
2013/14[8] Liverpool John Moores University 0-13 Liverpool Hope University 1-7
2014/15 Liverpool Hope University New York Colleges
2015/16[9][10] Liverpool Hope University 4-15 University of Dundee 0-4

§ Incorporated in Manchester Metropolitan University in 1992
* Cancelled due to heavy snowfall in Birmingham

Roll of Honour

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[11][12] University of Glasgow 3-6 Liverpool John Moores University 2nd team 1-9
2012/13[13] 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 Heriot Watt University
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[14] Teesside University 7-12 University of Sunderland 1-1
2012/13 University of Birmingham 7-9 University of Sunderland 0-5
2013/14[15][16] University of Birmingham 8-5 University of Liverpool 2-7
2014/15[17] Teesside University
2015/16[18] Teesside University 7-9 University of Sunderland 1-1

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.britain.gaa.ie/universities
  2. 1 2 3 Paul Derby & David Hassan (2013). Emigrant Players: Sport and the Irish Diaspora, Routledge, pp. 232
  3. ↑ http://he.gaa.ie/Latest-News/britishuniversitiesgaachampionshipfinals
  4. ↑
    1. 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/
  5. 1 2 3 Archive 10-11: GUGAA Championships 2011, http://m.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=16165&sectionTitle=Archive+10-11
  6. ↑
    1. 317 'Hope' conquers all, 14 February 2012, GaelicSportsCast, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/2012/02/14/hope-conquers-all/
  7. ↑ BUGAA Men's Division One Gaelic Football Championship Final, http://www.he.gaa.ie/Latest-News/bugaadivisiononegaelicfootballfinalreport-liverpooljmu0-6liverpoolhope0-5
  8. 1 2 Hoganstand.com, http://m.hoganstand.com/Forum/Details/87534?county=UK
  9. ↑ Provincial Council of Britain GAA, University GAA@University GAA, 14 February 2016, https://twitter.com/UniversityGAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  10. ↑ http://www.hope.ac.uk/news/newsitems/gaateamwinschampionshipforthethirdyearinarow.html
  11. ↑ Result: British Universities Championships, 12 February 2012, GaelicSportsCast, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/2012/02/12/result-british-universities-championships/
  12. ↑ 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/
  13. ↑ http://www.hoganstand.com/usa/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=187934
  14. ↑ 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
  15. ↑ UoB Gaelic Football, 23 March 2014, Birmingham win 8-05 to 2-07 - back to back National Champions, https://twitter.com/uniofbirmgac
  16. ↑ 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
  17. ↑ 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/
  18. ↑ Teesside Impress as Division 3 Champs, Gaelic Sports Cast, 21 February 2016, http://www.gaelicsportscast.com/page/52/
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