REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF SAN FRANCISCO YOUTH LEAGUE GAA FIELDS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF SAN FRANCISCO YOUTH LEAGUE GAA FIELDS, TREASURE ISLAND FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 2008
Thank you for such a warm welcome to Treasure Island. I am delighted to join you for the launch of these wonderful new facilities which showcase the enthusiasm, energy and civic spirit of the Irish community in San Francisco.
Gaelic Games have been played in San Francisco since the 1850s, well before the formal establishment of the GAA in Ireland in 1884, and with your help they will still be played in the 2050s for the GAA has made itself a vibrant part of Irish life in San Francisco.
The formation of the GAA Football Youth League has been an unprecedented success and has added a new vitality to the Association by introducing the children of Irish-America to the games. It has also greatly enriched the lives of all who participate, no matter what their role, from spectator to sports hero or heroine - nothing matches the memories we gather and the friendships we make through passion for sport. Now, at last, you have great facilities to offer new generations of Gaelic fans and you have them thanks to the initiative of the GAA in the Bay Area, the wider Irish Community, through fantastic voluntary effort and personal financial support as well as grant aid from GAA Headquarters.
This project has moved from concept to reality in a very short space of time and next July it will host the Continental Championship, the biggest youth GAA event held anywhere in the world. Over 2,000 young players will take part in the championships, with 250 games being played over three days, so the chances are this is going to be another very busy year of planning for the Bay Area GAA. Last weekend you had the football All-Stars here and thousands flocked to Treasure Island for the game. The players were thrilled with the pitch as well they might be given the passion, love and commitment that are woven into every blade of grass.
What is happening here in San Francisco is part of a much bigger global phenomenon, for there are now over 400 overseas GAA clubs affiliated to Croke Park and they span the globe from London to Sydney, from the Bay area to Hong Kong. They keep our vast Irish family in contact with one another. They keep our Gaelic games alive and prospering. They introduce new generations to the sporting heritage of their ancestors and bring many newcomers of all backgrounds into the family of the Gael. They create stories and memories that last a lifetime and importantly keep us as community to one another, wherever we are in the world.
I wish you every success with this great endeavour and I hope it fulfils all the dreams you have for it in the years ahead.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.