By Eamon Kelly
While the first round of games in the North American Board Championship won’t commence until early June, the playing season has started in the major divisions where local championship and exhibition cup competitions have dominated the schedules.
Prior to the season openers, several football teams from around the country had the opportunity to test their mettle by participating in the popular 7-a-side football tournaments in Florida and Washington D.C.
The Florida two-day tournament, staged this year in Fort Lauderdale and organized by the local St. Patrick’s club, current Junior A American Board champions, has become a huge success. It not only attracted teams from within the North American County Board but also from New York and Canada and for the first time ever this year’s tournament included a team from the Cayman Islands.
This was the largest tournament in its 11 years of existence which attracted 16 men’s and five ladies teams.
New York teams featured in both finals, with Donegal defeating Tyrone in the men’s final and Cavan retaining their 1998 ladies title with a win over Mayo.
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In another mini-tournament in Atlanta, the visiting Parnells footballers from Chicago defeated the local Clan na nGael team.
The Atlanta club, now in its fourth year of existence, continues to grow and expects to provide strong opposition in men’s Junior B and ladies junior football competition at this year’s national playoff.
The Denver Gaels football club will be staging its third annual football gala on the weekend of June 18 and 19.
This popular tournament has attracted football clubs from around the country for the past two years. So far, commitments have been received from Atlanta Clan na nGael men’s and ladies teams and the Seattle Gaels ladies team.
The men’s tournament will be a 13-a-side while the ladies will play 7-a-side.
The Denver club’s fund-raising drive raised a total of $4,400 for the victims of the Omagh bombing.
The Midwest Division will open the season with a 7-a-side tournament scheduled in Pittsburgh on the weekend of May 22 and 23.
The first round of the championship starts on June 12 and 13 with games scheduled in Detroit and Cleveland.
Chicago celebration
The Central division is preparing for a big party on Saturday, May 22 as the Chicago GAA will be celebrating 50 continuous years of hurling and football in the Windy City.
The divisional board will be hosting a banquet at Gaelic Park at which prominent GAA members over the past half century will be inducted into the recently formed Central Divisional Board Hall of Fame.
Board meeting
The North American Board will hold its annual pre-playoff meeting in Chicago on Saturday, June 19.
The board officers, with officers from the various divisions around the country, will meet with the local playoff committee to review the plans for the 1999 national playoffs, scheduled to be played at Chicago Gaelic Park over the Labor Day weekend.