The formation of a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in the traditionally unionist area of East Belfast has inspired many across Northern Ireland. To members and supporters alike, in addition to providing sporting opportunities, the club represents a thirst for positive change. Kimberly Robertson, an American living in East Belfast, shares her story of getting involved with the club.

It started with a tweet – a tweet that I read from the comfort of my East Belfast living room, wrapped in a blanket and watching bad television. The tweet read, “A new GAA club for East Belfast, if you’re interested in playing, coaching or admin (more than likely all 3!). All ages, genders and backgrounds welcome!” My East Belfast GAA story – like others, I’m sure – has been one of opportunity, adversity, and perseverance.

Being American, my GAA opportunities back home were limited. Having moved to East Belfast, you could say they hadn’t gotten much better. An area well-known for its staunch unionism, folks here hadn’t seen a GAA club for decades. Still, I’ve always been keen to give camogie a go, thrilled by the speed, skill and, frankly, the brutality of the sport.

At nearly 40 years of age with no GAA experience, I didn’t think any club would be interested in taking me on. In the past I had casually researched some local GAA clubs but talked myself out of contacting them. Here was my chance, to join a brand new club, in a non-traditional GAA area. It felt like taking up sport with an added purpose – making a difference. Surely I wouldn’t be the only newcomer. I drew a deep breath and sent the club an email.

Two weeks later, I went to Cherryvale Playing Fields for an intro session. I kicked a football for a bit, then picked up a hurl for the first time. That was it – I was hooked!

East Belfast GAA camogie team

Opportunity – and Growing Pains

Over the next few weeks, we pulled together regular training sessions. My old, unfit body rebelled at first, not used to the intense workouts I was now begging it to complete. Twenty years since I had been involved in any sort of team sport, I had hoped my background in field and ice hockey would help in learning camogie. Gradually, my fitness and skill level increased. I could hit the ball, I could pass the ball. I had fallen head over heels in love with camogie. 

When I sent out a few tweets about how excited I was to be a part of this brand new club my notifications exploded. Suddenly I was being contacted by the BBC and by SportsDaz to give interviews about playing camogie. I spoke to Evening Extra and was interviewed with my teammate Caoimhe at our first match for BBC Newsline. My nerves were sky high, but my love of the sport and my club outweighed the anxiety I felt about being on television and radio. 

I managed to get on the pitch for about 20 minutes in that first game and even though we were soundly defeated, the experience was incredible. We’ve trained in brutal heat, torrential rain and gale force winds, sometimes all in the same session. It’s certainly brought us closer together. In the matches since that first run out, we’ve increased our performance, score line and sense of community. We’ve become a sisterhood. It makes the sore joints, aching muscles and vibrant bruises all worth it.

Adversity

Setting up a GAA club in East Belfast was always going to have its challenges. Still, given how much pride we’ve taken in building our club and instilling our ethos of embracing inclusivity, it has been hurtful to see people attacking and denigrating what we’re trying to accomplish.

We don’t ask or care where you go on a Sunday or what school you went to, because it doesn’t matter. We want anyone who wants to play or who wants to learn about the GAA and its sports to join us; to feel comfortable and accepted in East Belfast GAA. We’re a diverse bunch and we like it that way! We learn from each other, we support each other. We care about each other and we want our club to have a positive impact on the community. 

Perseverance

Getting fitter and better with each week is one thing. Playing a part, I hope, in forging a new chapter in East Belfast’s shared history is another. On and off and field, on this side of town and this part of the world, we’re going to need perseverance. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far – it’s only the beginning.

To those who want to pick up GAA but for whatever reason haven’t, we want to hear from you. And those who might not understand our club or our motivations – I invite you to learn what we’re about. Come to a training session, come to a match. You might be surprised by how much you like it! We have so much support from the greater East Belfast community and beyond. It’s truly inspiring to see the positive impact we can and will continue to have throughout the area.

Our club will continue to welcome any and all. We move onwards and upwards, together!

Want to get involved with or support East Belfast GAA?

You can email your interest to secretary.eastbelfast.down@gaa.ie. Donations can be made via their GoFundMe and Klubfunder pages. You can also follow East Belfast GAA on Twitter and Facebook.