Taking the Field of Glory: GAA Monthly
Midwest Gaelic Athletic Association
By Vincent Beach
Getting Ready for 2021
The Cleveland St. Pat’s – St Jarlath’s Gaelic Football Club held their annual general meeting (AGM) remotely this year, on December 5th. There were only two motions this year, both carrying unanimously.
The first motion was to update the club name to Cleveland St. Pat’s – St. Jarlath’s Gaelic Athletic Association under the motivation to be inclusive of all Gaelic Games (rounders 2025!). The second motion was to expand the board to include a hurling players’ representative.
The 2021 board was also elected: Vincent Beach (Chair), Maura English (Vice-Chair), Amelia Kaylor (Secretary), Tom Beach (Registrar), Dan Kampman (Treasurer), Annie Coyne (Public Relations Officer), Sarah Dunn (Ladies’ Representative), Chris Greggila (Men’s Football Representative), and Damon Margida (Hurling Representative). After elections, discussion focused on recruitment. 
The Midwest GAA will have a full schedule of games in the 2021 year. The new Midwest board has already assembled a committee to focus on the fixtures for Ladies’ Football, Men’s Football, and Hurling. The committee, composed of hurler and footballers – ladies and men, will be responsible for drafting both league (summertime play) and championship (MW finals) formats. The proposals would then be studied by each club and discussed in a division-wide conference call (per code) before a final schedule would be released in late February.
A blitz – multiple games and teams at one location on one weekend – style schedule was proposed last year and still carries some favor, although the dynamics of which clubs will elect to play this year may suite a home & away format better. We shall see.
Either way, early in the season, the Memorial 7’s tournament will be hosted by Cleveland at the West Side Irish American Club on May 8th. The one-day tournament is for junior football, men’s and ladies’, to kick off the season. The tournament became a Cleveland Irish and Midwest GAA tradition through the 1980s and 90s, only to be brought back recently by the many GAA supporters and alumni of Cleveland.
Good on yah! Cleveland is once again assembling their volunteer committee to host clubs from around the Midwest GAA, Heartland Division (Indianapolis), Central Division (Chicago), and Southeast Division (Charlotte).
We, the Cleveland Gaelic Athletic Association, will have more news in the coming months for youth, women, men, supporters, and sponsors. The GAA will have live action in 2021 in Cleveland and we welcome all to get involved. Please reach out to the club, [email protected], for more information. Until then, stay safe, stay fit, and stay tuned!
Fáilte (welcome) to all. The Gaelic Athletic Association is Ireland’s largest sporting organization and a bit of home for the Irish abroad here in the US of A. Beyond sports, the Association also promotes Irish music, song and dance, and the Irish language as an integral part of its objectives. Cleveland GAA is open to all who want to play competitive sports, meet new people, and join an athletic, fitness-minded club for all ages.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh (thanks y’all) to our readers and supporters. We need your help and involvement, but would most like to share the fun of Irish sport and Cleveland community with you. Consider getting involved at any level.
Follow @ClevelandGaelic on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the 2020 activities for Men, Women, and Youth, or, visit ClevelandGAA.com.
*Vincent Thomas Francis Xavier Beach is a proud Greater Clevelander and emigrant of Michigan. He joined the St. Pat’s Gaelic Football Club in 1999 and, with much help, is the current caretaker of the Cleveland GAA. His Irish is a cross of dialects from the University of Cincinnati and An Cheathrú Rua. With his wife, Michelle, he enjoys watching time absolutely fly by as their children, Ambrose (11), Bernadette (9), and Cedric (6), grow. His other hustles are coaching CYO basketball at St. Mary of Berea, coaching soccer in Olmsted TWP, and slangin’ some engineering skills on local concrete and pipe projects.
