Where: Usually at Sanbon Stadium (Line 4), Seoul

Registration: Open

When: Saturday training; season is March-Oct.  

Who: co-ed

How much: 80,000 won per season

Online: seoulgaels@gmail.com; www.seoulgales.com

At the end of the day, Phill O’ Neill, from Belfast, Ireland, says the Seoul Gales are just as much a social club as they are a football club.  “Our league and organization bring together both sexes and many nationalities into a relaxed and friendly atmosphere,” the 23-year-old club secretary and player said.

The Seoul Gaels have been established for just under a decade. In the early days, it began with a few Irish lads wanting to play Gaelic football.

When new members join, they receive an open welcome and form a bond with the city and club. It helps people to settle into Seoul because there is a group of like-minded people.

“It just depends person to person. People get different things out of it, some use it just to keep fit, others join the Gaels as soon as they arrive and make friends, it is possible to establish work contacts,” said O’ Neill.

There are a few Koreans and the team has some Korean Business sponsors. They do charity work, such as visit and raise funds for orphanages or simply volunteer time and teach Gaelic football.

Players are mostly from Ireland, but there are some Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealand players who either are new to the game or played something close to Gaelic football.

“We expand far beyond the Irish community and invite anyone who wants to try. We teach them the basics and help them develop. Some of our top players started off from (scratch) and progressed to be solid and talented players,” O’ Neill added.

In June, the Seoul Gales are going to Tokyo for the North East Asian Gaelic Games and in August, they have been invited to Singapore for another competition. In July, August and September, the Gales compete in the Korean League. 

On Oct. 15 and Oct. 16^, the Asian Gaelic Games will be held down at the Suwon World Cup complex. This will be the 16^th games and 25 teams from 15 countries from all over Asia -- from as far West as Dubai and Qatar to as far south as Singapore -- compete to be crowned Asian Champions.

The Seoul Gales are three-time winners of the men’s competition and the ladies team regularly competes for the top prizes.   

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