Our First Blog Post: The Vancouver Gaelic Boom

Gaelic sports are taking North America by storm, and the Vancouver area is no exception. For the upcoming 2020 season two new teams are joining the already well established scene, St. Finnians Vancouver GAA and ourselves, the Van Isle Rovers Gaelic Athletic Club.

Two Vancouver hurling teams, the JP Ryan's and Cú Chulainn, battle for a sliotar during a July 2019 matchup. Photo Courtesy of Heather Mahady.

Vancouver Area GAA at a Glance

Gaelic sports have been steadily rising in popularity in Greater Vancouver, which now hosts four Gaelic football teams; ISSC, Fraser Valley Gaels, Éire Óg and St. Finnian’s. Vancouver also has two hurling teams; Cú Chulainn and the JP Ryans. The Van Isle Rovers will be the latest addition to the Vancouver GAA scene, adding both a mens and ladies Gaelic football team to the mix. In the future, we are hoping to add both hurling and camogie teams to the club as well.

Rise of the Rovers

The Van Isle Rovers Gaelic Athletic Club is Vancouver Island's first and only Gaelic sports club. Formed in September 2019, our roster of players is steadily growing into a diverse talent pool of both Irish and Canadian born athletes. We are looking forward to a strong first season for the Rovers in 2020. Our first series of Island-based games will be held over the May long weekend at the Victoria Highland Games. Each year the games draw over 25,000 spectators from North America and beyond! We hope to put on a great match against the Vancouver teams that make the ferry trip over. Are you keen to join our lads in ladies in red and green? There is still time to sign up! Click here to join our club's e-mail list.

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