To celebrate 120 years of The Camogie Association, we asked clubs all over the country to tell us about a special person within their clubs, who has a significant impact on their club and community.
First up in our Humans of Camogie series is Anna Fischer from Na Gaeil Aeracha.
“I moved to Dublin, from Germany, for a year and I was looking to get involved in more sport activities and make friends.
I found a GAA club close to my house that was established to create a safe place for LGBTQ+ people. I contacted Na Gaeil Aeracha and asked them if they have a Ladies Football team but they told me that the camogie team was looking for new members and they asked if I would like to try that. A few days later, I went to my first training session.
I didn’t even have a hurl and the right equipment for playing and I was actually only planning to watch since I was very nervous. I never played a team sport before and didn’t know a single thing about camogie until a few days prior. But at my first training session, the coach handed me a hurl and taught me the basics.
Little did I know that playing camogie with this team would become my favourite thing here in Ireland. I kept practicing, bought all the gear, and my first jersey, which I’m very proud of. In April 2024, after playing camogie for five months, we played our first mini match. I was probably even more nervous than during my first training session, but after this match I felt so much joy and love for the sport and my team, and I knew I couldn’t stop playing camogie after my year in Dublin came to an end. I’ve heard about GAA clubs in England and Paris and Hamburg but none of these cities are anywhere near my small hometown in the south of Germany.
After searching for a while, I found a club in Zurich (Switzerland) that has an active camogie team and I asked if I can play with them. I move home in September and will be very sad to leave my amazing teammates behind in Dublin but I know that I can still carry out my new favourite hobby Camogie when I move back home. I can share my new love for camogie with more people outside of Ireland.
My teammates are very welcoming and always looking for new members – even if they never played before. Even as a non-Irish person who hasn’t been playing since childhood, I picked up the skills quite quickly and I would love to see more non-Irish people getting involved in the club.
Camogie is for everyone and I will always be fascinated by this amazing sport.
Is aoibhinn liom camógaíocht.”
#OurGameOurPassion
#Camogie120
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