Welcome to the Chicago Games Development web site, please check back regularly for upcoming coaching and referee courses, as well as youth irish football and hurling camps.
If you are interested in having your child play irish football and or hurling please visit one of the youth web sites at the top of this page for information on locations, and practice times.
If you are an adult looking to join a football or hurling club click on the link page for more information.

Please e-mail me with any questions,


Thank you,

Colm Egan
Games Development Administrator
 

posted 05/20/2012
 
Hurling clubs from all over the Midwest descended on a soggy Gaelic Park on Saturday May 12^th.

The wet day did not dampen the spirits of the over 150 players who gave their all on the field from early morning up to the Final games at 5pm.
During the very busy day 14 games were contested by eight clubs.

Hurling clubs from Twin Cities Minnesota, Madison and Appleton from Wisconsin, Indianapolis, St Louis, Kansas City and the home team, Michael Cusack’s of Chicago.

The ladies of St Louis, Minnesota, Indianapolis and Chicago also played their part in a Camogie match.

Ever improving standards of play could be seen throughout the day and it is obvious to all attending that the hurling clubs are working very hard to match their Hurling skills with their unbridled enthusiasm for the game.

New recruits are the life blood of any organization and Fox River Hurling from Appleton Wisconsin and Kansas City Missouri made the long trips to their respective first tournaments a memorable one by playing three matches each and gaining invaluable experience.

The Hurling club of Madison made their trip worthwhile by winning their first tournament ever at the Junior C level in an exciting win over the C team of Indy Hurling club.

In the Junior B division a spirited St Louis side played very well in the clubs first year at the higher grade but fell to a good Robert Emmett’s team from Twin Cities, Minnesota.



 
Locally the Michael Cusack’s club used home field advantage to win both of their preliminary matches and waited for the winner of Indy Hurling and The Robert Emmett club of twin cities to determine their final opponent.



A cracking match saw Indy Hurling through to the final to meet their longtime rivals from Chicago.

After seven hours of games played over three fields both clubs served up a mighty final on the main field of Gaelic Park.

The Michel Cusack’s had played the best hurling all day and continued this into the final.
Very good defensive play set a platform for the Chicago side’s attackers who didn’t disappoint.

The Michael Cusack’s club can be proud to win this inaugural tournament against a good Indy hurling team.
This victory will set up an exciting rematch at the Indy Tournament on August 4^th.

 
 The tournament held in Chicago is one of five tournaments being held nationwide by the North American County Board (NACB) but nowhere will the Hurling players of North America get to play in a facility like Gaelic Park, Chicago.

We are so lucky in Chicago to have a pitch of such quality skillfully maintain by a lifelong Hurling man Harry Costello, originally from County Limerick.

Nothing would be achieved without our sponsors www.handcrafthurleys.com ,please do support our tournament sponsor.
 
Thank you to all of the participants, to the local referees and to all who made long and short journeys to Gaelic Park.

 I look forward to seeing you for many years to come at this tournament.


Colm Egan, Chicago Gaelic Games Development,
 www.chicagoirishsports.com

posted 04/11/2012
 

posted 03/28/2012
 

   Hi to all,

Each week I plan to have a link to show the action from the previous week in Ireland.
At the moment we are in the middle of the National league in both Hurling and Gaelic Football.

Follow this on our facebook page also Chicago GAA coaching and games.
If you visit us on facebook please "like " our page and keep up to date with all of the local GAA activities.

 

May 6th.

National Hurling League Final.

Kilkenny are scary good !
 

http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1148309


Keep checking each Wenesday .

All the best,Colm

posted 03/28/2012
 
Hi to all,



Any clubs looking to hold a nursury program please contact me @

Have a look at the picture page for some shots from the St Jarlaths Nursery program.

This program is for u6 to u8 beginers and incorporates lots of fun games and activity to get our kids interested in Gaelic Games.

There is a beginer Hurling program also each Friday @ 6.30 pm in Gaelic Park.

All the best,Colm

by Colm Egan posted 03/20/2012
 


Hi to all,

I hope that you are all enjoying the Summer weather here in Chicago so early.

Please visit the new links for practice drills in both Hurling and Gaelic Football that are newly posted on the Games Development website.

If you come across anything interesting please send me the link and I will post it.

E Mail to  

Enjoy and I hope to see you on the field soon.

All the best,Colm

posted 01/24/2012
 









Loads of our Kids featured here.
Keep an eye open on all the shots.

The second video our own James Lee is interviewed and this was on TG4 tv station in Ireland.
All of our kids did so well and performed very well on the field and off the field.

Kids you were so polite when you interacted with the All Stars!
I am very proud of you and all of your parents should be trilled how you conducted yourselves.

Thank you to all of the kids,parents and coaches who made this weekend so special.

You can be very proud of yourselves and of the Chicago St Jalaths.

>>Here is a link for Photos.

>>Sunday Photos

posted 11/14/2011
 








This Summer there was a cultural week at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Many thanks to Francis Crowley who asked me to present Gaelic Games at the Cultural week.

Francis has just sent me on some of the photos from the event.



Have a look at the picture page for more shots.

The group loved doing Hurling.

posted 09/27/2011
 


This fall the Chicago Games Development program has been afforded a fantastic opportunity to present Gaelic Games to a PE program at Chicago State University.

Gaelic Football is now a part of the Physical Education Program under "Alternative Sports" and I had a chance to give two different 2 Hour presentations to over 30 students.

One hour of the presentation was classroom based and Three hours of the presentation was Practical work done in the Gym.

In the practical portion the Chicago State students played Gaelic Football for the very first time and thoroughly enjoyed their experience.  
 

 
Many of the students in the class will graduate as Physical Education teachers and will be heading out into the Chicago Land area to work as Physical Educators.

These graduates will now have Gaelic Football as part of their skills and the potential is that Gaelic Football can be exposed to thousands of Kids in the Chicago Land school system.

Please look at the picture page for more shots of the students working in the classroom and in the Gym as part of the practical work.

DAY 2 LECTURE...SOME PICTURES FROM DAY 2




















All the best,
Colm