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Timeline and history of GAA in the Benelux
1747 - First reference to hurling in Europe in a letter written by a French army officer before the Battle of Laufelt in Belgium (only 5km from present day European GAA home ground in Maastricht)
1910 - First inter-county hurling matches played in Europe with Tipperary and Cork playing three games during Pan Celtic Congress in Brussels
The first GAA club in mainland Europe appears in Luxembourg
1978
The second club in Europe appears
Den Haag GAA
1979
1979
The first tournament hosted in the Benelux, organised by luxembourg & Brussels
1980
European Communities Brussels established.
1997
The first ever Poc Fada took place in Tongeren, Belgium
2003
Amsterdam GAC established
Belgium GAA established
1999
European County Board Founded
European GAA Board is founded at a meeting in Marriott Hotel, Amsterdam on 22 November
Five clubs attend including three from Benelux with Thomas Briody (Hague); John Haughney (Lux); John Ludden (Brussels) elected to first board as Public Relations, Development & Youth Officers respectively
2000
Leinster Council coach James Lovett delivers the first official GAA coaching session in the Hague
Brussels are first youth team from Europe to compete in the “Feile Peile na nÓg” in Thurles, Ireland
2001
Luxembourg win the first official European Ladies Football competition.
Tournament hosts: Den Haag
2002
The Hague win the first European Hurling Championship and become the first Benelux team to win the European men’s football Championship then known as the “Euro League”
2004
Maastricht Gaels arrive on the scene, lead by Tony Bass,
Who becomes Europes longest serving board member.
2006
Maastricht Gaels win the first European Football Shield (now “Intermediate Championship”) in Barcelona
2008
Luxembourg win the first official European Camogie Championship title
2007
Luxembourg win the “Poc Fada na hEorpa” competition for record 7th time (Damien Higgins)
Luxembourg men win the first ever Gaelic Football Benelux tournament.
2009
Frankfurt Sarsfields
established
2012
Cologne GAA established
Belgium win the inaugural Benelux Regional Ladies Football Championship
2013
Dusseldorf GAA
established
Eindhoven Shamrocks established
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Mary Gavin (Hague) becomes first European recipient of a GAA President’s Award
(after founding Den Haag GAA club in 1984; serving as club secretary; organising the Den Haag Invitational Football tournament since 1994;
co-founding European Board in 1999 & managing club and European teams
2015
Hamburg GAA established
Darmstatdt GAA established
2018
Groningen Gaels established
Frankfurt ladies claim their first European crown winning the European Intermediate Championship
2017
Leuven & Eindhoven win their first European football titles, taking home the Intermediate Championship & Shield trophies
2022
Nijmegen GAA
established
2022
Leuven host the inaugural European Universities Football Championships
Luxembourg are first Benelux representatives to win the Euro Cup played over two days in Pontevedra
Belgium claim a record 9th European Camogie Championship title in Amsterdam
Amsterdam win the first European Premier (15s) Hurling Championships, hosted by Maastricht
Belgium ladies footballers smash their own record, winning a 13th European Senior Championship title
The First ever Benelux teams participate in the euro cup in Galicia
2023
Eindhoven host the inaugural Benelux region Camogie and Hurling Championships which are won by Belgium and Luxembourg respectively
Maastricht host inaugural European Universities Camogie & Hurling Championships
2014
First Leinster Club Football Championship fixture outside of Ireland is played in Maastricht
Belgium win the first ever European Premier (15s) Ladies Football Championship
2016
Belgium are first European team to qualify for an All Ireland Ladies Football Club Championship Quarter-Final, which is also the first All Ireland QF ever to be played in Europe in Maastrich
2019
Benelux regional committee established
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Tony Bass (Maastricht) honoured with GAA President’s International Award
founder of the Maastricht Gaels club in 2004 and serving as club secretary since 2006.
​European GAA Secretary [2004-13]
Central Council rep [2012-17];
Vice-Chair [2016/17];
Chair [2017-20];
Development Officer [2021-to date]
