History | Stair

How do you write a history of a club that has only existed for less than a year? 

It started with a tweet.

Its hard to believe how far the club has come in under a year. From a simple tweet to see if there was any interest to now becoming one of the biggest clubs in Ulster, no one could ever believe how much enthusiasm and appetite there was out there!

The tweet came after a discussion between two good friends during the first COVID lockdown musing over the lack of a GAA club in their part of the city. This area hadn’t seen a GAA club in decades, and times were changing. To an observer, East Belfast was not a logical neighbourhood to set up a GAA club, but to the surprise of everyone, the club was born.

Of course, every club has their founding story; a group of people, eager to play a sport and have a bit of craic. On a Sunday 31st May, a Twitter account was set up, a tweet went out, and within 17 days, East Belfast GAA was a reality, officially recognised by the GAA.

After that tweet, over 500 emails had been received. Originally the idea was to have a just an underage football team, but soon enough, people of all ages were reaching out and getting in contact.   Around 70% of them had played in their youth, and 50% had played in their adulthood and now living in Belfast, but the rest were brand new to the GAA. 

The first official board meeting took place on the 5th June. Soon after, regular training sessions were scheduled for all four codes. The club crest and colours were chosen, and kit designed and ordered. The first official matches took place (need dates and opponents, results)

The wins were few last season, but the craic was ninety. In addition to training and matches, social events and club days cemented our club as family. The club had engagements, marriages and even a few babies on the way. 

With strength and perseverance, and countless hours of dedication from volunteers and players alike, the club has succeeded. The hospitality given to our club from fellow County Down clubs as well as a few County Antrim clubs has been unmatched, and extremely appreciated. With local politicians, and many others, the club’s future is bright.

We’re East Belfast GAA and we go onwards and upwards, together, le chéile, thegither.