SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Three West Prince women are about to experience an unexpected opportunity of a lifetime, thanks to a relatively unknown sport.
Jackie Perry of Kildare Capes, Saffire Corcoran of Piusville and Heather Harris of Cascumpec will represent Canada in Gaelic football at the 2019 Gaelic Athletic Association World Games in Ireland next week.
“I am 36 so to get the opportunity to play for Canada is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Harris. “I’m pretty excited.”
Corcoran agreed.
“As a mom of two at 33, Team Canada is not going to be knocking too many more times,” said a chuckling Corcoran. “When that opportunity to play and represent your country comes along, it’s hard to say no.”
Perry, 36, offered her reaction to being named to Team Canada: “That was not expected when I started the sport at all. It is a huge bonus and I am definitely excited.”
C.J. Studer and his wife, Kim, of Miscouche, round out Prince County’s connection with Team Canada, which is fielding two female Gaelic football teams. C.J. is coaching the team that includes Perry, Corcoran and Harris while Kim is a liaison officer.
“Gaelic football is a blend of rugby, soccer, volleyball and basketball all mixed into this beautiful sport,” explained C.J. “It has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years from Ireland.
“The P.E.I. Celts are a club here on the Island and we have been around for about three years now. This is a big year because the 2019 World Games are held in Dublin and we have eight of our club members going over to represent Canada.”
Celts’ Brandon O’Keefe, James Mallard and Marcellus Campbell will compete for Canada in men’s Gaelic football.
“It’s going to be super exciting,” said C.J. “We are playing Russia, Spain, Europe, New York, Australia.
“We are playing the world and to see if our talents match with them is going to be quite exciting. We can’t wait to get out there and prove that Canadians are tenacious, ferocious and ready to win that Cup.”
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Schedule
- Schedule for Canadian women’s Gaelic
- football team in Ireland featuring P.E.I. players:
- Sunday – Parade and opening ceremonies.
- Monday – vs. Europe and Australia.
- Tuesday – vs. Russia.
- Wednesday – Spain/Portugal and New York.
- Thursday – Quarter-finals.
- Aug. 1 – Semifinals.
- Aug. 2 – Final at Croke Park in Dublin.
- “(Croke Park) is kind of like the Hockey Hall of Fame,” said C.J. Studer, a coach of one of the Canadian women’s teams. “It is like the Wrigley Field of Gaelic football. Just to step onto the grass is going to be an awesome experience if we make it to the finals.”
Team aspect
Corcoran, Harris and Perry have all played competitive sports and love the team aspect of Gaelic football.
“I wanted to try something new because I have always been part of a team,” said Perry, who is forward. “I played varsity volleyball at UPEI, was big into badminton back in the day and I was missing that.
“I have two kids, so I took time off, but now that they are older it’s nice to get my exercise in a fun way again and be competitive.”
Corcoran, a long-time soccer player, likes the uniqueness of Gaelic football.
“It’s different than any other sport I have ever played,” said Corcoran. “As a Phys. Ed teacher, I have a wide sports background and it’s really neat to see how it combines so many different sports into one. It’s unlike anything we have around.
“The team itself drew me to it. Everybody is so positive, everyone is really happy and everyone has such a different background and they all bring so many different things to it. It is really interesting to play a sport like that.”
Harris’s resumé includes soccer, softball, figure skating, track and field and hockey. She added Gaelic football is a good challenge.
“It's a unique game,” said Harris, who supports both the backs and forwards from the midfield position. “It’s really challenging mentally, physically and it’s something different than any other sports I have played before.
“Skills you have developed in other sports you can put to use in this sport, but you are always thinking.”
Harris admits it’s hard to believe a simple conversation with a friend has resulted in a chance to wear Team Canada’s red and white colours.
“We were sitting around talking one night and she had started playing with C.J. here at Athena (Consolidated School in Summerside) in the winter league and she said, ‘I think you would be good at it and should come out and give it a try,’” explained Harris. “I was like ‘all right’ and came out one night and was hooked.”
Competing internationally
Corcoran, who is an alternate on Team Canada and can play any position, is looking forward to competing internationally.
“The World Games are pretty exciting,” said Corcoran. “I am hoping our team is competitive, we are in all the games and maybe we can win a few would be nice. I am excited to see that level.”
Perry expects there will be some early jitters.
“I know from competing I will be nervous the first game, I always am,” said Perry. “After that, it will be fine and the nerves will go away.”
Perfect fit
Perry, Corcoran and Harris have been playing Gaelic football for about a year and a half. They all agree the sport has been the perfect fit.
“I like the running,” said Perry. “I wanted something physical and that was going to give me good exercise.
“It’s a sport that kind of reminds me of rugby where the team is so supportive of everybody and seems like a family kind of atmosphere. Even when you go to Easterns and play against other teams and you play hard against each other on the field, after the game is over everybody is like, ‘Good job’ and you get to know people on the other team.”
Need to Know
What you need to know about Gaelic football:- Players are allowed four steps before they must dribble or perform a solo move, where the ball is dropped onto their foot and kicked back to themselves.
- Teams score points either into the soccer net or through the rugby uprights.
“If you put the ball over the bar that’s worth one and is called a point and if you put the ball in the net that’s a goal and is worth three,” explained C.J. Studer, a coach of one of the two Canadian women’s teams. “Players can score points by either throwing or kicking the ball over the uprights, but goals must be scored by kicking the ball into the net. Balls cannot be hand-passed into the net.
“All the while, you have 13 opponents trying to rip the ball out of your hands and you are all over the place. There is no hitting. Men can hit shoulder to shoulder as hard as we want, but nothing from the front, nothing from behind. For the ladies, there is no hitting at all, but it’s kind of like soccer where there is bumping but you just can’t plow people over.”- Gaelic football features its ball. It is bigger than a volleyball and not as big as a soccer ball.
“I was a volleyball player, but it reminds me of a volleyball,” said Jackie Perry. “It is denser and has more density to it when you have to solo it back up to yourself. It is heavier than a volleyball.”Teams at the World Games consist of 15 players.
The P.E.I. Celts, Halifax Gaels, Quebec City Patriotes, Montreal Shamrocks and Ottawa Gaels are part of the Eastern Canadian Gaelic Athletic Association, which is under the umbrella of the Canadian Gaelic Athletic Association. The Celts encourage anyone interested in trying the sport to contact them.
“We accept everyone,” said Studer. “If you can tie your shoes you are on the team. That is one of the best parts of Gaelic football. Since it is so new to most Canadians, everyone is starting with very little skill and the good thing is we can incorporate basketball, soccer and all these other sports together.
“Even though you don’t know much about Gaelic football itself, you do by playing the other sports growing up in Canada.”
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