Publication:	Budapest Sun
Date:	27/04/2006

HISTORY was made in Budapest on Saturday (Apr 22) when the capital city played host for the first time to a Euroleague Gaelic football tournament round. Enjoying the glorious sunshine and superb facilities, spectators at the Margit Sziget stadium were treated to a day-long feast of Gaelic football from the four competing teams from around north and central Europe.

Munich, Vienna, Copenhagen and host team Budapest Rangers were all battling for the right to progress to the Euroleague finals later in the summer.

Pre-tournament favorites were Munich, who won the Euroleague in 2004. With a large, experienced squad, it accounted for Copenhagen in the opening tie. In what would be a dress rehearsal for the final later in the day, next up was Munich against the Rangers. In a tough battle, Munich used all its experience to grind out the result, clawing back a five-point deficit late in the game to win by two points.

It was a crushing blow to the Rangers, who had suffered a similar second-half collapse to Munich last season. Budapest now needed to beat a decent Copenhagen side to get to the final. This it did with style, with a couple of goals between the teams by the end.

The final itself was a classic exhibition of Gaelic football. A confident Munich side went four points to one up approaching half-time, but, during a fiveminute period, suddenly lost its shape and discipline and saw a man sent off for striking by the visiting referee from Ireland.

In a gripping second half the Rangers gradually pulled back the deficit to clinch its first ever victory against one of the European "big guns" as well as its first ever tournament win.

Final score Budapest Rangers 2.5 (11 points), Munich Colmcilles 1.5 (8 points).

Irish Ambassador, Brendan McMahon presented the tournament cup to an emotional Derek Cahill, chairman of the victorious Rangers at the post-tournament banquet in Becketts Pub on Saturday evening.

Budapest Rangers's next tournament in the Euroleague qualifiers is in Vienna on May 27.

Publication:	Budapest Sun
Date:	28/10/2004

THE Budapest Rangers Gaelic Football Club men's and women's teams beat their counterparts from the Vienna Gaels in the first ever gaelic football matches staged in the Hungarian capital, or indeed Eastern Europe.

THE Budapest Rangers Gaelic Football Club men's and women's teams beat their counterparts from the Vienna Gaels in the first ever gaelic football matches staged in the Hungarian capital, or indeed Eastern Europe. Played at the Margit Sziget stadium on Saturday (October 23), firstly the ladies and then the men scored comprehensive victories over Vienna, holding on to the CEE Challenge Cups for another six months.

The game was a season-closer for the men's team after a long and hard campaign on the European tournament circuit, while for the girls it was their first ever competitive game. The results give great encouragement for both teams as they enter winter training in preparation for next season when they hope to challenge for European honors.

Saturday's event took place through the generous sponsorship of Redz Bar (which opens soon on Klauzal tér 1-2) and the AIB Bank.

Publication:	Budapest Sun
Date:	29/07/2004

IN ROUND five of the European Gaelic Football League, which took place in Munich on July 17, Budapest Rangers crashed to a disappointing five defeats from five games.

Following a solid performance in their debut tournament in Paris in April, and their victory over fellow new side Vienna last month, the Rangers traveled to Munich with a 15-man squad and reasonable hopes of qualifying for the latter stages of the tournament.

It was not to be however, as the Rangers found the going hard against some of Europe's top gaelic football sides.

Just six teams were entered in this round with a round robin format leading to the top two qualifying for the final.

First up for Budapest were the hosts and pre-tournament favorites Munich. Despite going ahead through a Fergal Strumble free kick straight from the throwin, a bigger and more physical Munich side gradually began to take over until a controversial goal by Munich turned the game.

While Budapest's Derek Cahill lay injured in midfield the referee allowed play to continue with the ball ending up in the Budapest net for a hotly disputed score. In the final moments, Munich added another goal to close out the game. Final score: Munich 2 goals-5 points (totalling 11 points) Budapest 0-2.

Budapest will look back on their second game as the one that got away. Playing a combined German team who relied mainly on a towering midfielder, the Rangers enjoyed more of the possession, and for the first time in the tournament had space to play good football. Germany had gone one point up, but Kieran Fahy pointed from long range after a fast Budapest counterattack to leave the teams level at half time with everything to play for. In such short 15-minute long games, however, one lapse of concentration can be fatal and so it proved with the Germans exploiting some loose marking late in the game to score a winning goal. Final score: German Select XI 1-3, Budapest 0-3. With two straight losses, Budapest now had no chance of making the top two. Heads dropped further when Luxembourg goaled early in the second half of the next game. Final score: Luxembourg 2-5, Budapest 0-2.

The game was up for Budapest with only pride to play for in the final two games. In the fourth game, European champions in 2003 and eventual tournament winners Paris showed their class and coasted to victory with a goal in each half. Final score: Paris 2- 4, Budapest 0-0.

After two very sloppy first half goals in the final game against a second-string Munich outfit, it looked like Budapest's tournament was to end very tamely.

In the final five minutes, however, the Rangers mounted a creditable rally, which were capped by great goals from David O'Malley and Cahill.

Although not enough to rescue the game, the spirited finish provides some encouragement, perhaps, for the rest of the season. Final score: Munich B 2-3, Budapest 2-0.

Overall, Munich was a valuable learning experience for the Budapest men who have plenty to think about as they prepare for Euroleague rounds six and seven in Amsterdam and Barcelona in August and September.

Publication:	Budapest Sun
Date:	27/05/2004

BUDAPEST'S latest sports club, the Budapest Rangers Gaelic Football Club, competes in a European League during the spring and summer months.

Outside of Ireland and Britain, there are roughly 25 teams (both men's and ladies teams) established around Europe, with the stronger teams mostly in cities with larger Irish communities (ie Paris, Munich, Amsterdam and Luxembourg).

There are eight rounds or tournaments to a Euro-league season - tournament group games are 11-a-side - with teams traveling to the host city for a weekend.

Budapest Rangers have the honour of being the first Eastern European club and hope to host a tournament round in 2005.

In April, they competed in their debut tournament, in Paris, where they came a creditable sixth out of 11 teams, missing out on the semi-finals due to a narrow three-point defeat in their final group game against Luxembourg. The next tournament is in Munich on July 17, where the Rangers hope to improve on their performance.

Later tournaments include Amsterdam in August and Barcelona in September.

An inaugural CEE Challenge Cup will be played for by Vienna and Budapest over two legs in late-June and August.

The squad is mostly composed of expatriate Irish and British nationals who have played the sport before, but interest from the non-Irish is growing. Longer-term, it is hoped to involve more Hungarians in the setup.

The club trains every week and beginners are very welcome.

A strictly amateur affair, the sports' teams are fiercely local and command a huge national audience back home.

Teams represent Ireland's counties, and players must have family connections to, or live and work in, the counties they represent (most players have second jobs).

The player who performs in front of 70,000 people at the weekend will be teaching your kids on Monday, selling you meat, fixing your drains or representing you in court. There are hundreds of top class playing facilities around the country including Europe's fourth largest stadium, Croke Park in Dublin, which is packed by over 80,000 people for the high point of the Irish sporting calendar, the All-Ireland Football and Hurling Final in September each year.

The winning teams bring the cups back to their home counties where they are met with celebratory bonfires at the county borders, which are the cue for a year of wild celebration.