THE Arabian Celts Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Club hopes to inspire a new generation of young sports enthusiasts to play a game with a unique 3,000-year-old history.
Hurling is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the GAA, and is thought to be the world’s fastest field game in terms of play.
While newcomers to the sport may see it as a cross between baseball and hockey, it actually shares more similarities with Gaelic football in terms of the field, goals, the number of players and much of the sporting jargon involved.
It is played throughout the world and is particularly popular among members of the Irish community in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.
Hurling was introduced to the kingdom 20 years ago at the first Middle East Gaelic Games staged in Bahrain, but in recent years its popularity has declined.
However, all that is about to change. The Arabian Celts, formed in 2008, are now set on reintroducing the fast-paced sport to everyone on the island and the timing could not be better as the fun-filled Bahrain Games return on November 16.
More than 30 teams from across the region will be flying out to take part in the annual sporting jamboree.
James Kennedy, the Celts chairman, said: "We are very excited to have hurling at the club and back here in Bahrain to celebrate the Games’ 20th anniversary.
"Our club is made up of men, women and children from 16 different nationalities, all wanting to play Gaelic football. We have about 50 players training every Sunday and Tuesday at the Rugby Club pitch out in Saar.
"While there is a lot of interest out here from some of the guys that would like to give hurling a go, it is a much more difficult sport to learn than Gaelic football.
"If you play soccer, rugby or any ball games then Gaelic football will be easy to pick up, but hurling is a little bit more skilful."
The game involves a small ball being thrown and hurled from one player to the next through either the use of your hand or a wooden stick in a very fast-flowing environment.
Hurling teams are made up of 15 players fighting to secure the most points for victory. Although it sounds simple enough, there is a lot of hand-eye-foot coordination involved while also trying to protect yourself on the pitch.
The players use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball called a sliotar between the opponents’ goalposts either over the crossbar for one point or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points.
The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than three steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley.
It can also be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.
Baiting people is allowed although body-checking or shoulder-charging is illegal. Most of the time no protective padding is worn by players, but shin guards are considered a good idea and two years ago a plastic protective helmet with faceguard became mandatory for all age groups.
Veteran hurler Terry Kehoe hopes to coach the Celts team to victory in the second round of the Hurling Middle East League to be featured in the Games next month.
Not only does he have 20 years experience to his name, he also took part in a Guinness World Records hurling challenge where he played alongside 45 other athletes in a 24-hour match.
He recently moved to the kingdom from Ireland to work in investment and is thrilled to be on an island where he can still play the sport he loves. Terry had joined the Celts in the first round of the league tournament recently held in Dubai.
He said: "There are a lot of Gaelic footballers that want to play and our equipment will be coming in a few weeks time. Then we can start training newcomers. We already have four to five hurlers and are hoping to have our own independent team by the time the league competition begins."
Kehoe added: "I’m more concerned on teaching them the basics which would be to catch the ball, hit the ball and pick up the ball.
"Newcomers won’t be put in a situation where they would be hit by someone. Essentially, what I do first is to put a ball on the ground and get the hurlers to swing and see if they could hit the ball back and forth to one another. Then it develops into throwing the ball to one another because it is a skill to catch a ball with one hand. Then I teach them how to pick up a ball with the hurley - there is a jab lift and a roll lift. I will also teach them how to protect themselves on the field.
"When you are part of a hurling team, you really are part of a community. It becomes a social affair where you make friends, get fit and network. There is a lot to this game which could interest many. The senior hurling team starts from the age of 16 and above. We are thinking by next year to start an under-16 team as well."
Hurling fact file: *A team comprises of 15 players or hurlers. *The ball, known as a sliotar, has a cork centre and a leather cover; it is between 69 and 72mm in diameter, and weighs between 110 and 120g. *The goalkeeper’s hurley usually has a bas (the flattened, curved end) twice the size of other players’ hurleys to provide some advantage against the fast moving sliotar. *A good strike with a hurley can propel the ball up to and over 150 km/h in speed and 110 metres in distance. * A ball hit over the bar is worth one point. A ball that is hit under the bar is called a goal and is worth three points *As of 2010 all players must wear a helmet, and may wear other protection such as shin guards and/or a special kind of glove called an ash guard.