Playing for London: ‘To have the love for it is an absolute non-negotiable’

Or, indeed, manager.

From the functional (no floodlit or indeed any GAA pitch to train on, every other game a flight away, mapping a route to training through traffic in one of the world’s busiest cities) to the operational (a squad that changes every season) and the aspirational (let’s face it, a low percentage chance of winning a game), it’s a proper roll-a-boulder-up-the-hill job.

Except no one at training at Grasshoppers Rugby Club near Syon Lane in Isleworth is of that mindset. Especially Maher.

“The really pleasing thing is that we are able to give fellas opportunities to do something they wanted to do since they were kids — play senior inter-county football,” he says. 

“We are under no illusions. I don’t think any fellas ever moved here to specifically play for the London football team. But they now have a chance. And to have a dressing room full of 25 or 26 other lads with the same ambition is a wonderful thing.”

Maher is succinct when asked what represents success in 2024.

“A championship win. That’s it. We’ve not had a championship win since 2013 but we’ve come desperately close. We had Sligo in 2022 and in the seventh
minute of additional time they kicked an unbelievable leveller. It was ding-dong in extra time before we lost.

“We know we always improve coming into the summer months. We don’t have a football pitch to train on until April. We train on rugby pitches and the difference training on a proper GAA pitch makes is astronomical. It would be like giving a tennis player a badminton court and a racket and saying ‘have a go at that’. 

The rugby pitch was the best available to us up to now but you’re never, ever, going to max out until you get on a proper football pitch. We just can’t wait to start training at Ruislip.

“You’ve got an extra 40 metres of length, an extra 20-25m in width. Also, just guys getting familiar with being on a football pitch, finding their range, knowing their distances, we always improve another 25% going into the summer. So it’s no coincidence, the last two years we’ve been at our best in the Tailteann Cup.

“I’m really confident again that over these next two months the lads will improve even more. I think we’ll be ready to claim that first championship win this year.” Though hardly this weekend.

For all of Galway’s well-publicised injury issues, this is a squad that contested an All-Ireland final less than two years ago. There is good reason Division One teams routinely dismantle Division Four opposition in the provincial series.

“We are realistic. If the game was played 100 times the same result would probably happen 95-96 times. We’ll be giving the very, very best account of ourselves either way, but we’re also not hanging our hat on this one game. We go out and we prepare for every single opponent the very same.”

There may never come a time, for obvious reasons, when a London championship squad will be fully indigenous. It is probably to their benefit that some native GAA nous is stirred into the mix. But with the relative success in recent years of London’s under age sides in Féile competition and the graduation level of London-born players from the junior set-up in the county, the dynamic is changing.

“They’ve improved tactically, technically, and probably psychologically as well. But the most important thing we want a player to do is enjoy their experience with us because we’re not in Dublin’s court where you get together at the start of the year and plan out how you’re going to win Sam Maguire. Here, we’re saying ‘how can we improve? How can we give the best account of ourselves every day? How can we be within a chance of winning each match?’

“That is as deeply satisfying for us as it would be for Jack O’Connor and Dessie Farrell planning for an All-Ireland.”

MAHER offers two snapshots to underscore the sense that this is about more than rocking up to Ruislip on a Sunday morning. 

“Ahead of the final league game in Carlow, we trained Thursday, travelled Saturday, travelled back Sunday, lads were in the gym Monday, training Tuesday, video work Wednesday, training Thursday, then Easter Saturday and Monday. It’s a full-time commitment and slightly different, I would think, to players at home. But if we didn’t love it we wouldn’t be there. To have the love for it is an absolute non-negotiable.

“The thing with London GAA is you’re never planning for more than a year in advance. That’s just the reality of it. You can have your longer-term vision for the London-born players in the squad and try to develop them over a longer period of time, but with the lads who move over to London, you hope to be here maybe 12 months, but you don’t know.

“Opportunities in different countries come knocking and they’re gone. Does an opportunity come up in Abu Dhabi or Sydney? And while you’re happy for the lads that do that, you’re also frustrated at the same time because you can never seem to do what, for instance, a Derry or Sligo have done over the last number of years which is keep a solid group together and improve that year-on-year.

“This year we had 15 returning from last year but two of them haven’t kicked a ball so far. So really, that means another 18 or 19 lads were brand new to inter-county football with London.”

The end-game, then, is bringing through more and more Tighe Barrys, Shay Rafters, or Josh Obahors, the 24-year-old forward having come up through London’s under age system. 

“We have five London-born lads in the panel and the more you have, the better. I don’t think there will ever be a day where the London senior football team is entirely London-born, that’s unrealistic. But, I do think that, gradually, more and more are going to come through the London junior team. And if you can get one or two through every year, in 10 years’ time you should have a core of 15-20 London-born players. But you will always have an element of lads from Ireland in the panel.”

In between the thrice-weekly treks across London for training — “you leave any time after three o’clock and you’re goosed” — Maher is a primary school gym teacher. Being in the car to training and back is quality thinking time and reflection on what it all means for those involved to be playing senior championship. 

“You see the flak that players, management, county boards get on social media at inter-county level. I’d love to just say to them, ‘put yourself in their shoes for a week and you’ll soon stop typing on your keyboard’.”

He cites the example of coach and selector Michael Boyle from Gweedore in Co Donegal.

“Sadly, he lost his father a couple of weeks ago. He was back home in Ireland getting everything sorted for the funeral and he flew in and out the day of the Waterford game just to be here. That epitomises what it means to the people involved. So he went from the depths of Donegal to Derry Airport to fly to Heathrow, get to the Waterford game [which they won] and then race back to Heathrow to get on a flight home that evening.”

The third man on the selection ticket, John Doyle, also has a story to tell. He’s in the advantageous position of also being London Board chairman.

“I’m sure many people would have walked away when they were appointed county chairperson but John was true to his word. He’s been absolutely wonderful on the management team and a real pleasure to work with. It’s good too that he sees from an executive standpoint what goes into helping a senior inter-county team function. You have to love what you do and enjoy the company of the people around you to stay at it. Like our kit man, Phil Roche, who finishes up on Saturday. He’s been at the job since 2008. Another great character, he’s been involved with Fr Murphy’s in London since 1978.

“Pat Winston is another wonderful, highly infectious character. He’s our liaison officer, and turned 70 lately. That’s why you love this.

“No, it’s not easy, but you’re surrounded by people with the same passion and mindset. That camaraderie is important, and you have to enjoy each other’s company and have the craic along the way as well. Saturday is a great day for gaels in London. And never say never. If we’re in a game with 10 minutes to go we might just do something miraculous…”