P.E.I.'s Gaelic Football Club, PEI Celts, win first game

P.E.I.'s newly formed Gaelic Football Club had its first game at the UPEI stadium this weekend, as the PEI Celts faced off against the Halifax Gaels.

The enthusiasm of the newly-formed team paid off, as the Celts won 25 to 9.

The game looks a lot like a hybrid of rugby and soccer, and while the sport has been around for centuries, the PEI Celts only formed this January.

Right now, it's the only team on the Island, but the P.E.I. Gaelic Athletic Association hopes the sport will grow.

"We'd love to get a women's senior team going as well," said Shane O'Neill, chair of the GAA. "We're also in the process of going to be running summer camps in Souris, Montague, Charlottetown and Summerside hopefully where we'll have weekly sessions for kids to try Gaelic football and hurling."

Organizers said there are Gaelic football teams in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Quebec — as well as Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., so it made sense to bring the sport to P.E.I. as well.

The PEI Celts' next game is planned for July, in Halifax.

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