The Continental Youth Championships (CYC) is an annual weekend tournament of Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie organized by the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

. It is contested by teams from the USA and Canada, and is a separate competition from the existing youth championships in the New York,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, and NACB areas. It began in 2004, and its location rotates around various cities from year to year. The age of players ranges from Under 8 to Under 18. Hosts: * 2004 -

New York GAA The New York County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Nua Eabhrac), or New York GAA is one of the 3 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in North America, and is responsible fo ...

* 2005 -

San Francisco GAA The Western Divisional Board of the North American Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) colloquially San Francisco GAA is the governing body of hurling, camogie, and Gaelic football in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is affiliated to the North America ...

* 2006 - Boston GAA * 2007 - Chicago GAA * 2008 - Philadelphia GAA * 2009 -

* 2010 -

* 2011 - Boston GAA * 2012 - Chicago GAA * 2013 - Philadelphia GAA * 2014 -

* 2015 -

* 2016 - Chicago GAA * 2017 - Buffalo GAA * 2018 - Boston GAA * 2019 - Philadelphia GAA

Growth

The CYC has grown at a rapid rate since its inception. In 2006 it consisted of over 200 games played in three days. In 2014, 640 games were played in the four days. Reasons given for its popularity compared to the existing youth tournaments are: * Scheduling games at a time when children are not at school and when it is convenient and economical for kids and parents to travel * The whole weekend is focussed exclusively on the children rather than youth games being played alongside adult games that draw more attention * The atmosphere is a lot different from events such as the NACB play-offs because of the focus on underage games The popularity of the CYC led to a decline in the number of teams participating in the North American Youth playoffs that used to run alongside the NACB adult play-offs on the Labor Day weekend. Teams from the US and Canada take part, and British teams used to compete before the British GAA formed their own competition.

Management

The CYC was developed by the GAA's Overseas Development Committee under Gene Duffy, and is managed directly from Croke Park by the CYC Steering Committee that consists of officials at Croke Park as well as members of the GAA in North America. At local level, the event is planned by the CYC Hosting Committee whose membership changes from year to year as the tournament moves from city to city.

International Play

The tournament used to be highlighted by international games which took place before the rest of the tournament. This showcase highlighted the USGAA team (formerly the NACB team), the London All-Stars, and the New York All-Stars representing the NYGAA.

References

{{Reflist

Growth

Management

International Play

References

External links