On Saturday, 22.02.2025, a significant group of Celtics competed at the Benelux Development Football Tournament in Leuven. This tournament was another example of the significant steps our Gaelic footballers have taken in the last couple of years. Our group consisted of Oisín Brennan, Killian, Niall Cunningham, Niall Kavanagh, Tobias, Dave Field, Michael, Clemens, and Conall.
This tournament report is provided by our club’s registrar, Oisín Brennan. Bain sult as!
The Warmup
On a bright and early Saturday morning, our intrepid convoy of nine men’s footballers and unofficial group mammy Laura set out towards Leuven. Plus, Christian from Düsseldorf, of course, because it wouldn’t be a true Cologne team without at least one member of our Rheinland rivals tagging along.
After two hours of absolutely hooning it down the autobahn, two hours of Karneval Hypemix blasting through the speakers, and two hours of snacking on too many Berliners, we arrived in a good mood. There, we bestowed the honour of our Cologne jerseys upon the four Nijmegen and two Leuven lads who’d be teaming up with us for the day.
Match 1: Cologne v Brussels – Craobh Rua
First up: Craobh Rua, who had unfortunately missed the memo that this was a development tournament and brought their A team. This was going to be tough. We started with our usual pre-match ritual of learning the names of our teammates (Chemistry: 100) before our glorious leader and captain, Tobias, led us through our warm-up.
On the pitch, we got off to a slow start and conceded a few early goals from a strong Brussels attacking line. Our defence worked tirelessly to keep them in check, with Nothing-gets-past-me Niall C. in goal and a brick wall combination of Clemens, Michael, and Tobi in the backs, meaning we kept the scoreline respectable from there on out.
A special mention goes to Dave, who rounded out our back line and was brilliant in all games but especially so in this one. He broke balls, foiled attacks, and made some huge tackles. This is what development tournaments are all about, and it’s great to see how far his playing ability has come along in the last year.
In the middle, we got to witness the prowess of our new superstar signing, Conall, who joined us recently on a free transfer from the Dubs. Teaming up with Lennie from Leuven, the two of them worked a masterclass in the midfield, racking up points as we warmed into the game and scoring some tidy goals, too. Meanwhile, I (Oisín) was busy running all over the pitch like a greyhound on speed, trying (mostly) in vain to keep Brussels‘ industrious midfield from getting the ball to their forwards. And Killian, ever the workhorse and with surprising pace considering how much tape was wrapped around his ankles, was building link-up play straight out of a textbook from which we could build our attacks.
Up front, we had a slightly quieter game, on account of us struggling to break through a well-organised Brussels defence, but nifty Niall K. still got his hands on the ball a few times to wreak havoc in the goal area.
At the end of the game, we were still soundly beaten, but we gave it an effort we could be proud of, with everyone getting involved and lots of chances to improve our skills.
Match 2: Cologne v Leuven
Next up: Leuven. It’s always a pleasure to play against this lot, and that was no different this time. And, spoiler alert, even more so when we win. It was a tight game, alright, with the lead swinging back and forth like a pendulum between the teams. This time around, we really opened up at the front, dragging their defenders to the corners to let our attackers run through. Or, in the case of Niall K., scoring from the corners at angles so outrageous that you’d think he was bending some laws of physics.
Conall was, again, brilliant, with the lion’s share of the scoring and some wizardrous dribbles through the middle. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Killian and I contributed a few points of our own to the scoreboard and held up the mid to give a platform from where we could launch attacks. And somebody must have let Sligo Niall out of his cage because that hirsute hero was running riot at half-forward and was simply too hot for Leuven to handle.
At the back, our defence shone. Manuel ‚Tobi‘ Neuer, in goal, provided some brilliant saves to keep Leuven out and deny points that would prove vital as this tight game played out. Michael showed his rugby background with some rips and poaches of the ball that Peter O’Mahony would be proud of. Clemens, deciding he liked the look of this rugby malarky, put in some huge tackles that would inspire even the great Bundee Aki. Between the two of them, Leuven stood no chance. And, you guessed it, Dave was on fire again.
Match 3: Cologne v Craobh Rua
We were into the „final“, and it was once again time to face our nemesis, Craobh Rua – Brussels. To save you some time, dear readers, this game went much the same way as the first. Conall showed how much he’d put his body on the line by having to sub off with a cramp. Dave put some other bodies on the line by rugby tackling a few Brussels lads to the ground. We all enjoyed watching that.
I saved my tournament injury streak by picking up a bloody nose after a strong elbow to the face. And, impressively, one Brussels fella got a straight red card after a nasty deliberate shoulder check to the face of one of our Nijmegen lads. A shame to have to put up with that kind of dirty play in an otherwise friendly development tournament, but at least it’ll prepare us for the competition tournaments. And as a team we still put in a mighty shift on some tired legs to keep the end result dignified. A valiant and proud battle from your Cologne truly.
The Afters
Now, of course, no tournament is complete without a good night out afterwards. The six of us staying the night lined our stomachs with some hearty portions of Belgian frites (‚when in Rome‘ and all that) before lining our livers with Leuven’s most famous export, Stella Artois. Sat under space heaters in the old town’s pretty central square, yapping away, and drinking Belgian beers; life is pretty sweet.
On to the Irish bar to join our gracious hosts, and this was where the Belgian beers did the real damage. After many hours chatting shite with our Belgian friends and drinking their local beer recommendations, myself, Laura, and Killian returned to our digs in various states of disarray. Meanwhile, Dave and the Nialls were persuaded by the locals into a trip to the late-night techno club. As you can imagine, fast-forward to the next morning, and we were feeling rough. The Irish College of Leuven (fun fact: not a real college) that we were staying in had laid on a mighty breakfast buffet, and we tucked in with real appetite. Well, most of us did; moustache Niall shunned it in favour of consuming a frankly ridiculous quantity of boiled eggs. Must be a Sligo thing.
Conclusion: The End
And then, we checked out, hit the road, and that was that. A massive thanks to the Earls of Leuven for organising such a fun tournament and being good craic as per usual. Shout out to Laura for her tireless organisation, too, to make sure we got there and back in one piece. It was great to get some game time and the opportunity for us all to develop as players.
Tobi puts a huge amount of effort into training us, making sessions fun yet rewarding, so it was great to see that come to fruition with progress across all of our players under his leadership. The team has come a long way – there’s certainly no shame in losing to Brussels in a final – and we’re proud to be competitive against some of the best in Benelux. So thanks again to Tobi for all the hard work and dedication.
Onwards and upwards to the next tournaments!
Cologne Celtics 