GAA President Aoghán Ó Fearghail is hoping that this year’s Etihad Airways World Games will help extend the reach of hurling and football worldwide.
Nearly 2,000 players will travel to Dublin from all over the world in August, with 90 teams taking part in the world games.
Most of the players will be Irish people living abroad, but up to one third of the sides will be made up entirely of foreign born players - many of them with no ties to Ireland.
“We have hurling teams of all-American children coming, Australians coming. We have teams from the Canada, Middle East, Asia, Britain, Europe - it’s going to be a tremendous event,” said Ó Fearghail.
“The GAA is all about love of place and that does not have to be Cavan, Cork or Tipperary - it can be love of Middle East or attachment to New York.”
Bo Zhang is a Chinese student studying in UCD, where she joined the college’s international football team and fell in love with the GAA.
She would be delighted to see an all-Chinese ladies football team based in Dublin.
“When I came to UCD I found there was an international GAA team so then I started thinking ‘this is a great time to get to know all the international girls’. It was a good chance too to play GAA,” she said.
“If we have a Dublin based female GAA team then it would be interesting and exciting to me.”
The GAA World Games throw-in on August 7 with a grand opening ceremony at Croke Park before an All-Ireland hurling semi-final.
Most games will be played at UCD, though the final will be back in GAA Headquarters on August 14.
