Live

Repeat: Off The Ball

02:00 AM-05:00 AM

Repeat: Off The Ball
Advertisement
Hurling

WATCH: Iraqi brothers take up hurling in Berlin

It's the most Irish of sports, but hurling's hold in different communities around the world is gr...



WATCH: Iraqi brothers take up...
Hurling

WATCH: Iraqi brothers take up hurling in Berlin

It's the most Irish of sports, but hurling's hold in different communities around the world is growing at a rapid rate.

Berlin GAA Club was established in 2014, primarily to accommodate the Irish community in the region, but two Iraqi brothers have joined the team after seeing the sport being played for the first time.

Ahmed and Amjad Alsamarie were competing for the team at the European Hurling and Camogie Finals in Dresden last weekend.

The two brothers arrived in Germany as refugees, and speaking to GAA.ie, Ahmed revealed that the club helped him and his brother make new friends in the city.

"We enjoy every training," he said. "It's good to help me in Germany. My family are in Iraq. I only have my brother in Germany."

Amjad added that the intrigue of the game for him lay in the fact that it was played with a sliotar and a hurl. Growing up, he stated that he had never seen anything life it as he only used his feet when playing football.

Berlin GAA PRO Arthur Sullivan added that the Alsamarie brothers were not the only one to take up the sport from a low base. "When it comes to the hurling, I'm just as foreign, as a Cavan man, to hurling, than the two lads from Iraq."

80 members are currently part of the club in Berlin, showing that hurling is truly broadening its horizons and becoming a global game.

Video by Jerome Quinn:

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Football