by Chris Burrows

O’Neills Apparel Order Coming Soon

We’re working with O’Neills this year to set up a site where you can order your favorite IndyGAA themed merchandise – including the 2022 jerseys.

Very soon we will be sharing a link to a special site that will allow members to order team-branded items like shorts, sweaters, jackets, etc, as well as any other 2022 team jerseys you might want to purchase. While most of these items are available year round on the O’Neills IndyGAA site, by adding it to this order you’ll get bulk pricing and reduced shipping.

Please note that if you’re registered for a team you’re already getting your requested jersey size/number – this would only be for any extra jerseys you may want.

The site will only be open for a few days to make sure we get delivery in time for the season to start, so we wanted to give everyone a heads up before it does. We’ll pass along the website link and closing date once we get them, ideally early next week.

Remember – it doesn’t matter how good you are at something as long as you look good doing it, so be sure to stock up!

by Kyle Keesling

What’s an Indy GAA Draft Party like?

The Indy GAA Draft party has become a tradition over the past 10+ years, but sometimes it’s easy for us old-timers to assume everyone knows what these types of events are, but in reality there are many folks newer to the club, or those who have yet to join us that may be interested in knowing a little bit about it. With that I figured it was worth providing a brief overview for the uninitiated.

The actual draft takes place in a sequestered location. The captains for each team convene to choose their teams using a variety of strategies and methodologies to ensure they translate the perfect team on paper to the championship team on the field.

With that said, we don’t think of this event being held solely for draft, after all, we do call it a party!

This event is really intended to build excitement around the upcoming season and get members both old and new reacquainted and re-energized after a winter away from the pitch. All other members outside of the draft room have a chance to relax, mingle, and pontificate as to what the teams will look like for the upcoming year.

After the teams have been selected the captains emerge to announce their picks and so ensues the strategizing and game-planning for the season to come.

Details for this Year’s Event

If that sounds up your alley we hope you’ll join us for the 2022 Draft Party coming up on Sunday, February 20th at 4pm at Centerpoint Brewing.

All are welcome to attend, even if you’re not registered to play, so we encourage you to bring friends and family. If you intend to play and would like to be entered into the draft please make sure you register no later than February 16th!

Register for the 2022 Season →

Drafts Over the Years

Also, please take a second to check out the photos below as the links to some of the photo albums I was able to pull up from years past. Over the years the event has been held at a number of different places, including the Blarney Stone Pub, Santorini’s Greek Kitchen, Flat 12 Bierworks, the Hard Rock Cafe, Triton Brewing, and as of the last few years Centerpoint Brewing. Flipping though these photos was a definitely a nice little walk down memory lane, and I hope they are for you as well.

by Rachel Keesling

2022 USGAA Registration Instructions

As we begin to ramp up for the 2022 season we also have to take care of all of the clerical work that goes with it. Part of that is not only registering with our club, but also with the USGAA.

You MUST be registered with the USGAA in order to play in our Pub League and/or any other sanctioned games or tournaments. This requirement and deadline is not something determined by our club, but rather at the national level. The fees associated with this registration help the USGAA organize tournaments, develop and promote the games in the US, as well as fund the insurance policy that protects all players, including you, on the pitch.

We cannot emphasize enough how important this is! If you are not registered, you WILL NOT be able to play.

The deadline for returning players to complete your USGAA Registration is April 30th – NO EXCEPTIONS!

Step-by-Step Registration Instructions

  • Choose 2022 Heartland Division – Register Now
  • Log In 
    • If you have registered in the past, your info should already be in the system
      • Your user name is your email 
        • If you are new, you’ll need to create an account 
    • If you don’t remember your password try Indygaa!9, but you also many need to just use the password reset
  • Choose Someone to register
    • Your name and DOB should be here if your account already exists
    • If it is not there, click “Someone else…” to enter that information
  • Click Add Registration for Selected person
  • Select ‘Indianapolis Camogie $42’ or ‘Indianapolis Hurling and Gaelic Football $63’
    • DO NOT CHOOSE ‘Indianapolis Social Membership $11’ or ‘Indianapolis USGAA Club Fees $105’
  • Scroll to bottom and click continue to registrant info
    • If you played last year, all of your info should be in there 
  • Select Resident Player – Homegrown (Unless you’re visiting us from Ireland)
  • Last 4 digits of drivers license 
  • State where ID was issued 
  • Country of birth
  • Division and team category
  • Division? Heartland
  • Primary sport?
    • Ladies Camogie, Ladies football, Mens hurling, or Mens football
  • What team are you registering for?
    • Indy GAA Camogie/Hurling/Football – write what applies to you
  • At which grade are you registering? (If you aren’t sure, just select Junior)
    • Junior, Intermediate, Senior, or N/A
  • Are you a dual code player? (Do you play two sports? IE hurling/football or camogie/football)
  • What other team do you play for? If not dual, put NA, otherwise put Indy GAA
  • At what grade are you registering? Junior, Intermediate, Senior, or N/A (select N/A if not dual code)
  • Continue to registrar participant 
  • Payment 
  • Enter billing info (if not entered)
  • Then enter credit card data 
  • Confirm registration 
  • Payment should be complete 
Visit the USGAA Registration Site

Still have questions? Refer to the registration guide provided by the USGAA, post in the #usgaaregistration channel in our Slack, or contact me for help!

by Kyle Keesling

2021 Award Winners

Our annual awards banquet was this past weekend, where we announced player awards for achievements both on and off the field. This year’s winners are:

  • Club Person of the Year – Chris Burrows
  • Male Hurling Player of the Year – Brian Church
  • Female Hurling/Camogie Player of the Year – Kelsey Alcorn
  • Male Football Player of the Year – Paul Flynn
  • Female Football Player of the Year – Jillian Beyke
  • Hurling/Camogie Rookie of the Year – Armando Magallanes
  • Football Rookie of the Year – Kevin McCarthy
  • Hurling/Camogie Most Improved Player – Clayton Tsang
  • Football Most Improved Player – Brett Mahoney
  • Referee of the Year – Tim Riley
  • Mentor of the Year – Brien Shoemaker

For more photos of the evening (both edited and non) check out our Flickr gallery. Thanks to Woody White for taking photos.

by Kyle Keesling

2022 Indy GAA Winter Banquet

Plans have made, details have been set, and tickets are now live for our annual winter banquet. After missing last year we are excited to be back this year on Saturday, January 8th, 2022, 5:00pm at the The Liter House.

The banquet is a time to reflect on the past season and catch up with each other after a few months away from the pitch. We’ll also be presenting awards to recognize members for their accomplishments on and off the field.

Dinner will be catered by Half Liter BBQ, but don’t worry, alternative dietary requirements will be accommodated, just make sure to note your needs in the notes field when purchasing your ticket(s).

The event is open to all, so be sure to invite your friends and family members, and if you have any questions please let us know.

Dress is formal, but please feel free to get as creative or unique as you like!

Due to the rising cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 we will be requiring that all attendees provide proof of full vaccination, as defined by the CDC, or a confirmed negative COVID-19 test result performed no greater than 48hrs before the event.

Please email a copy of your vaccination record or test result to covid19@indygaa.com to help us keep everything organized. Your data will be kept private and destroyed once we’ve verified your status.

Click the link below to purchase your tickets.

https://indygaa.wpengine.com/shop/events/2022-indy-gaa-winter-banquet/
by Kyle Keesling

Upcoming Events Next Week

I just wanted to get a quick reminder out before the holiday that we’ve got a few events coming up next week. The first.

Coaches Planning Meeting

December 1st – 8pm on Zoom

Everyone is invited to take part in discussing what our 2022 season should look like from the coaching perspective.  Our goal during this call is to come up with recommendations to the board for practice frequency, format, and times so that the board can work on securing fields to meet our criteria.

Flippin Donnybrook at Tappers – A Pinball Tournament

December 5th – 3pm at Tappers Arcade Bar

Help support the Indy GAA and get those last-minute points at the Flippin Donnybrook pinball tournament. Registration is just $10, and qualifying starts at 3:00pm.

The qualifying round will be a ‘best game’ format for 6 games at one attempt per game. Finals will be group ladder elimination similar to Pinburgh/PAPA. Groups of four in four-game rounds. The bottom two are eliminated. The final four will play one game for the winner.

by Rachel Keesling

2021 AGM Recap

The 2021 Indy GAA AGM was held this past Sunday morning. Three board members were voted to serve another term in their positions and we also had two new additions. All elected position terms start January 1, 2022 unless otherwise noted.

  • Events – Danny Jorgenson
    • elected to finish out the 2nd year for Paul Jones, who resigned this year
    • term begins effective immediately
  • Membership Relations – Hannah Deguch
    • elected to succeed Nick Wilson
  • PR Officer – Kyle Keesling
    • re-elected for a second term
  • Secretary – Rachel Keesling
    • re-elected for a second term
  • Sponsorship – Brett Mahoney
    • re-elected for a second term

For more detailed information on the discussions that took place, you can review the minutes here.

We thank all that came out and are excited for the 2022 season. If you have any questions please contact secretary@indygaa.com

MINUTES-Indy-GAA-AGM-2021Download
by Rachel Keesling

2021 AGM Details

As promised, here are the updates for the upcoming AGM this Sunday, November 7 at 10 AM at Bier Brewery at 5133 E 65th St, Indianapolis, IN. 

As we have had unprecedented times these past two years, it is a light agenda. All reports that have been submitted are linked below.

The open positions this year are for PRO, Sponsorship Chair, Secretary, and Membership Chair. Kyle, Brett, and myself are interested in running again and continuing our roles.

Nick Wilson will not be running again for Membership Chair. We thank him for his efforts during his term as he was met with the hard task of planning gatherings when gatherings were not allowed. Stupid COVID… In his place, we have had one nomination for this – Hannah Deguch.

In addition to the four standard openings this year, we also have an opening for Events Chair. Paul Jones has recently moved away and is no longer able to fulfill his duties. We thank him for his time, efforts, and enthusiasm for the club. With that in mind we will be taking nominations for someone to complete the last year of his term. If no nominations are received the board will appoint someone to the role, per our bylaws.

If you yourself would like to run for a position on the board, or would like to nominate one of your fellow members, please let me know. Otherwise nominations will be accepted on the floor during the meeting. If you plan to run for a position, please be prepared to say a few words as to why you would like to be considered. 

Agenda and Minutes

2021 Officer Reports

by Rachel Keesling

2021 AGM will be November 7th

This year’s Annual General Meeting, AGM, will be held on the morning of November 7th, with the exact time and venue to be forthcoming soon.

The AGM is the time that our members come together to review the prior year’s events, consider any motions that may have been submitted, as well as discuss any other topics or concerns that the membership has. It is also the time where we vote to install new board members, with this year’s open seats being:

  • Secretary – currently held by Rachel Keesling
  • Sponsorship Chair – currently held by Brett Mahoney
  • Membership Relations Chair – currently held by Nick Wilson
  • PR Officer – currently held by Kyle Keesling

In advance of the meeting we will be accepting nominations for members to fill these open seats, but members may also be nominated during the AGM. Nominations should be submitted to secretary@indygaa.com.

An agenda for this year’s meeting as well as each of the board members’ annual reports will be shared via an update to this post as well as shared to the club’s Slack. The minutes for the 2020 AGM can be reviewed here.

If you have any questions or would like to request a motion for consideration, please submit them to secretary@indygaa.com. All motions for consideration must be received no less than 10 days before the AGM — October 28th.

Also remember that November 7th is the first day after Daylight Savings Time ends, so be sure to set your clock back an hour!