Kansas City isn’t just an NFL city — there’s Gaelic football (& Irish hurling) here, too
On Wednesday, the football field of Brookside’s now-defunct Southwest High School was littered with paddles, helmets and cleats. And nearby, Irishman Cian Gaffney tucked what looked like a volleyball under his arm as he caught his breath.
Gaffney is the chair of the Kansas City Gaelic Athletic Club, also known as the Wolfhounds. It’s a collective that’s brought Gaelic football and an ancient Irish sport called hurling to the KC metro.
The Wolfhounds are also on the cusp of becoming one of the best junior Gaelic football clubs in the nation.
In less than a month, Gaffney and his teammates will fly out to San Francisco to compete at the 2024 U.S. Gaelic Athletic Association championship tournament.
“We won it back in 2016, and we’re hoping for the same again this year,” Gaffney said.
The U.S. Gaelic Athletic Association oversees 10 regional divisions and over 100 clubs across the country. For the uninitiated American, however, Gaelic football and hurling might seem tough to break into.
But they have some familiarity.
Gaelic football looks like a mix of basketball and soccer. It’s even played on the same pitch as a soccer field, with addition of a football field’s goal posts on top of the soccer goals. Meanwhile, if soccer and lacrosse had a child — and appointed baseball and rugby as godparents — you’d get hurling.
“People usually find the speed of the game kind of overwhelming,” Gaffney said. “When they start, they don’t realize how fast it is.”
“But if you have any sort of athletic background … you’re going to find it a lot more comfortable,” Drake Bynum, vice chair of the Wolfhounds added.
Even if you don’t, Bynum said, the Wolfhounds are happy to show the ropes to anyone and everyone who’s interested — uniforms and gear included. It’s how the club has stayed around for almost 17 years.
The Wolfhounds were born on Myspace, thanks to a group of fresh college graduates. Some brought over experiences from St. Louis’ Gaelic sports scene, seeing the space to grow a similar community in Kansas City.
“The elders reached out to their followers, saying that a local sports group is trying to get started and anyone interested in Irish culture, sports, competitiveness, go ahead and come out,” Bynum said. “It was a lot of months of just, ‘How do you get something going like this?’”
In 2008, the USGAA recognized the Wolfhounds as an official club, allowing them to compete against other amateur clubs in the Midwest.
Since then, they’ve built themselves around a tight-knit group of friends-turned-family. Some Irish, some not so Irish. All welcomed regardless.
“What I’ve seen from the start is not just the opportunity to play sports,” Bynum said. “I’ve gotten to meet hundreds of amazing individuals at various points of their lives. Some guys are still in high school, some have grown up and now I see them married with kids.
“Having been invited to weddings, celebrations, even the likes of funerals — it means a lot because we’re a small community. We represent Kansas City, but we also represent each other.”
Gaffney came to the club shortly after moving to the states from Ireland in 2020. He joked that it was “the best time to move countries,” but the Wolfhounds were able to provide a sense of home.
“I played growing up, saw a club here in Kansas City and I wanted to get involved. Close to my Irishness and my national game — (there’s) good connection, good people,” Gaffney said.
This weekend, the Wolfhounds are headed to St. Louis, where they’ll compete against their fellow Missourian hosts along with teams from Memphis. This tournament, the players agreed, would serve as a test before San Francisco.
“We know what it takes to win nationals,” Nathan Dunn, the Wolfhounds’ public relations officer said, “but it’s been a while since our football team has been. Hopefully, we can go up there and make some noise.”
Even as the Wolfhounds race to sharpen their game for elite competition, they’re adamant on what makes their game so important: community. In fact, when asked if they had anything else to share at the conclusion of their interview with The Star, Bynum had a question of his own:
“When are you playing?”
