VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a Vietnamese amateur football player was the only Asian player to ever play in  the All Stars game held last weekend by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia..

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh (No. 17) is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring the decisive penalty in the Vodafone All Stars match in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Ray McManus / Sportsfile

Quynh is a member of the Viet-Celts Gaelic Football Club, which was established in 2007 in Hanoi, to promotes Gaelic football in Vietnam.

In the game, Quynh scored the decisive penalty for his team.

Quynh only took up  Gaelic football in the past three months and has played second division soccer in Vietnam.

Gaelic football is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ,Along with hurling, it is one of the two most popular spectator sports in Ireland.

Gaelic Football is played by teams of 15 on a rectangular grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by kicking or striking the ball with the hand and getting it through the goals. At the end of the match the team with the highest score wins. Players advance the ball up the field with a combination of carrying, soloing, kicking, and hand-passing to their team-mates.

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organization focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders.

Since 1971 the All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football & Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each category is selected as the player of the year. Equivalent awards exist for Ladies football, Rounders and Camogie.       

Since the 1960s, there has been an annual tradition of selecting the best player in each position in football and hurling to create a special team of the year. Between 1963 and 1967 these players received what was known as the Cú Chulainn award. In 1971 these awards were formalized into the annual All-Star Awards.

The All-Stars team comprises of the best player in each position, regardless of club or county affiliation. The composition of the All Star teams are decided by a small panel of sports journalists from the national media. The awards are presented at a gala banquet in November following the end of the championship season. Both men's teams are honored with a special holiday where they play an exhibition game. Since 1971 over 1,000 players have been honored with All-Stars Awards.

PV