Al Ain GAA club was founded in 2009 by a small number of Irish Expatriates who wanted to maintain a connection to their Irish heritage through Gaelic Games. The clubs affiliation with GAA in Ireland has allowed the club to grow from strength to strength. Last year the club celebrated its tenth anniversary which the club marked with a special logo on the jerseys to remember the founding members of the club. The first Al Ain GAA training session took place on Sunday 13th September 2009 at Al Ain Rugby Club and continued throughout the season, alternating between the Rugby Club and Choueifat school. The club played their first game at the same location when the ladies took on Abu Dhabi na Fianna in October 2009. Numbers for training increased significantly one year later when, in October 2010, the men of Al Ain took to the field. An early version of the Al Ain GAA tournament was hosted on Friday, 5th November 2010 with the Al Ain ladies tasting tournament success in the Ladies B division. Later that season, the men took part in their first tournament in Abu Dhabi on February 18th 2011. Football was the main sport for the intervening years, and the establishment of a Juvenile section in September 2017 was the final step. In recent years however, the small ball has made a big impact on GAA in Al Ain. In September 2015, a Hurling team was established for the first time and in September 2019, a Camogie team was born. All teams currently compete in the Middle East GAA Leagues and Championship, with players of all levels catered for. Training takes place regularly each week from August to June, and large-scale tournaments take place at least twice per year. On the international stage, Al Ain GAA have contributed to the success of the Middle East GAA in various competitions including the Aer Lingus/Etihad International Hurling festival in Galway in 2014 and separate iterations of the GAA World Games in 2015 and 2016. Al Ain GAA also entered a representative team into the St. Jude’s All Ireland Junior Football 7’s competition on the eve of the All Ireland Football final in September 2017.