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After moving from Ireland to Australia, Dr Alexandria Campbell of Ed Square Dental in Edmondson Park, NSW, found a touch of home playing Gaelic football.
“Dentists with recognised dentistry qualifications from the UK and Ireland can work in Australia without needing to do further exams. I was always curious about visiting Australia—the weather’s much nicer for a start—so I thought I may as well give it a go. I arrived in Sydney from Belfast in December 2023 and was lucky enough to get a job at Ed Square Dental.
“I did a bit of travelling before coming to Australia and met two Irish girls in Thailand. We met up again in Sydney and they were joining the Craobh Phadraigh Gaelic football team. It took no convincing for me to join. Everyone on the team is Irish so it’s a nice way to stay in touch with my culture.
“I’ve been playing Gaelic football since I was 13. While it’s a popular game for boys, lots of girls play too. I played regularly in Ireland until I was about 23 then I moved to Scotland for four years. It’s really nice to play again in Australia.
“Gaelic football uses a round ball. Whenever you run with it, you have to either bounce it on the ground or kick the ball back to yourself after three steps. But you can’t double bounce. The goals have football nets below and rugby posts above. Into the net is three points, above the net is one point. There are 15 players on each team including the goalkeeper. It’s a bit like AFL in many ways.
“It’s meant to be a non-contact sport so there aren’t many injuries. I’ve had a sprained finger and rolled an ankle but that’s about it. As a dentist, I want to protect my hands. If someone’s running with the ball, you can swipe it out of their hands or intercept when they’re kicking. It’s a very fast game.
“You spend a lot of time indoors as a dentist so it’s nice to get outside, run around and enjoy some healthy competition. I love it because it’s an Irish game and there’s a fantastic social element as well. We train twice a week and a lot of matches take place in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. We usually end up around Coogee and do something together on a Sunday evening.
“I also love the competitiveness of Gaelic football—even though it looks like my team will finish in the middle of the table this year. It’s a bit disappointing but there’s always next year!”
