When Cork native David Neligan arrived in Sacramento in March 2025, he quickly realized something was missing: there was no GAA club in California’s capital. Having lived in Connecticut, where there was no local GAA presence, and later in Baltimore with its vibrant GAA community, Neligan saw firsthand how Gaelic sport brings people together and knew exactly what he wanted to build. Within weeks of unpacking, he reached out to the San Francisco GAA, determined to help start a hurling club of his own.

“I didn’t know a soul in Sacramento, just my boss,” Neligan says. “But I knew that if I wanted to build a community here, the best way to do it was through the GAA.”

What began with a few social media posts quickly grew into something bigger. Through Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, Neligan connected with others who shared his vision. From that outreach, he found some of the key founding members who would become the backbone of the club. Among them are Noel and Triona Dempsey, longtime members of the SFGAA community and now the Kavanaghs’ registrar and vice-chair.

By early June, the group had gathered a dozen curious athletes for the club’s first training session. Word spread quickly, and by late summer they were holding two weekly practices: one structured plus a casual puck around on Saturday mornings. Players came from a mix of athletic backgrounds including lacrosse, baseball, and soccer. About a third of the club members are Irish-born and two-thirds are American, many with Irish heritage. Together, they’ve found a shared passion for hurling, fitness, and friendship.

In September, just six months after Neligan’s arrival, the Sacramento Kavanaghs played their first competitive match at Páirc na nGael against St. Joseph’s Hurling Club of Silicon Valley. The Kavanaghs fielded 20 players and brought an enthusiastic contingent of 30 to 40 supporters. The sight of a brand-new club traveling from Sacramento, fully kitted out and cheered by fans, impressed even veteran Western Division officials. The Kavanaghs went on to win their debut match, a fitting reward for months of collective effort.

The club’s name is a tribute to Monsignor Edward Kavanagh, a Kilkenny hurler who emigrated to California in the 1940s and served as a priest in Sacramento for more than 60 years. A community center in South Sacramento still bears his name. “We wanted something that connected hurling to Sacramento’s Irish roots,” Neligan explains. “The Kavanaghs fit perfectly.”

Neligan hopes to strengthen the club’s foundation and eventually expand into camogie and Gaelic football, but for now his focus, and that of the club’s growing leadership team, is on hurling and community building. “We’ve got a great group of players who are not only athletic but really into their fitness and supporting each other,” he says. “It’s about sport, yes, but also about creating a community.”

From a few hopeful messages on LinkedIn to a 20-strong squad competing in the USGAA Western Division, the Sacramento Kavanaghs have already made their mark. “This is just the start,” says Neligan. “Next year, we hope to welcome clubs to Sacramento.”

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