Football

South Armagh club Silverbridge Harps take stand in battle with Covid-19 spread

South Armagh club Silverbridge Harps have accommodated a testing centre in their grounds
South Armagh club Silverbridge Harps have accommodated a testing centre in their grounds South Armagh club Silverbridge Harps have accommodated a testing centre in their grounds

SILVERBRIDGE Harps were keen to accommodate a Covid-19 testing centre in their grounds because they wanted to play a vital role in their community at a very difficult time for south Armagh.

Over the past week, Covid-19 has spread like wildfire through the region. After a junior football championship final replay win in nearby Forkhill, club players and supporters and in some cases their partners, parents and siblings all became infected with the virus over a matter of a few hours.

That outbreak led to players in the Armagh senior panel becoming infected and the team management had to make the decision to suspend collective training, although it is understood that it resumed on Wednesday night.

After the surge in cases and with GAA members coming in for some criticism, Silverbridge were keen to play their part in efforts to stop the alarming spread of the virus.

"We felt it was our responsibility, as a community resource, to give something back at this very difficult time," explained chairman Pat Casey.

"We had heard from our community that it was quite difficult - particularly for older people - having to go to Craigavon or Belfast to get tested. So we volunteered our grounds to be used as a testing centre to make it easier for people from this area to go and get a test.

"When the health authority contacted us we said: 'Yes, we are willing'. During lockdown the focus of the club was on looking after people who were being socially-isolated. We had a very active group who were getting groceries out round the community and helping people and ringing and staying in touch with them.

"The focus of need within the community has shifted away from that now to facilitating people who think that they may have the virus and so we decided we should look to open the testing centre."

In ordinary circumstances, winning a championship is something to be celebrated by an entire community but these are not ordinary times. Celebrations on the field or indoors may or may not have led to a spike in cases but the risk that they could is ever-present.

"To celebrate the winning of a championship is natural and to want to celebrate it in the company of your family and your team-mates is natural but Covid-19 is unnatural and it is forcing us into unnatural things," he said.

"We don't condemn any club for wanting to celebrate winning something but it is unfortunate what has happened. In Silverbridge we wanted to win the senior championship and if we had done so it would have been very hard to stop a spontaneous out-pouring of emotion but we know now that this has created consequences."

Meanwhile, the Armagh County Board pre-empted the GAA's decision to suspend all club fixtures last Friday but hope to complete the 2020 season early next year.

"We plan on completing the 2020 leagues in the new year and prior to the commencement of the 2021 competitions," read a statement.

"Our outstanding underage championships are also scheduled to take place in 2021 prior to commencement of 2021 competition."