Tyrone GAA chiefs say they intend to take advantage of the return of gaelic games activities to work towards the completion of a host of competitions which remain outstanding from last season.
Eighteen competitions – mostly at under-age level – did not reach completion in the Red Hand county in 2020 as a result of a tightening of Covid restrictions in the latter part of the year.
Now Competitions Control Committee chairman Martin Sludden sees a window of opportunity in which the campaign can be renewed and concluded.
The return of training for club players on April 12 will be used as a stepping stone towards a resumption of competitive games.
“The priority is to get the fields opened up again and get the players back out again.
“The next stage for us is to look about finishing last year’s competitions,” he said.
“There’s 18 competitions not finished and we want to get those done.
“We want to keep the progress going, to get the players back out training, and the next stage is to get back to competitive fixtures, and that will lead us in to last year’s competitions.
“The majority of them are youth competitions, most of them at the final stage, and a couple at semi-final stage to be played off.”
The most high profile of the upcoming finals is the Minor Football Championship decider between Carrickmore and Omagh.
All adult football competitions were completed last year, with the exception of the Division Three League.
Important games remain to be played in the series, which features a battle for promotion involving up to four clubs.
“We have to get Division Three completed. There’s a couple of games in one section and the winners of that will play Cookstown in a play-off, with the winners promoted to Division Two.
“That will then leave us that we know what the three divisions are for next year, and we can make championship draws. At the minute we can do nothing with the championship.”
Longer summer evenings will enable fixture-makes to lay on a packed programme of games as soon as the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA grant approval for a return to competitive action.
“We should be able to get the games played off fairly quickly,” said Sludden.
“With the stretch in the evenings, we will be pushing on with finals every evening to get them played once we get the go-ahead.”
Adult league football is set for change in the year ahead, with a new format due to be introduced.
Clubs have been presented with three options, and will be kept informed and updated at every stage.
“We put out three options earlier in the year, so we’ll have to wait and see what format the clubs want the leagues to take.
“Hopefully it will keep moving in the right direction for everybody, because there’s a lot of issues out there with mental health, and getting young people back out on the fields again is so important.”
One certainty is that two extra clubs will compete in an expanded Division One this season.
Two teams were promoted, but relegation was suspended in 2020 due to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Division One will comprise 18 teams, with 16 in Division Two and 15 in Division Three.
