Football

GAA set to announce next move

Clonmel Racecourse locked up after the Irish government announced a ban on all sport, including that behind closed doors, which has meant the Irish Grand National will be postponed. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Clonmel Racecourse locked up after the Irish government announced a ban on all sport, including that behind closed doors, which has meant the Irish Grand National will be postponed. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile Clonmel Racecourse locked up after the Irish government announced a ban on all sport, including that behind closed doors, which has meant the Irish Grand National will be postponed. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

THE GAA will contact clubs and counties about its next move over the coming days after the Irish government put a ban on all sport until at least April 19.

The announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday had its most direct and immediate impact on horse racing, with the Irish Grand National postponed.

Racing had been going ahead behind closed doors since March 13, but the government put a blanket ban on all sports for just short of the next four weeks.

Mervyn Torrens, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Racehorse Trainers Association said: “I was fully expecting the Irish government to step in with the number of Covid-19 virus cases and deaths escalating in the Republic.

“It’s a wise decision. Racing counts for nothing as the World faces a health pandemic never seen before by this generation.”

The GAA has been planning for how best to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic since it announced on March 12 that all activity was suspended until the end of this month.

That pro-active move has now been extended and throws further doubt on whether the National Leagues can be finished, and subsequently whether the inaugural Tailteann Cup (tier two championship) will take place this summer.

The Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association also announced yesterday that it has abandoned its leagues for this year, and that they will not be completed.

In the last two days alone, on top of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games until 2021, the IFA has extended its suspension of football here until April 30, while the FAI is still aiming to resume the Airtricity League in June after stopping the league five games in.

The Champions League and Europa League finals, as well as rugby’s remaining Champions Cup, Challenge Cup and Pro14 games are all pushed back also.

The IRFU last night made €500,000 available to its clubs and put a stay on outstanding loans to help tide them over, having cancelled the rest of its domestic season last week.

Sporting organisations the world over have found themselves in similar positions, with many Irish AFL players having returned home after taking a 50 per cent pay cut this week.