Football

Optimism grows for August club championships

Sun 6 Oct 2019, Antrim Senior GAA Championship final, Lamh Dhearg v Cargan at Corrigan Park, Belfast: Cargin's Kevin Quinn scores a goal. Pic: Cliff Donaldson.
Sun 6 Oct 2019, Antrim Senior GAA Championship final, Lamh Dhearg v Cargan at Corrigan Park, Belfast: Cargin's Kevin Quinn scores a goal. Pic: Cliff Donaldson. Sun 6 Oct 2019, Antrim Senior GAA Championship final, Lamh Dhearg v Cargan at Corrigan Park, Belfast: Cargin's Kevin Quinn scores a goal. Pic: Cliff Donaldson.

CLUB GAA could be set to begin in early August as optimism grows ahead of the publication of the GAA’s return to play roadmap in the coming days.

The association has been in lockdown since becoming one of the first sporting organisations to shut down in mid-March, but has faced growing calls in recent weeks to begin emerging from its restrictions.

Public clamour has grown over the re-opening of pitches and walkways, which are due to re-open on Monday in line with the Irish government’s move into phase two of lifting barriers.

From Monday, people in the Republic of Ireland will be allowed to engage in outdoor sporting and physical fitness activities, involving small group team sports training “where social distancing can be maintained and there is no contact”.

That will not include group GAA sessions, which are not likely to be permitted until phase four of the lockdown being lifted, which is currently due to happen on July 20.

The Irish government’s roadmap lists GAA specifically as being able to resume on that date, but adds “only where limitations are placed on the number of spectators and where social distancing can be maintained”.

Quite how the latter criteria will be fulfilled is the biggest remaining question that will need to be answered in the six weeks before a potential restart, although other countries are beginning to show what might lay ahead.

Professional sport in New Zealand may be able to resume in complete normality from next week, with their government weighing up whether to lift all social distancing restrictions.

New Zealand’s fight against the virus’ spread has been among the most effective in the world, with no new cases recorded for a 12th consecutive day on Wednesday. There is currently just one active case in total.

Ireland recorded 11 deaths in total yesterday, eight in the north and three in the Republic, as well as a total of 55 new cases, of which just eight were in the north.

The GAA has pledged to take an all-island approach in its response, which could potentially delay any re-opening if either jurisdiction is not as advanced as expected in its fight against the virus come July 20.

A report on RTÉ.ie yesterday outlined measures that clubs will need to take until contact training is allowed again, including having hand sanitiser available, and washing and sterilising all equipment after each session.

Players will be able to train in small groups from June 29, but with full-contact training unlikely to return until July 20 at the earliest and the GAA having promised teams a short spell to adjust before games, it is likely to be August at the very earliest before matches restart.

The report indicates that underage players will need consent from parents to return to activity, while temperature checks and contact tracing will also need to be put in place.

Those elements will raise question marks over the viability of such a large-scale amateur organisation returning so soon, a point with Covid-19 advisory group member Dick Clerkin made over the weekend.

“If you move too soon, because of the sheer volume and scale of the membership, you don’t want to be in a position where you’re contributing to a step back, you have to be a wee bit more conservative because of the pure size and scale of the organisation,” said the former Monaghan midfielder.