TYRONE Coaching Officer Damian Harvey has labelled the continued furloughing of GAA coaches in the six counties "unacceptable" while those in the other 26 counties continue to operate.
Children and young players are suffering as a result, according to the Cookstown man, who called on the Association to rectify the imbalance and ensure the issue is dealt with on an all-island basis.
As many as 50 full-time Ulster coaches have been placed on the furlough scheme, which pays 80 per cent of their wages while their employment is suspended during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
“The furlough scheme here in the six counties means that our coaches are sitting at home. Yes, they’re getting 80 per cent of their salaries, but they would much prefer to be working, and you feel for them at this stage,” said Harvey.
“It seems to me that there are two systems in operation at the minute for coaching.
“Outside of the six counties, all of the coaches in all of the other counties are fully operational.
“Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal are all fully operational, along with the counties in the other three provinces.
“They might be limited in what they can do, but they’re operational, and that’s definitely a contrast to what’s happening here in the north.
“That’s something that maybe wasn’t well thought through at the time, but it has occurred, and it’s something that has had a big impact.”
The Tyrone coaching chief expressed disappointment that Ulster GAA and Croke Park have not adopted a parallel approach to the status of the GAA’s full-time coaches during the public health emergency.
“It’s disappointing that there hasn’t been one single system in terms of trying to keep these people active.”
“I think Croke Park and Ulster GAA could have made a similar arrangement, but that’s for the powers that be to have a think about.
“It is disappointing. It’s leaving kids here in the north at a deficit, and that’s something that should have been thought out a bit more.
“Ulster probably looked at it and said, we need to go with the furlough scheme in order to retain the services of these coaches going forward. The scheme was there and they opted in to it, but it requires more thought at national coaching level.
“Ulster GAA has taken a course of action in terms of what employment law says here in the north, but the GAA is an all-island organisation, and I think we need to be looking at it with an all-island approach.
“I feel for the coaching staff, who I’m sure would prefer to be at work, but they weren’t afforded that opportunity.”
Harvey claimed that coaches in the north have continued to work, on a voluntary basis, in an effort to keep young players connected to Gaelic games.
But the extent of their work is severely curtailed, unlike the more comprehensive activities of their counterparts elsewhere.
“I know that the coaches who are furloughed are still trying to do what they can on a voluntary basis, but they can’t engage with their own work, which is tough.
“Down south they are still engaging with their Academy squads, setting up their programmes and continuing with their work.
“We haven’t had that luxury in the north because the coaches have all been furloughed.”
And Harvey warned that the situation will become significantly more serious should restrictions continue through the summer.
“I’m sure it will be very much at the front of the thoughts of the national coaching people.
“If this goes on beyond the summer, the national coaching games committee will need to be taking a look at it.
“If it continues until then, it’s going to have a marked impact on coaching going forward.”
The absence of full-time coaches contributed to a decision to cancel this year’s Tyrone Summer Camps.
More than 3,000 children were due to attend the hugely popular camps at around 50 venues this summer.
But while Cul Camps in the Republic of Ireland are set to go ahead, activities will be curtailed north of the border.
“Tyrone took an early decision to cancel the summer camps this year. There was some debate around that, but we felt we needed to give parents clarity around whether or not the summer cams would go ahead.
“There was talk about restrictions on the number of people who could attend, and sanitising and all of that sort of stuff.
“But Tyrone GAA weren’t comfortable with that, and whether we could provide a risk-free environment for these youngsters coming to these camps.
“The summer camps require an awful lot of planning, and our coaches are not working at the minute.
“We can’t plan without coaches, and we’re not in a position to thoroughly set the plans out, because there are no coaches on the ground, they’re currently furloughed.”
