THE GAA’s Covid Advisory Committee (which includes Gaelic Players’ Association chief executive Paul Flynn) met last night and discussions included an examination of GPA proposals for a ramping-up of Covid-19 testing and protocols after the players’ body threatened to withdraw their support for the inter-county season.
The GPA has called for baseline testing for all inter-county panels as well as “robust match-day travel guidelines that protect the player’s welfare”. In addition it asked that county boards and the GAA Central Council took full responsibility for and ensured that “the training and playing environment is fully compliant with the Covid-19 protocols”.
The GAA has yet to give a definitive response on the issues raised, but a GAA spokesperson did say: “The GPA observations are forming part of our ongoing discussions. They are being considered by our Covid working group.”
The GPA informed the GAA of their demands on Wednesday night and warned that their support for the 2020 All-Ireland Championships would “need to be reconsidered” unless “immediate and decisive action” is not taken.
Last week the vast majority of GPA members expressed a willingness to participate in the inter-county season but, after further cases among the Antrim hurlers and the Roscommon football squad, the association reviewed its position.
In an email to players yesterday, they outlined their concerns over whether their members (and by extension their friends, families and work colleagues) were being adequately protected from the Covid-19 virus.
The email read: “It was agreed that continuing to train and play while the remainder of the population is severely restricted in their movements and activities will only work if we can immediately put in place a range of measures and assurances for our members and the management and backroom teams and all others associated with playing the games in every county.”
It continued: “If steps are not taken immediately to implement testing, to introduce appropriate travel guidelines and to ensure full compliance with the existing protocols, the NEC cannot support the continuation of the 2020 season.
“The majority of you want to continue to play the 2020 season, to compete, to bring excitement & entertainment, and bring a level of normality to our communities. You value the role you play within the fabric of Irish society.
“This is a role you take very seriously; however, it does not supersede your health, safety, and welfare. We will keep you updated and please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the GPA team if you have any questions or queries. We will be in touch with all squads in the next 48 hours.”
The Covid-19 situation, and the response to it, changes almost from day to day, but earlier this week, GAA spokesman Alan Milton admitted that testing could only be 100 per cent accurate if inter-county squads were kept in a secure bubble. He said that was not possible in amateur sport.
“The problem with the testing is that you can get one done on Monday and you mightn’t be back training until Wednesday,” he said.
“It won’t be 100 per cent accurate because of the timelines. Our players are not in a bubble like professional athletes, so it’s not a runner for that reason. If they were living in a hotel for 14 days, of course you could do it because you could monitor them but they aren’t so it’s just not feasible.”
So why not a bubble? Milton added that cocooning players: “Goes against the grain and the ethos of amateur sport.
“We don’t compensate players for that, so I don’t think we can ask them to do it and if we did compensate them we wouldn’t be amateur.”
