Ulster series can finish year with a flourish: Mcavoy
THE coronavirus threat may have ravaged the GAA season to date but the Ulster Council is determined that the provincial senior football Championship will retain its status as the jewel in the fixtures crown.
The Council has already fully digested the GAA’S road map for the remainder of this season and is now intent on ensuring that its premier competition will further cement its long-held appeal despite taking place in the last quarter of the year.
Ulster Council secretary Brian Mcavoy is already spearheading what is anticipated will be a concerted drive to ensure that the Championship will highlight what will be a return to long overdue knockout inter-county action.
“While October 17 has been confirmed as the date on which inter-county action will resume, this does not necessarily mean that the Ulster Championship will commence on that day,” pointed out Mcavoy.
“The Central Competitions Control Committee will formulate the overall Championship fixtures itinerary embracing football and hurling. Of course, the senior football Championship draw that was made in Ulster last October still stands but we have to wait and see how things work out in other provinces.
“The Management Committee was empowered at the Special Congress earlier this year to oversee the Championship and it will make decisions as it sees necessary in this respect.”
Had normal circumstances prevailed this year, the identity of the Ulster semi-finalists would have been known on May 24, just a fortnight after the launch of the competition.
If a similar timeframe should be adhered to in the autumn, there is then a strong possibility that the provincial decider could be played perhaps by mid-november, although elements such as a possible ongoing coronavirus threat or unfavourable weather may have to be factored in.
The Ulster Council’s resolute commitment to its senior football Championship is recognised within the inner sanctum of the GAA with president John Horan having already acknowledged this earlier this month.
“One of the big challenges in terms of fixtures is the monster that is a traditional feature of the GAA and that is the provincial Championships. You would find Ulster and Munster in particular very hard to move in terms of their football and hurling Championships respectively,” insisted Horan.
With social distancing perceived to be a potential major problem not just in terms of the playing of the sport but from the spectators’ perspective, special arrangements will have to be made.
“When you look at the Ulster Championship draw, you can see that there are some very attractive fixtures there geared to bring in the fans,” stated Mcavoy. “But the important thing is that spectators are accommodated in safety. This will be paramount no matter what happens.
“I am aware that there is speculation in relation to Croke Park perhaps being used for some matches so that as many people as possible can be facilitated but this is something that will probably be looked at more closely further down the line.
“It’s my belief that there will be attractive ties on the menu irrespective of when or where they are played.
“I know people have been wallowing in nostalgia lately with a strong ration of games from the past having been shown on television but at the end of the day nothing beats live sport.”
With Donegal manager Declan Bonner having already set out his stall in relation to making it a hat-trick of Ulster titles and Dublin targeting what would be a sixth All-ireland title on the trot — and the first under new boss Dessie Farrell — it’s not hard to understand why the closing segment of 2020 holds such rich promise.
The expectation is that whatever fixtures programme the Central Competitions Control Committee comes up with will get the green light from the Management Committee.
“There is provision made for the series to extend into 2021 should this be deemed necessary,” pointed out Mcavoy. “But the main thing is that as things stand we will have a belated menu of top-class action.”