Complete lack of certainty regarding the future

WICKLOW GAA Chairman Martin Fitzgerald says that at best the club championship in the Garden County in 2020 is likely to be knock out or back door but that, ultimately, nobody knows exactly how events will turn out over the coming months as the Covid-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing.

With the Wicklow leagues almost certain to be shelved at this stage given the timeframe and amount of games remaining, the big question now is whether the club championships take place before the inter-county due to expected gradual relaxing of restrictions.

Martin Fitzgerald admits that neither the Wicklow County Board or anyone else can make any predictions as to what course of action the Government and subsequently the GAA will take in the coming weeks after the three-week extension to the lockdown reaches its conclusion.

‘It’s very possible that we will have to get a derogation from Croke Park to change our championships,’ said Martin Fitzgerald. ‘It’s possible that small crowds might be allowed attend games and that’s why the club championships could be held before the inter-county,’ he added before suggesting that games behind closed doors is also an option.

However, comments from Minister for Health Simon Harris this week suggest that the entire sporting calendar is in doubt. The Co. Wicklow TD said that social distancing is likely to be with us until a vaccine for Covid-19 is available and with many suggesting that such a development is 12 or 18 months down the road then it is very difficult to see how any contact sport would be permitted to take place in such circumstances.