Return to action looking less likely as weeks roll by

LIVE G.A.A. is becoming less likely as the weeks roll by. The calendar for 2020 has not been axed yet, but it has now been pushed back to July, with little prospect of a resumption. Given the statement of Minister for Health, Simon Harris, over the weekend holding out little prospect of a return to sport or social activity where there are gatherings, it certainly rules out any prospect of the G.A.A. returning to normal activity for the foreseeable future.

While the coronavirus crisis has been bad for many things - the health service, the economy, people’s everyday lives - it’s sport which has taken a huge hammering.

But when placed in perspective, given the tragic deaths and sickness visited upon families, it puts everything into its rightful place.

The return to G.A.A. action still seems a long way off. The G.A.A. on Friday last handed emergency powers to the management committee, deciding to allow that body make swift decisions should they get the go-ahead to play championship games this summer.

The new rule 3.61 is a permanent amendment to the rule book and gives the management committee power to declare an emergency for twelve weeks subject to Central Council approval.

The work of organising any schedules and formats will still be the responsibility of the Central Competitions Control Committee but, given the almost certain divergence from the current rules, management will have the authority to forward the fixtures programme to Central Council.

Inevitably, focus will turn to the options open to the G.A.A. in the summer ahead. It is accepted that the round robin elements of recent championships will not be possible, and Croke Park favours a format that includes qualifiers, giving teams a second chance when eliminated from the provincial championships.

That would still take up to ten weeks for football, even if just a couple of weeks were built in for rest, which would be the likely minimum. Hurling would take less time with just ten counties involved. Then there’s the Joe McDonagh, Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard and Lory Meagher championship games to add to a packed calendar, not to mention under-age along with the completion of the Allianz National Leagues.

There is also the matter of allowing counties time before a return to championship activity, with many feeling up to three weeks would be required. How quickly all that could start would also be very much dependent on any decision regarding the club championships.

This is the real challenge, since club fixtures have to be taken into account, and they are already behind schedule having lost out on the month of April, a period allotted for club championship activity.

The option to stage matches behind closed doors is available, should gatherings become a problem, but this does not sit easily with the G.A.A. given so many issues that are stacked against such a scenario.

As a mechanism for overcoming social distancing, this in itself would be flawed given the dressing-room scenario, with squads of players packed into a confined space. Player welfare as well as that of spectators must also be taken into consideration.

In common with all the debate, no timeframe has been mentioned for a possible return to activity. In all of this, very little mention is given to the under-age aspect of the G.A.A.

With summer camps and various under-age tournaments having already been cancelled, there is also the important matter of the under-age championships. With the Under-20 championships still to be completed, one does not hold out any great prospect of the Minor championship taking place this year, even at club level.

With the Leaving Certificate now given a late July/early August date in the calendar, it adds to the many problems facing under-age competition. While it will remain the G.A.A. objective to try to fit under-age into the calendar, should they get the go-ahead for games, a real problem faces the Association if they lose out to the virus in the Minor grade.

Should the Minor games have to be cancelled, a whole cohort of players could be lost to the game, with Under-17 players having missed their opportunity to play out their final year in this grade, and many unable to make the step-up to Under-20 the following year.

An area the G.A.A. should give serious consideration to as a result is a possible return to an Under-18 age limit for 2021.