It’s been a wake-up call for many.. there is more to life than the GAA
THIS virus has forced all of us to re-evaluate the way we go about our lives.
Many people have hit the reset button.
They have reflected on what they are doing regarding their health, their free time and their families. Having re-adjusted accordingly, many ain’t for changing now.
This has been a once-in-alifetime ‘pause’ for everyone.
It will continue to be like this for some time, even as restrictions are relaxed and we go through the phases of the government’s roadmap.
One of the main consequences of these strange, surreal times is the realisation for so many that, pre-covid, they were desperately trying to maintain crazy schedules.
That understanding is very relevant when it comes to the task of getting GAA clubs back up and running again.
I have spoken to a number of die-hard club volunteers over the last three months.
So many are vehement in their belief that they will not be giving the same amount of time to local GAA club duties – and to the Association in general – when a semblance of normality resumes.
Some will understandably keep away out of fear for their elderly loved ones.
The upshot is that clubs will need to be very sensitive regarding their expectations of people’s commitment once the green light comes for a return.
The GAA can no longer take anything for granted.
In particular, the Association can’t take people for granted, nor the effort that volunteers so selflessly put in.
The lockdown has been a light-bulb moment. The penny has dropped with a lot of people.
They realise that they were spending far too much of their lives on pastimes such as the GAA and not enough time on what really counts – family, friends and themselves.
So many people have told me that they had no free time, that it was madness what they were at in terms of being pulled in every direction.
This period has been a wakeup call they badly needed.
These people realise there is much more to life than the
GAA.
The extent of that feeling has surprised me – just the sheer volume of people who have said they won’t be going back to kill themselves for the club.
And it’s not just helpers or volunteers saying this – a lot of players are saying the same thing.
Many great Gaels got a shock over these past three months as they came to the realisation there is a great big world out there to be enjoyed.
It dawned on them that they have a family that they have got to properly connect with and know properly over this past 12 weeks, and have enjoyed spending this time with them.
So many have stood back and said to themselves, ‘I’m some eejit doing all this work on my own for the club when Johnny up the road does nothing at all’.
Ideally, what you will see when we get back to some normality is a much more even allocation of duties within clubs, spread across many more volunteers – if such men and women can be found.
People will now prioritise their precious time. Their loved ones will feature significantly more than before.
The GAA will unfortunately move down that list of priorities, leaving the club devotee much harder to find.
Clubs around the country will desperately need to recruit new volunteers to keep the show on the road.