All-Ireland finals to be postponed until August
THIS year’s All-Ireland hurling and football finals are set to be pushed back to August, as uncertainty about the start date for this year’s intercounty programme lingers.
The All-Ireland club semi-finals are now also likely to be pushed back into the first weeks of 2022.
As it stands, the upcoming National Leagues won’t begin until March at the earliest, with the likely knock-on effect of this year’s All-Ireland finals being moved into August.
In that scenario, the GAA can still play off their inter-county season without having to alter the formats of their competitions.
There will, however, be an inevitable delay to the club championships.
“There’s no decision made on a return date yet,” Alan Milton, the GAA’s head of communications, told the Irish Independent. “However, it’s hard to see how the league can start as planned given the training the players have missed up to this point.
“We’ll follow public health advice and our advisory committee.”
This year’s All-Ireland finals had been scheduled for July 11 (hurling) and the weekend of July 17/18 (football), but August is now the likeliest date for the GAA’s two biggest matches.
The All-Ireland club semi-finals, traditionally played in February, were due to be staged in December this year, with the finals in January 2022.
The GAA’s Covid committee is scheduled to meet next Monday, when they will consider a return date for inter-county activity, but they may convene earlier depending on any significant announcement from Cabinet today.
Although inter-county football and hurling is permitted under Level 5 restrictions, the GAA took the decision to ban all activity until Covid case numbers come down. Milton indicated there was no “magic number” that would prompt the GAA to begin their season and that they would be led by health advice.
They are also now anticipating a second full inter-county championship being played behind closed doors.
Ministers met yesterday afternoon to discuss a range of new Covid-19 restrictions.