Enthusiastic return to the field of dreams
IT’S EASY to know that Gaelic games are back with a vengeance because of the constant wrangling, never-ending rows about club versus county, whispered tales about which panels have been training like demons as County Boards turn a blind eye, stick their heads in the sand or whatever tired cliché tickles your fancy.
Of course stories of teams training outside of designated times are nothing new, as inter-county managers put huge pressure on players to return to the fold, leaving clubs in the lurch as usual, but given the truncated nature of the season the cries of indignation are even louder this time around.
The top brass in GAA headquarters, as they often do, hummed and hawed insufferably before deciding to take a tough stance on the issue, but it’s difficult to believe that even mildly painful sanctions would actually be imposed on anyone found to be in breach of inter-county training rules.
It seems the club will always remain the poor relation in the GAA family structure, and the status quo doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
Anyway, enough with the negativity about Gaelic games because, with the colour returning to the cheeks of the lifeblood of the association over the past week, now is a time for celebration and to appreciate its value.
Pitches filled with the laughter and chatter of excited children seemed like a distant memory from a bygone age not so long ago, but to see youngsters with hurls and footballs in hand dotting the swathes of green grass over the past week was a sight to behold.
My own two kids have emerged from their cocoon like two beautiful butterflies, flitting and weaving balletically with broad smiles on their faces, as they can again mix with a group of young like-minded folk.
When, only a few short weeks ago, the green light was given for a return to play I must admit that I gave it a tentative thumbs up, unsure of how it would all play out, particularly wondering if a sanitised environment would rip some of the soul and fun away from the games.
I’m glad to report that, in the short time since returning to the fields of play, that the experience has been one hundred per cent positive, and has been as welcome as the warm sun on your back after emerging from an ice-cold swimming pool.
I took the plunge to be part of the coaching team for the Under-9s this year and I must say everything has been pretty seamless so far. Apart from filling out a health questionnaire, everybody getting up to speed with the rules and regulations, hand washing methodically before and after sessions and ensuring equipment is properly sanitised, it’s pretty much business as usual down at the pitch.
Thankfully the children are getting the usual enjoyment and have the same opportunties to hone their skills as they would any other year, albeit in a condensed season.
The loss of a year during a key stage of their development would have been tough to recover, so it really is a blessing that they’re back on the playing fields.
Of course some have been busy practising drills and skills at home during the lockdown, but plenty would have grown tired of it and it’s no substitute for getting down to the field and learning about the games among friends, in a funfilled environment.
The difference in my own kids since reuniting with their teammates is like night and day.
Four evenings a week are taken up with trips for Gaelic games and soccer training, and on two of the other days they were down at the pitch practising of their own free will.
There’s still the odd battle dragging them away from their tablet,
Nintendo Switch or some God awful YouTube video, but it’s made a lot easier by the fact that they know that there will be other children out and about at the local facilities.
It goes without saying that the benefit for their physical and mental well-being is enormous, and the importance of sport in young people’s lives was only heightened in difficult recent times.
The GAA is often shown in a bad light, and much of the wounds are self-inflicted, but the unbridled joy it brings to families in every parish, in every county, should not and cannot be underestimated.