The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
A return without fans wouldn’t really work
The GAA is different to professional sport in that the fans are an integral part of the occasion, writes Seán O’Sullivan
THE Premier League follows in the footsteps of the Bundesliga and La Liga by returning to action this week albeit behind closed doors. For all us avid fans of the game across the water it’s a real boost.
The television coverage will be unprecedented with an average of 15 games being shown every week with a percentage even on free to air to give supporters an opportunity to get back to watching the game they love.
Having watched a lot of the action in Germany since its return I have to say it’s been a bit surreal when you see these top quality professionals putting on a show in an empty stadium. I understand it’s their job to play and they are rewarded handsomely in their salaries but still it must be difficult to get your motivation levels increased when you walk out into a 60,000 capacity stadium and you can hear a pin drop.
The first game in the Bundesliga after the return to play involved Borussia Dortmund and Schalke so like everyone else I tuned in to see what it would look (and sound) like. The players rambled out onto the pitch smirking and laughing with each other and it all looked pretty uncomfortable for them as they tried to get used to this new situation. Once the game started their focus returned and all was normal, but it just had a very eerie feeling about it.
The whole thing got me thinking about our own inter county football when it does eventually return. We now know that October 17 is when we will get to don our county colours and pull out the hats and flags again, but the big question is will we be allowed to go to games?
For me that’s the obvious difference when it comes to comparing the return of club and county action. It goes without saying that it’s much easier to contain spectators at a Junior championship game between Cromane and Ballylongford then it is a Munster semi-final in Páirc Ui Chaoimh between Cork and Kerry. The bottom line here is that there will either be limited numbers allowed through the gates or, and this would be a disaster for our games, no supporters at all.
In my opinion county games behind closed doors would just be terrible. I see a good few past and present players have been vocal during lockdown saying that they just want to get back playing football even if it’s in front of a man and his dog.
They wanted to represent their county regardless of crowds or capacities. Really lads? I’m not buying it. Yes we play for our county for the pride and tradition and of course with the ultimate aim of running out on to the Croke Park sod on the biggest day of the footballing calendar.
We train all year honing our skills and building our fitness so we are ready for the big championship days of the summer. Call me egotistical but there is a big part of every player who wants to perform in front of a massive audience.
It’s a huge part of our game. We are amateur players but for a small period in our careers and least we get that buzz, that high of knowing that 60, 70 maybe even 80 thousand people have taken the time and spent the money to come and see you and your colleagues play. If that is taken away then it sucks the lifeblood out of the spectacle that is Gaelic Football no matter how some players dress it up.
You can’t compare it to soccer. As I mentioned the amount of money TV companies can pump into that it phenomenal.
Just looking at the schedule of games that’s to come in the next few months is mouth watering for the sofa supporter, but GAA fans are different.
Our summers revolve around going to games. They are the heartbeat of those months and even though Covid-19 has altered when our championships start and how they will be played we will still go in large numbers to back our teams.
If that is taken away from us or even limited to a proportion of us then it will make for a very dour series. John Horan alluded to getting 20 thousand in to Croke Park safely for an All Ireland Final.
I have played in National League finals at Croker when there hasn’t been much more than that and let’s just say it didn’t get the hairs standing on the back of my neck.
It’s all well and good bringing the games back, but is it worth it when some or most might not get to see them live?
I do feel for the players though. An inter-county career goes by in the blink of an eye and you want to play as much as possible. When everything was put on hold Kerry were in a decent position. They had an outside chance of making another league final and Peter Keane was close to having his full squad back.
I have no doubt that, like the rest of us, Peter and the players thought we’d be back in action soon enough and so players were given running and strength programs to get through while they waited for things to blow over.
Of course, as weeks turned into months it’s very hard for any player to train religiously day in day out particularly on their own so I’m sure the Kerry management on the advice of their S&C team would have tapered the players programs accordingly.
You have to remember that these guys are only human and like the rest of us have families, jobs and college education to worry about too. They love their football of course and will have kept themselves in impeccable shape during lockdown, but a break from the pressures of training four or five times a week would not have been the worst thing in the world.
They will be itching to get back as we all are and the fact that it now looks like the Kerry county board will recommence action here with the club championships will see our county players get much needed game time before returning back together for their own preparations. In fact with proposals in the pipeline to also getting the county championship started albeit on a knock-out basis, then the county players should see plenty action.
Players just want to play that’s true but when the games and the reward get bigger then so should the crowds. Football without fans? It just doesn’t work.