Clubs must speak up to ensure they are not left in cold

CLUBS WILL find it hard to pick themselves up again after coronavirus. Do I really expect the G.A.A. scene to resume again come the month of June? Absolutely not.

When does one expect to be back with a full schedule of league and championship matches?

With the month of April already ruled out, the current crisis will carry into May/June, so your guess is as good as mine as to when active sport will return.

It’s an extra worrying period for clubs as a result. After the opening round of All-County leagues in football, with only a minimal amount of games played, and just one All-County hurling league match staged, club grounds have been devoid of activity, with padlocks the common sight on entrance gates.

How are clubs to survive through this current crisis? While it’s possibly the last thing being spoken about at the moment, when the health crisis begins to settle down, clubs will suddenly realise the major problems facing them, both player-wise and financially.

As I see it, when the blanket ban of games is lifted, the G.A.A. will take advantage and resume their inter-county activity, with the championship - whatever format is arrived at - given priority, while the National League will also come in for urgent consideration.

Whatever is agreed, the G.A.A. faces a real fixtures struggle. If the National Football League is not completed, then the Tailteann Cup, the new second tier championship, will be deferred until 2021, something which will not sit easily with President John Horan, who was the main mover behind this.

But when discussions are taking place regarding resumption of inter-county activity, under whatever format, the clubs will need to take the initiative. They will have to come forward with valid points as to why they should not be pushed back to the tail end of the season.

Given the fixtures crisis facing the G.A.A., clubs are now left in a delicate position not knowing what their future holds, or what format the county championships will take.

The coronavirus hasn’t just impacted the sports industry, it’s affecting every job sector. Industries are closing down and more people are finding themselves unemployed as a result. These are also the very same people who support their locals clubs and organisations, so this in turn will have a negative impact on the finances of those very clubs and organisations.

Already clubs are living on a reduced budget. It can be said that costs are lowered through non-playing activity, but they still have bank loans, general bills, and clubhouse maintenance, all to be considered without a real cash flow.

As much as supporters love their club and want to do everything to try to keep it afloat, they will put the needs of their families first, and rightly so.

Of course, in the past, when clubs found themselves with financial constraints, it was entirely of their own making.

Clubs have overspent on trying to achieve success, and there is little sympathy for those attempting to buy success and getting into financial difficulties.

Already some clubs have committed to outside managers, at a huge cost, but there is no certainty, given the current climate, that they will make a worthwhile contribution on the pitch.

Clubs could not have foreseen what was ahead of them, but this could be a costly lesson, as it is living in the unknown that is haunting them at present.

This is also likely to spread through to inter-county where managers are tied to contracts, with monies having to be met with little or no current income.

It’s a big surprise as to how things escalated. But with the suspension of all sporting activity, clubs must now begin planning for the future months ahead, even short term.

They have been stripped of their club lotto income, with clubs having postponed draws during the current crisis, leaving them without a steady cash flow.

There must also be question marks over the Model County draw. Given the financial constraints placed on people, the selling of such tickets will be extremely difficult, with the clubs left with no option but to request County Board to lift the levy to cover the Ferns Centre of Excellence bank loan, a levy that has already passed its agreed date.