Pointing way forward out of lockdown
Golf and tennis are to lead Republic’s project restart, but Kate Rowan says there could be problems ahead
As Britain considers how the route out of sporting lockdown might work it is worth taking a look across the Irish Sea. It is over a week since the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, went on television to explain his detailed “road map” for sport to return and his five-phase plan, over three months, could provide an example for what we should expect.
Varadkar, who describes himself as “a Leinster rugby and Dublin GAA fan”, made it clear the plans could be accelerated or paused depending on the spread of coronavirus, but there are obvious complications that are worth noting.
Phase one – from May 18
Golf courses and tennis courts can reopen but social distancing will apply. While tennis is not a particularly popular sport in Ireland, golf certainly is. Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington has become something of a hit on social media for posting videos from his putting greens surrounding his home, and now recreational golfers will be able to have their first taste of the sport in two months when courses reopen tomorrow week. The situation is far from straightforward, however, primarily because people cannot go further than five kilometres from their homes, unless using essential services.
There is the added complication that when clubs reopen they will only accept members on their courses. Former European Tour professional and golf commentator Gary Murphy believes that rule should be eased. “There are five-kilometre green fees, [which would mean that] if you live within five kilometres of a course but are not a member you should be granted a temporary membership where you can pay €20 [£17.70] a round. That way there is money coming into the club.”
Phase two – June 8
People can engage in sporting activities where there is a “small group team” but this does not include matches and there can be no contact.
Varadkar was careful to stress how, despite its success and popularity in Ireland, rugby union would be among the last sports to resume due to the close contact involved. That is not scheduled to be until Aug 10, but, from an Irish perspective, phase two is all about the Gaelic Games and whether they can edge closer to a return.
Gavan Reilly, political correspondent for television channel Virgin Media One, stressed the deep emotional connection many have to Gaelic football and hurling.
“In Ireland, the biggest sporting event of our summer is the GAA inter-county season and a lot of that is to do with how the sport is embedded in our communities, the players we lionise are not living in million-euro mansions, they live in our local areas and as they are amateur, people feel a deep connection to them,” he said. “That is why it will mean a lot for people to see GAA return but it won’t be easy for these athletes, as unlike Premier League footballers they will be unable to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks, as they all have jobs.”
Permit behind-closed-doors sporting activities and events where arrangements are in place to maintain social distancing. Perhaps one of the most contentious aspects of the Irish plan is that horse racing, which is by far the biggest employer among professional sports in the country, is to return on June 29, much later than hoped. It is understood that industry representatives are lobbying the government due to a fear that the sport could be devastated by a break of more than three months.
“There are not the same sympathies between the current government and racing compared with in years gone by, Leo Varadkar is not a racing man,” Reilly said. “Because soccer in Ireland is semi-professional, GAA is amateur and rugby is confined to four professional provinces, racing is huge as an employer in the sports industry and there is a lot of concern from them regarding their restart date.”
Phase four – July 20
Permit sports team leagues (football and GAA) but only where limitations are put on the number of fans and social distancing can be maintained. For many in Ireland, this is the red-letter day as it marks GAA’s return.
However, due to the GAA’s amateur status, there is a need for 98 per cent of its membership to play in the Club
Championships before the elite inter-county season begins. Varadkar has not ruled out a behind-closeddoors inter-county season with the All-Ireland finals to be played closer to Christmas rather than early autumn. Mass gatherings of more than 5,000 are banned until Sept 1, with Croke Park being used as a drive-through test centre for coronavirus.
Phase five – Aug 10
Permit close physical contact sports such as rugby, boxing and wrestling. Both amateur and professional rugby players will finally be able to resume contact training but this is not without its issues regarding the border.
Ulster Rugby straddles both countries, so will have to accept guidelines from the Ireland and Northern Ireland health services.
“I can see there being a lot of headaches with rugby and Ulster,” Reilly said. “The health minister in Northern Ireland was only told of the Irish road map when Varadkar spoke on TV to the rest of us, there is going to need to be a lot of communication to get rugby up and running.”
That is one issue that London politicians do not need to deal with as sport looks to restart. The Irish plan is far from foolproof but it acts as a useful guide for how long we should expect each stage to take as thoughts turn to when we can play and watch sport again.