CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE IS IN CHAOS
LONDON’S lockdown has left their participation in the Connacht Senior Football Championship hanging by a thread. With New York’s Bronx fixture against Galway on May 3 already postponed, the participation of an overseas unit in any potential summer competition looks to be increasingly under threat. The decision by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to implement much stricter measures on Monday night to combat the spread of the coronavirus makes the prospect of London hosting the scheduled Connacht SFC opener against Roscommon on May 2 in Ruislip remote. With our Government also announcing stricter measures from midnight last night and an extension from the original March 29 deadline until April 19, the chances of the Championship happening in its planned format is looking ever more unlikely. A knock-out format excluding New York and London is one of the various alternative scenarios. And if the actions of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association are anything to go by, it doesn’t look good for the chances of the concluding stages of the Allianz Leagues in football and hurling being played off. The LGFA yesterday announced that the Lidl National Leagues will not be completed this year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The TG4 Championships are also to be reviewed. The next question is whether the GAA can provide any sort of a clear picture for teams onthe exact format of the Championship?
The logistics involved in the participation of New York and London militates against their chances of taking part and their fixtures were always going to come under the spotlight first. But the following weekend, all four provinces are meant to be in action. With the ban on all sporting activity extended to at least April 19, that date is sure to be a moveable feast.