Plenty of bumps left on this long road back to competitive action
AS expected, Ireland entered Phase 2 of the road map to begin reopening the country yesterday (Monday).
In his announcement to the nation on Friday, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar outlined what he described as ‘Phase Two Plus’ of the now four-step process to ease Covid-19 restrictions.
The government and health officials have stressed, however, that the condensing down of the original five-step plan to four is not a licence to return to normal.
The acceleration of the process has been made possible due to the continued fall in the number of confirmed cases, deaths and hospitalisations.
The public advice has now changed from ‘stay home’ to ‘stay local’.
There was similar positive news from GAA headquarters on Friday when the Association, along with An Cumann Comogaoicht and the Ladies GFA, published a plan for the safe return to Gaelic games.
The plan is the work of a specially appointed Advisory Committee which includes representatives of all three bodies, the GPA and a number of medical experts.
It offers a gradual route back to activity, subject to the government timelines being achieved in the weeks and months ahead.
The detailed plan is broken down into sections covering Medical Advice, Preparing for a Safe Return, Information for Players and Team Personnel, Summary & Checklist and Roadmap for Return to Activity. The stand-out dates are:
29th Jun – All GAA pitches to reopen with non-contact training allowed for Adults and Juveniles in groups of 10
20th Jul – Collective outdoor training to resume with temperature checks and health questionnaires completed
31st Jul – Adult and Juvenile club competitions to resume with limited spectator numbers in line with government guidelines
10th Aug – Access to GAA buildings and indoor facilities including meeting rooms and gyms
14th Sept – Collective Intercounty training to resume
17th Oct – Intercounty competitions can resume with fixture programme to be announced on 28th June
Following 12 weeks of inactivity the news was greeted with widespread relief and cheer as players, parents and supporters finally received the long awaited green light to return to action at the end of the month.
Two months ago when the disease was at its deadliest the rumour mill had suggested there would be no return to GAA action until a vaccine was found and 2020 would go down as a complete write-off.
Thankfully the situation has improved considerably and light has finally begun to appear at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
However, as I mulled over the 15-page document late on Friday evening many questions and issues came to mind.
Will it be possible to run off a club season within the 11-week time frame?
How will clubs, officials and volunteers cope with the many additional demands set out in the report?
With the starting pistol now effectively sounded for collective team training and with club managers/coaches keen to gain advantage over their rivals, who will be responsible for policing whether teams comply with the new guidelines?
What will the sanctions be? Exploiting loopholes has always been something of a national hobby.
Will county players continue to train with their clubs up until the end of the club championship? Or are they expected to double job from 14th September onwards?
There is no doubt the return to action will be anything but straightforward with many issues and problems arising, but through all of this we must keep reminding ourselves, we’re lucky to be back playing at all.
And finally it was with sadness that I learned of the death of great Geraldines club stalwart Oliver Brennan over the weekend.
Ollie has been synonymous with the Haggardstown club since the early Sixties, serving as a player, official and selector, and was part of the management team who brought the Joe Ward Cup back to the club in 1982.
He was also a huge Louth supporter and was the first chairman of the Louth Minor Board when it was formed in 1973.
He acted as selector on county juvenile teams for many years and gave me my first run-out in Croke Park with the Louth minors in 1983.
We extend our sympathies to his friends and family.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THE RETURN TO ACTION WILL BE ANYTHING BUT STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH MANY ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ARISING, BUT THROUGH ALL OF THIS WE MUST KEEP REMINDING OURSELVES, WE’RE LUCKY TO BE BACK PLAYING AT ALL.