'There’s a lot more risk with 2,000 players than 200 players'

Tim Floyd, Tipperary County Board Secretary. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Tipperary secretary Tim Floyd has raised safety concerns about the GAA’s plans to return to action with club games before county.

The sheer numbers involved in resuming Gaelic games activity from July 20 with club fixtures as opposed to inter-county matches concern Floyd, who himself overcame coronavirus in recent weeks. There are over 370,000 registered club players across the age-grades and almost 23,000 teams. In Tipperary alone, there are in excess of 15,000 players and 1,349 teams. Managing the return of the inter-county scene is patently easier, Floyd says.

“Most people are looking forward to have something and they would be happy enough if we have club games back in August or September, but even with that, you’re talking about 200 inter-county players across minor, U21 and senior in both codes and 2,000 (adult) club players.

“We have been talking a lot about spectators but you’ve an awful lot more players involved in the club game obviously and a lot more players going back home. There’s a lot more risk with 2,000 players than 200 players.

“While on paper it looks like the club will come first and no matter if it comes first it will be great but there are more risks involved. Like, the announcement last week about the roadmap lifted the country. There was optimism and people had something to look forward to but so much is speculation and it’s too serious an issue to be speculating about. Let’s wait until we can be more definite.”

Floyd says the reaction in Tipperary to the GAA’s decision on Wednesday to keep pitches closed until July 20 and delay inter-county action until October at the earliest has been “very mixed”.

“I know we have to put out some sort of a roadmap but things could change so much in the next couple of weeks. I think it’s pointless even in speculating or saying you agree with it or not. We’re only seven weeks into it.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be down to the players and the punters and supporters and whether they want this to happen. Regardless of what we decide, it’ll be up to others to make the decision.

“We had a meeting of our executive committee on Zoom on Wednesday night and we decided to put back the county draw indefinitely. We have fixed it for mid-September in the hope that activities will have resumed in August and we’ll be able to get out and promote it but again nothing can be predicted.”

However, Floyd remains confident the centenary anniversary of Bloody Sunday will be honoured despite the Ireland-Australia International Rules second test set for Croke Park on November 20 being called off.

“That will happen. It can be done in such a way that you don’t need a massive crowd at it and even have it televised so that it is commemorated by everyone who would like to do so. I know some things to commemorate it in the lead-up to November have fallen by the wayside but November is still a long way off. It doesn’t demand as much participation as other things and it’s a once-off thing that could be done well.”

Meanwhile, the GAA’s Covid-19 advisory group will convene for the first time on Monday to take what it is hoped to be the first steps towards formulating return to play protocols. The body, put together by the GAA earlier this week, are to consider how games can be played after July 20 and their “graduated approach” will be “informed and guided by the recently-published Government Roadmap and by Government policy from Stormont”.