Warning that young people will struggle to get back into team sport after lockdown

Sat, 24 Apr, 2021 - 06:30

Michael Clifford and Elaine Loughlin

Young people could struggle to get back to team sports after months of being locked away, an expert in youth sport has warned.

Tens of thousands of children will return to training from Monday, but former Cork senior football manager Brian Cuthbert said some might not return to team games.

Mr Cuthbert, a school principal who holds a doctorate in youth sports development, said parents and coaches have to realise that the pandemic may have changed how many young people now view team sports.

“We have to talk about re-engaging the youth,” Mr Cuthbert told the Mick Clifford podcast. “The experience they have had particularly for the last few months has been unstructured, many of them cycling, playing on the green, playing with friends more than ever before, organising their own games.

So some might go and try to find experiences that replicate what they had for the last few months, such as adventure sports or skateboarding, where they are in charge of their own destiny.

"They may not want to go back to team sports."

This could have implications for sports bodies such as the GAA, IRFU, and FAI.

The structured nature of team sports may not be as appealing to youngsters who have become used to enjoying unstructured exercise on their own or with friends. File photo: Getty

Mr Cuthbert, Cork manager between 2013 and 2015, says coaches need to be aware that young people are coming back at a different stage as a result of the lockdown.

“The youths are coming back into a club structure where coaches are telling them the way to do things and a lot of these coaches might try to make up for lost time and make it even more structured. We need to be aware of that,” he said.

“Clubs in particular have a huge job of work in finding where the take-off position is, and recalibrating. It’s going to be more difficult than before.”

Monday will also see the return to return to individual sports such as golf and tennis as well as the reopening of outdoor visitor attractions such as zoos, open pet farms, and heritage sites.

Meanwhile, Micheál Martin has signalled a return to spectators at sporting events, but reiterated that the Government will be cautious when reopening sectors of the economy:

I can see spectators coming back at some stage but in what numbers I'm not precise about. I think vaccination has to happen to a very significant degree, and there'll be evaluation of vaccination programmes.

His comments come as Dublin was stood down as a host city for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament due to Ireland's public health restrictions. The capital's games have been moved to Russia and London because Irish authorities had been unable to provide minimum capacity assurances to Uefa.

'Gradual reopening'

Mr Martin told Newstalk radio: "I think what I can see happening is, gradually, we can open up sectors, but once we open them, we want them to stay open, we want to make decisions that are long-lasting, not short term."

He added that a start-stop to restrictions is "soul-destroying" for businesses.

The Taoiseach said he could see himself being able to go to a wedding or attend a sports match by the end of 2021. However, he warned that he doesn't think that crowds of between 10,000 and 15,000 would be able to attend matches, saying: "I can't predict that far ahead".

'Tread with caution'

"There will be a bit of nervousness around the autumn and winter period because I do believe there's a seasonality attached to this virus and related viruses, so I think we need to just tread with a bit of caution through the winter — but I do think we can open up over time," he said.

He said the Government will make a "comprehensive statement" next week on measures around reopening in May and June.

The Department of Health last night confirmed one further death linked to Covid-19 and 434 new cases of the virus.

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