GAA not covered by banning orders

ULSTER COUNCIL secretary Danny Murphy said banning orders need not apply to the GAA in Northern Ireland.

Assembly Justice Minister David Ford recently stated he would consider a request from either the association or the IRFU to extend banning orders to their games. The new power, which came into force on January 1, only applies to soccer and empowers the PSNI and the courts to prevent a person who has caused violence from attending another game in Northern Ireland for up to 10 years.

“The banning orders don’t extend to the GAA for the simple reason that the GAA has its own rules in that area,” said Murphy. “The government has the right to amend existing legislation but the banning orders are not available to the GAA.