Schedule for All-Ireland Championship venues and times at an advanced stage

The plan proposed by the CCCC is at an advanced stage and will be put to Central Council for approval later this month

Munster and Ulster GAA officials have already spoke about their major games possibly being played in Croke Park to ensure as many people as possible can attend them. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

The GAA are planning to release the venues and throw-in times for this year’s All-Ireland senior inter-county championships in the coming weeks.

The Irish Examiner understands the schedule proposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) is at an advanced stage and will be put to Central Council for approval later this month.

For planning purposes namely TV schedules, Championship times and venues are usually confirmed months in advance but the CCCC face an obvious difficulty in ascertaining how viable venues are if in the likely event social distancing of two or one metre is in place.

Munster and Ulster GAA officials have already spoke about their major games possibly being played in Croke Park to ensure as many people as possible can attend them. 

The idea of bucket seats being installed on Hill 16 to ensure social distancing on the terrace and thus optimise capacity has been floated by GAA president John Horan. With a two-metre restriction in place, the capacity of Croke Park is 7,000; if it drops to one-metre, the capacity rises to 22,000.

The Donegal County Board have not received any notification or hint that their Ulster quarter-final against Tyrone will be moved away from MacCumhaill Park on October 31 or November 1. The counties’ Division 1, Round 6 clash is also due to take place at the Ballybofey venue two weeks earlier.

As TG4 look set to televise games from the concluding two rounds of the Allianz Football Leagues as well as the All-Ireland U20 football semi-finals and finals in October, it is expected RTÉ will begin their Championship coverage with the live broadcast of the Clare v Limerick Munster SHC first round game on the weekend of Sunday, October 25.

It is also anticipated the All-Ireland senior football final on Saturday, December 19 will have an evening throw-in time. 

As the All-Ireland hurling final is part of a double bill with the Joe McDonagh Cup decider six days earlier, it too is set to be played under lights.

Meanwhile, three weekends since the restart of competitive club games, Croke Park officials are reasonably happy with the adherence by county boards and clubs to the Covid-19 restrictions and matchday regulations but “there is room for improvement”.

A spokesperson said: “We would remind people how fragile this is and that we’ve a collective responsibility that even when we’re at matches social distancing is very important.

“There are four keys messages we have conveyed to clubs - do not go to a game if you are feeling unwell, don’t go onto the field before, at half-time or after a game, wear a face covering where possible and keep a record of who they have been in contact with at the game.”